  Happy Valentine's Day!
Property Tax Deferral Program, providing relief to older and disabled Mainers
Maine has reinstated its property tax deferral program, allowing the state to pay the property taxes of those who qualify, and obtain a lien on the real estate for reimbursement from the property owner’s estate, after they pass away. This program is about letting Maine seniors retire in the comfort of their homes.
Apply at www.maine.gov/revenue/tax-return-forms/property-tax. When you get to the website, please click “Property Tax Deferral Application” underneath “Forms.”
The completed forms need to be filed with the local tax assessor by April 1, 2022 in order to be effective for the April 1, 2022, tax year. If you need assistance with the forms, contact the Property Tax Division at (207) 624-5600 or prop.tax@maine.gov and visit this FAQ to learn more.
Free Fishing Weekend
Free Fishing Weekend is this weekend, February 19-20. On these days, any person (except those whose license has been suspended or revoked) may fish without a license. All other laws and regulations apply on these days. Consider inviting a neighbor, friend, colleague, family member, or youth to join in on the fun!
Wondering where to go? Check out the February Fishing Report.
Maine DHHS Distributes Payments to Fund Bonuses for 20,000 Direct Support Workers
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that it is distributing this week the first half of $116 million in MaineCare payments to home- and community-based services (HCBS) providers to fund bonuses for more than 20,000 direct support workers. The second half will be distributed later in February.
The bonus payments, first announced in November, are available through the American Rescue Plan and represent a major component of the Department’s plan to improve access to high-quality services that help ensure Maine people of all ages, including those living with disabilities and behavioral health challenges, can remain in their communities. The Department's plan has received full federal approval, bringing federal matching Medicaid funds to Maine for these bonuses and other elements of the plan. These HCBS services include a broad range of personal care, home health, and behavioral health, shared living, and community and work supports.
The bonuses will benefit 20,184 current direct support workers at 311 providers throughout the state. In addition, the providers may pay recruitment bonuses to fill vacancies with new workers.
Starting this week, DHHS is distributing the funds to qualified provider agencies in two phases. Provider agencies will receive a payment amount based on their HCBS MaineCare revenue and will pay bonuses directly to workers, shared living providers, therapeutic foster care providers and supervisors by June 30, 2022. Individual employee bonus amounts will be determined by the provider agency in accordance with a bonus policy that the agency will adopt and share with its employees. DHHS developed this system in consultation with provider agencies to reduce the administrative burden, give agencies more certainty about available funding and allow agencies to create specific bonus policies that are best for their employees. All provider agencies that receive funds for bonuses are required to pay at least 80 percent of funds in direct payments to staff, not including agency leadership. Agencies will be subject to both Federal and State audit.
The $116 million allocated for bonus payments, based on registration and 2019 data, is part of DHHS’s broader plan to invest approximately $229 million in Federal Medicaid matching funds for Maine’s HCBS system improvement plan. This plan was developed in consultation with stakeholders, including providers and families. The plan reflects the consensus that the most immediate challenge facing Maine’s HCBS system is attracting and retaining direct support workers. As part of the HCBS system improvement plan, the Department is also creating a direct support worker council, developing career ladders, making worker certification more portable and pursuing other longer-term initiatives. The Administration has summarized these and other workforce initiatives in a report (PDF) submitted earlier this month to the Legislature.
This also includes $4 million to provide scholarships and student loan relief to enable more people to become behavioral health specialists, long term support workers, emergency medical services staff, and other health professionals. An additional $8 million supports a program to help people who work in the health care field gain skills and advance with their employer. The Jobs and Recovery Plan also includes a $1.5 million recruitment effort, with $500,000 dedicated specifically to promoting direct support worker jobs, such as aides for older Mainers or individuals with disabilities.
The Department recently proposed to raise MaineCare rates effective in January for many home- and community-based services, accelerating higher rates initially planned for July 1, 2022 and supporting providers in increasing pay for direct care workers to at least 125 percent of the state’s minimum wage.
As provided in the biennial budget, the Administration allocated $160 million primarily for workforce recruitment and retention support: $14 million for behavioral health providers (Sections 17, 8 and 65), $123 million for nursing facilities, residential care facilities (Private Non Medical Institution (PNMI) Cs), and adult family care homes, and $23 million for hospitals. This is in addition to the award of $25 million in Coronavirus Relief Funds to health care organizations to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November, Substance Use Treatment facilities (PNMI Appendix B providers) received MaineCare rate increases for a variety of services. Children’s Residential Care Facilities (PNMI D providers) also received rate increases, effective November 1, 2021 to help providers meet new requirements associated with the federal Family First Prevention Services Act.
Additionally, during the pandemic, Maine DHHS adopted emergency provisions in MaineCare to give agencies more flexibility with staffing and outbreak rates for residential care facilities, which remain ongoing. The Department has also connected providers to potential sources of staff, including the state’s ASPIRE program, vocational rehabilitation services, college job boards and the Department of Labor’s Maine JobLink. These and other resources are available in a Recruitment and Retention Tool Kit.
Direct Care and Support Worker Portability & Advancement Training Initiative
Please join us for a virtual listening session hosted by the Department on training needs for direct service workers. This initiative is one of many in a multi-phased effort focused on the development, growth, and retention of direct care workers. Your input will be helpful as the Department works to improve and streamline training for front-line workers providing essential services and supports.
These listening sessions are focused on services provided by Personal Support Specialists (PSSs), Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), and Mental Health Rehabilitation Technicians (MHRTs). These front-line workers provide a range of services to older adults, people with physical and intellectual disabilities, including autism, and individuals with serious mental illness.
We are hosting 3 separate sessions with different focus areas:
- Friday February 18, 2022, from 1-2:30 pm focused on gathering input from provider agencies and organizations employing PSSs, DSPs or MHRTs
- Wednesday February 23, 2022, from 10:00-11:30 am focused on gathering input from people receiving these services and family members
- Wednesday February 23, 2022, from 1-2:30 pm focused on gathering input from workers providing these services (PSS, DSP, and MHRT)
We are interested in hearing your suggestions and ideas about entry-level skills and training that are needed for these front-line workers. We are also interested in hearing your ideas about what specialty training topics are important for workers who serve people with complex needs or for workers interested in advancement.
Whether or not you attend one of these sessions, we encourage you to provide input by completing the brief survey that we have included as part of this invitation.
To participate in the survey, please click here: Direct Care and Support Worker Portability and Advancement Training Initiative Survey
To attend one of these sessions, please register in advance by visiting: https://forms.office.com/g/vSxdcz94jy.
If you require accommodations to attend these sessions (for example sign language or other language interpreters), please contact Joseph Zamboni at joseph.zamboni@maine.gov.
Legislative Schedule of Public Hearings and Work Sessions
The Maine Legislature continues to perform joint standing committee public hearings and work sessions virtually via zoom.
To view the schedule for upcoming public hearings and work sessions, check out the Legislature’s website >>here<<.
To submit testimony and to sign up to testify live at a public hearing, visit >>here<<.
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