State Capitol Building in Charleston, West Virginia, USA.
State Capitol Building in Charleston, West Virginia. (Credit: benkrut / Getty Images)

Competitive compensation, skills training and job improvements are among the recommendations a state task force made to lawmakers to increase the supply of direct care workers in assisted living communities and other settings.

The West Virginia Direct Care Taskforce, launched over the summer by AARP West Virginia, developed legislative and regulatory recommendations to increase the state’s direct care workforce by at least 3,750 workers to meet current and future needs. 

The West Virginia Health Care Association was part of the task force, and CEO Marty Wright told McKnight’s Senior Living that he appreciated the collaborative focus on workforce challenges affecting the state’s 91 assisted living communities and 123 skilled nursing facilities that collectively employ almost 14,000 workers. 

“While more discussion and refinement of the recommendations remain necessary, the exciting takeaway from the task force was that it brought so many stakeholder and interested parties together — many of whom often have very differing viewpoints — to collectively discuss the workforce challenges,” Wright said. “The in-depth discussions over the past year have been a tremendous starting point for this very complex problem, and we look forward to discussing other ideas and strategies as we continue to address labor shortages across all sectors of the state.”

The task force was charged with developing recommendations in three key areas to drive workforce recruitment and retention: compensation, education and training, and job design improvements. 

The group — with membership including providers, consumer advocates and professional organizations, and government agency representatives — recently delivered its recommendations via a report to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Health. 

Under compensation packages, the task force recommendations center on hourly wages, benefit packages and incentives. Members suggested funding a study of the state’s long-term services and supports regulatory structures, requirements and enforcement to determine gaps, reliability and whether unnecessary duplication exists. The group also recommended establishing an oversight process for supplemental healthcare staffing agencies to promote high-quality care.

Under education and training, the task force recommended creating a direct care training pathway to allow job mobility between LTSS settings. The training, members stated, should include foundational skills, specialized role and setting training, and optional advanced role training with certifications in specialized care practices. 

To enhance job design, the task force recommended an integrated LTSS workplace improvement pilot that addresses scheduling practices, compensation and training. Members also recommended a culture change pilot project to implement models and practices that improve recruitment and retention. 

To fund those initiatives, the group recommended drawing from repurposed or unspent federal American Rescue Plan Act funding for home- and community-based services programs, or from specific federal workforce and Medicaid programs. Funding for wage, compensation, training and education programs, the task force said, could be eligible for federal cost-sharing.

Lawmakers could consider the recommendations next month when they return for the body’s regular legislative session.