Obama Calls For Better Pay For Disability Caregivers
Source: Disability Scoop
The Obama administration is proposing new rules to provide first-ever minimum wage and overtime protections for in-home care workers who assist people with disabilities.
Under a federal law dating to 1974, those who provide at-home assistance are classified as “companions,” much like baby sitters, and do not have the same rights as other workers.
Now the U.S. Department of Labor is proposing a new rule to dramatically change the landscape for the nation’s 1.79 million in-home care providers.
Under a plan announced Thursday at the White House, minimum wage and overtime laws would apply to all in-home care workers employed through staffing agencies and other third parties. In addition, protections would be extended to individuals employed by families if they are providing skilled medical care.
