PHI Endorses Reintroduction of the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act and the HCBS Access Act
Today in Congress, Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) reintroduced two landmark bills to systematically address the direct care workforce crisis: the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act and the Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Access Act. PHI strongly endorses and celebrates these pieces of legislation, which reflect policy priorities and recommendations that we have contributed to across successive Congresses. Together, the bills advance a comprehensive federal response to one of the country’s most pressing workforce challenges.
Direct care is projected to add more new jobs than any other occupation over the coming decade. Yet, the field continues to be marked by inadequate compensation, inconsistent training, and high turnover—conditions that strain workers, providers/employers, and the millions of older adults and people with disabilities who rely on their care.
“The direct care workforce is growing rapidly, and ensuring job quality and stability is essential to meeting demand,” said Amy Robins, Senior Director of Policy at PHI. “Together, these bills represent significant, meaningful steps toward the kind of sustained investment and structural innovation this field has long needed.”
In alignment with PHI’s policy priorities, including the Universal Direct Care Workforce Initiative™, the Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act would establish a National Direct Care Professional Training Standards Commission to develop competency-based, industry-recognized, and portable training standards across settings and states. PHI has championed this approach for decades as the foundation of a more consistent and connected workforce infrastructure.
The bill would also direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to convene an Advisory Council to develop a national direct care compensation strategy, including reimbursement rates, federal investments, and related actions needed to achieve livable, competitive wages across the field.
The HCBS Access Act complements these workforce reforms by making HCBS a mandatory Medicaid benefit and directing substantial new resources to the direct care workforce, including measures to improve pay and benefits, expand recruitment and retention programs, and support states in building the infrastructure needed to deliver quality services at home.
“Quality care depends on quality jobs,” Robins added. “By investing in the direct care workforce through better training, better compensation, and better access to services, these critically important bills move us closer to a care system that works—for workers, for families, and for the individuals they support.”
PHI extends our gratitude to Representative Dingell and her colleagues for their continued leadership on these critical issues, and we look forward to working alongside them, our partners, and advocates across the country to advance these bills through Congress.
