SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1633        FILED ON: 1/18/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 527

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Thomas P. Kennedy

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to provide personal care attendant orientation.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Thomas P. Kennedy

Second Plymouth and Bristol

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

Gale D. Candaras

First Hampden and Hampshire

James T. Welch

Hampden

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

Denise Andrews

2nd Franklin

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

Brian R. Mannal

2nd Barnstable

Thomas P. Conroy

13th Middlesex

Michael R. Knapik

Second Hampden and Hampshire

Barry R. Finegold

Second Essex and Middlesex


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1633        FILED ON: 1/18/2013

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 527

By Mr. Kennedy, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 527) of Thomas P. Kennedy, Kay Khan, Sal N. DiDomenico, Gale D. Candaras and other members of the General Court for legislation to provide personal care attendant orientation .  Health Care Financing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Thirteen

_______________

 

An Act to provide personal care attendant orientation.

 

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 74 of chapter 118E of the General Laws is hereby amended in line 10 by inserting after the words “determined by the council” the following:-  

An orientation shall be completed by all personal care attendants hired on or after January 1, 2014 within six months of the date of initial employment as a personal care attendant. 

The council shall work jointly with interested stakeholders to establish the curriculum, standards and processes of an orientation program for persons newly hired as personal care attendants.  The orientation program shall be offered at multiple locations across the Commonwealth and shall include training on independent living principles, identifying and reporting fraud and abuse, and workers’ rights and responsibilities. The orientation shall require no more than three hours to complete.

The council shall also establish procedures for consumers to opt-out of the council orientation, provided that a similar orientation is otherwise offered.  However, even if the consumer chooses to opt-out, all personal care attendants still shall retain the right to choose to also attend a council orientation.

Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the personal care attendant program principles of consumer control, including the consumer’s right to hire, train, direct, and dismiss personal care attendants.