Posted on March 17, 2009
Chapter 594: This chapter establishes the "New York Certified Aide Registry and Employment Search Act."
A recent two-year investigation by the Office of the New York State Attorney General revealed rampant fraud and abuse, including the distribution of fraudulent training certificates to home care aides, within the home health aide industry. The establishment of a central registry will help eliminate such abuse and will require information on the aide’s training and background to be made available, thereby promoting transparency within the industry. This legislation, which specifically requires the registry to include information regarding an aide’s employment history in home care, any care-related governmental findings of physical abuse, mistreatment, neglect, or misappropriation of property perpetrated by the aide, as well as the name of each state approved training program completed by the aide, has garnered broad industry support.
While recognizing that qualified home health care aides provide valuable care for dependent New Yorkers across the state, this legislation seeks to minimize the likelihood that untrained aides are placed in the homes of these vulnerable individuals. Such fraudulent practices undermine the good work the home care industry provides to New Yorkers every day. The home care services worker registry will greatly enhance oversight and accountability in the home care industry by ensuring that workers are officially registered and that providers have access to reliable information regarding the workers they employ.
Signed by Governor Paterson on September 25, 2008, the provisions of this chapter become effective September 25, 2009.
