Dignity, January 01, 2007, Image 3

Paid Time Off:
Use It or Lose It
"Paid time off" balances for hourly caregivers are subject
to a "use it or lose it" if not taken by June 30, 2007.
Any balance will revert to "0" on
July 1,2007, so make sure you are
making plans to take advantage of
well deserved paid time off. In
February, 2007 you will earn
another 16 hours of paid time off if
you worked 80 hours in November,
December 2006 or January, 2007.
Paid time off balances should be
reflected on your pay stub.
Live in providers earn 24 hours per
month of paid time off up to a
maximum of 144 hours which is
not subject to the "use it or lose it"
provision. However, once a live in
provider reaches 144 hours, there
are no further hours earned, so it is
important for live-in providers to I
access their paid time off as well. ’
Remember, you need to authorize
your plans before you take time off
with your consumer-employer.
You must also notify the case
manager with enough notice so
relief can be arranged (if needed)
and the appropriate vouchers
prepared. A relief caregiver
can be a paid caregiver with
an active provider number,
or an unpaid caregiver if the
consumer-employer requests
that a family member or friend
provide care temporarily while
you are taking a break.
Add us Healthcare is also a resource
for relief caregivers when your
client or the case manager is
having difficulty finding a relief
worker. Addus operates in the
Portland, Salem, Eugene and
Medford areas and can be reached
toll free at 888-249-3726.
Adult Foster Care - When Policy Changes Hurt
Over the past several months,
homecare workers and their
consumer employers have had their
lives turned upside down by what
SPD terms a "clarification" of their
rules regarding how a homecare
client defines "home". Previously,
a client could reside in their
homecare worker's home, if the
intent of moving in was for reasons
"other than receiving care".
Caregivers have lost income, health
insurance and have been required
to provide 24/7 care to their clients,
even when they do not require 24
hour care. Clients have been told
they can move or get an outside
caregiver to come in and care for
them. Harsh and hurtful.
Foster Care, creating emotional and
economic distress. On November
2, 2006, affected homecare workers
traveled from across the state to
Salem to testify before the
Many caregiver/client arrange­
ments have been upended,
uprooted and transferred to Adult
Homecare Commission. (See our
web site at www.seiu503.org to
read their stories).
With the new policy
"clarification" the only way a
consumer can receive homecare
services is if their name is
placed on the rental or lease
agreement. If the homecare
worker is fortunate enough to
be a homeowner, the client's
name would need to be added
to the mortgage, which is
impractical at best, impossible
for most.
As a result of that testimony, the
Homecare Commission wrote a
letter to James Toews, the
Administrator for Seniors and
People with Disabilities urging an
exceptions policy for those in
unique situations, especially when
they were entered into in the past
in good faith by the client and
provider and local office....a review
of these cases on a case-by-case
basis with the potential to
grandfather currently eligible cases,
including those where it is in the
best interest of the client.
We will be looking for support
within the legislature to help
resolve this issue if we're unable to
gain better language within SPD.