The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has issued Information Letter No. 16-17, related to a required Attendant Recruitment and Retention Survey - ACTION DUE April 30, 2016!
ALL contracted providers listed below must participate or risk contract vendor hold:
• Community Living Assistance and Support Services (CLASS) Direct Service Agencies (DSAs);
• Home and Community-based Services (HCS) providers;
• Primary Home Care (PHC) providers;
• Texas Home Living (TxHmL) providers.
HHSC will be utilizing some of your attendant data from the 2015 cost reports, but is requiring that you complete an online survey which aims to gather additional data not captured through cost reporting.
Questions addressed by the survey include the following:
• What is the initial hourly wage you pay attendants?
• Do you offer wage increases for attendants?
o If the response is "Yes", what is the basis for the wage increase (e.g., additional training completed, length of employment, merit, positive client feedback, other)?
• In addition to your attendant base wages, do you offer additional pay to attendants?
o If the response is "Yes", what is the basis for the additional pay (e.g., consumer need, financial capability, geographic, higher cost-of-living, inter-geographical wage disparities, low amenity levels, managerial efficiency, remote area allowance, variation between public and private sections, varying skill requirements, work shifts, other)?
• What is the estimated time required to fill a direct care vacancy?
• What is the estimated average length of employment for your attendants?
The online survey is available on the HHSC Rate Analysis Department webpage at http://registration.hhsc.state.tx.us/RecruitmentRetentionSurvey.aspx.
Click here for more information and to review the entire HHSC Information Letter.