NY home aides get minimum wage increase. What you need to know
- New York home health aides got a $2 bump in their minimum wages, starting Oct. 1.
- In a field that’s desperate for workers and staring down a major workforce gap in coming years, the raise was a key step toward fair pay for home care workers, advocates said.
Home care aides in New York received a $2-per-hour minimum wage increase recently as part of a push by lawmakers and advocates to address a statewide home care crisis.
The wage bump took effect Oct. 1 under measures approved earlier this year during the state budget process. It followed advocates’ fight for higher pay for aides to help resolve home care shortages that harm elderly and disabled New Yorkers, as well as their families.
The new minimum wage for home care aides has been increased to $17 per hour in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, and $15.20 per hour for the remainder of the state.
State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon asserted the new pay levels “will ensure home care aides are well paid and able to support themselves and their families, which will help attract more people to the profession.”
Previously, Reardon and the state Budget Director issued an order raising the general minimum wage to $14.20 for counties outside of New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, beginning on Dec. 31, 2022, which will lead to an additional $1 increase an hour for home care aides in those locations.
Another $1 minimum wage increase for aides statewide will take effect next year under the measures, which advocates described as important progress despite the need for further pay increases and other reforms.
What advocates say about NY home aide wage increases?
As the aides’ wage increases began, some lawmakers asserted private insurance companies that dispense state home care funds failed to provide the full $2 per hour increase.
Instead, some workers reported receiving just 20 cents per hour more, advocates and lawmakers said in statements and during recent rallies calling on state officials to address the issue. State officials didn’t immediately respond to questions Monday about the claims.
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Ilana Berger, co-director of the New York Caring Majority group, said the $2 per hour raise marks “an important first step toward providing fair pay to New York’s essential home care workers — but it falls short of ending the home care shortage.”
Lawmakers and advocates also pledged to renew the push next year for state legislation to increase home aides’ wages to 150% of the minimum wage.
New York is facing some of the worst shortages of home health aides in the nation.
In 2021, for example, 74% of seniors and people with disabilities were unable to retain home care staff, according to a report by the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Association of New York.
What NY home aides should know about wage increases
In addition to the minimum wage increase, state labor officials noted aides may be owed extra pay under related measures.
Among the reasons for extra pay:
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