§ 17b-706a — Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council. Membership. Duties.

(a) There is established the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council to ensure the quality of long-term personal home care. Said council shall be composed of the following members: (1) The Commissioner of Social Services, or the commissioner's designee; (2) The Commissioner of Developmental Services, or the commissioner's designee; (3) The Healthcare Advocate, or the Healthcare Advocate's designee; (4) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee; (5) Three appointed by the Governor one of whom shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with developmental disabilities, one of whom shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with physical disabilities, and one of whom shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of elderly consumers; (6) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with developmental disabilities; (7) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with physical disabilities; (8) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of elderly consumers; (9) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with developmental disabilities; (10) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of consumers with physical disabilities; and (11) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate who shall be a member of an organization representing the interests of elderly consumers. (b) All initial appointments to the council shall be made not later than August 1, 2012. The chairperson of the council shall be appointed by the Governor from among its members. The chairperson shall convene the first meeting of the council not later than September 1, 2012. Members of the council shall serve coterminously and at the pleasure of the appointing authority in accordance with section 4-1a . A majority of the members of the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business. Members of the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall receive no compensation for their service but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses necessarily incurred in performance of their duties. The council shall be within the Department of Social Services for administrative purposes only. (c) The Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall have the following duties and responsibilities relating to personal care attendants: (1) Study issues relating to the recruitment, retention and adequacy of personal care attendants; and (2) develop a plan to improve the quality, stability and availability of personal care attendants by (A) developing a means to identify and recruit personal care attendants, (B) developing training and educational opportunities for personal care attendants and consumers, (C) developing one or more registries to (i) provide routine, emergency and respite referrals of qualified personal care attendants to consumers and surrogates who are authorized to receive long-term, in-home personal care services by a personal care attendant, (ii) enable consumers and surrogates to access information about prospective personal care attendants such as their training, educational background and work experience, and (iii) provide appropriate employment opportunities for personal care attendants, and (D) establishing standards for wages, benefits and conditions of employment for personal care attendants. (d) On or after July 1, 2013, the commissioners of the departments having cognizance of the covered waiver programs shall review the plans recommended by the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. The commissioners shall include in budgetary requests submitted to the Office of Policy and Management requests for funding necessary to implement aspects of such plans that meet said commissioners' approval. (e) (1) For purposes of sections 4-65a and 5-270 and subsection (a) of section 5-278 , the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall be within the executive branch of state government. An organization representing personal care attendants that has been designated by the State Board of Labor Relations, pursuant to section 5-275 or subsection (f) of section 17b-706b , as the exclusive bargaining agent of such personal care attendants, shall have the right to bargain with the state concerning the terms and conditions of participation of personal care attendants in the programs covered by this section and section 17b-706 , including, but not limited to, (A) state reimbursement rates, (B) benefits, (C) payment procedures, (D) contract grievance arbitration, and (E) training, professional development and other requirements and opportunities appropriate for such personal care attendants. (2) (A) No provision of any agreement or award which may be reached pursuant to collective bargaining between the state and any organization representing personal care attendants shall interfere with the right of a consumer or surrogate to hire, refuse to hire, supervise, direct the activities of, or terminate the employment of any personal care attendant. (B) In those covered programs where budgets provided to consumers receiving direct support services are allocated using the individual budget methodology, budgets shall be increased to account for additional expenses caused by a contract or award negotiated in accordance with this section which includes increases in wages or benefits. (f) (1) Not later than October 1, 2012, and monthly thereafter, the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall compile and maintain a registry list of the names and addresses of all personal care attendants who have been paid through the state-funded programs identified in subdivision (1) of section 17b-706 within the previous six calendar months. The list shall not include the name of any consumer, or indicate that a personal care attendant is a relative of a consumer or has the same address as a consumer. Any fiscal intermediary that provides administrative services to the state concerning state-funded programs shall assist and cooperate with said council in compiling and maintaining such list. The Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall utilize such list for the purposes of this section and sections 17b-706b and 17b-706c . Such list shall be a public record, as defined in section 1-200 . (2) Not later than seven days after receiving a request from an employee organization, as defined in subsection (d) of section 5-270 , that is interested in representing an appropriate unit of personal care attendants, the Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council shall provide to the employee organization the most recent list of personal care attendants compiled pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection. See Sec. 4-38f for definition of “administrative purposes only”.

Legislative History

(P.A. 12-33, S. 5.) History: P.A. 12-33 effective July 1, 2012.