FILED ON: 4/27/2012

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4081

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Twelve

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An Act relative to a personal care attendant orientation program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Subsection (b) of section 32 of chapter 118G of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2010 Official Edition, is hereby amended in line 10 by inserting after the words “determined by the council” the following:—

The council shall work jointly with interested stakeholders to establish a personal care attendant orientation program for persons newly hired as personal care attendants.  The orientation program shall supplement but not replace training provided by consumers of personal care attendant services.  The orientation program may include training in independent living principles, identifying and reporting fraud and abuse, and workers’ rights and responsibilities.   The orientation program shall be completed within four months of the date of initial employment as a personal care attendant and shall require no more than four hours to complete.   The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person employed as a personal care attendant on or before July 1, 2013.  Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect personal care attendant  program principles of consumer direction control.