The bill establishes the Home Care Employment Standards Advisory Board within the Department of Health in Alaska, aimed at improving the standards and conditions for personal care services. The board will consist of various members, including commissioners from health and labor, as well as representatives from covered providers, direct care workers, and enrollees receiving services. The board is tasked with advising on payment rates for services, investigating workforce conditions, and ensuring compliance with federal requirements. It will meet at least three times a year and is required to produce a biennial report detailing findings and recommendations regarding service levels, working conditions, and compensation for direct care workers.

Additionally, the bill mandates that agencies providing home and community-based services pay a specified percentage of their funding for personal care services as compensation to their employees, starting at 70% in 2026 and increasing to 80% by 2030. There are provisions for hardship exemptions for small providers, allowing them to pay a lower percentage under certain conditions. The bill also includes provisions for the publication of reports on wages and working conditions, and it outlines the process for the board's initial meeting and preliminary investigations into workforce adequacy. The effective date of the bill is set for July 1, 2025, with certain provisions contingent upon federal approval.

Statutes affected:
SB0154A, AM SB 154, introduced 04/02/2025: 44.29.600, 44.29.910, 44.29.905, 44.29.915, 44.29.920, 44.29.925, 39.20.180, 44.29.930, 44.29.935, 44.29.940, 44.29.945, 44.29.900, U.S.C, 47.07.030, 47.07.045