Senator Casey shared a discussion draft of the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act (LTC Workforce Act) for the MLTSS Association and other industry stakeholders to review and provide comments on. The LTC Workforce Act would provide several opportunities for states, providers, and other partners to receive enhanced funding and support needed to address drivers of the direct care workforce crisis: inadequate wages and rates, insufficient training, lack of career pathways, among others. Funding would be provided through numerous grants and a 10-year extension of the enhanced Medicaid FMAP. Additionally, the bill would extend numerous labor protections to workers, catalyze the development of a National Direct Care Professional Compensation Strategy, and improve oversight and evaluation of funded programs. The MLTSS Association expressed our support for the elements of the bill that align with our recommendations in the Strengthening the DCW Framework. We also recommended alternative approaches to reducing HCBS waiting lists and ensuring long-term care payment adequacy, support opportunities to encourage the use of empowering alternatives, and engage MLTSS MCOs as partners in addressing workforce challenges.
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