Senate Democrats are calling for a state minimum wage just for direct care workers in nursing homes.
By July of next year, all nursing home direct care workers would have to be paid $15 an hour and Senate Democrats propose that it rachet up to $20 an hour by the middle of 2030.
Senator Claire Celsi of Des Moines said staffing shortages are a huge issue in the nursing home industry and it’s led to tragic circumstances for some residents. “There are many good facilitis and we applaud them for the hard work they do every day,” Celsi said during a statehouse news conference, “but there are simply some facilities and some situations that just beyond the pale that we need to fix.”
According to state data, the average pay for direct care workers in nursing homes was $13 an hour in 2022. Republicans in the Iowa House say they’re concerned agencies supplying temporary employees to nursing homes are exploiting recently boosted state funding for nursing home care.
Celsi and the 15 other Democxrats in the Iowa Senate are also calling for an increase in the allowance nursing home residents get if their care is covered by Medicaid. It’s called the Medicaid personal needs reimbursement rate, to cover things like hair cuts, clothing and toiletries. “This amount has not been raised in Iowa since 2002,” Celsi said, “and by doing so we can provide a greater level of self-sufficiency in these care settings.”
Senate Democrats say they support raising the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rate for nursing home care to cover these expenses as well as the hike in the minimum wage for direct care workers. It’s unlikely these proposals will be considered by Republican-led committees in the senate, but the proposals could be introduced during Senate debate of bills that outline state spending.