New York state’s newly amended Home Health Care Worker Wage Parity Law establishes additional wages and/or supplemental benefits for home healthcare aides who perform Medicaid-reimbursed work within Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, as well as for those in New York City.
In addition to the current state minimum wage of $12.50, employers must pay a total of $4.09 per hour in New York City and $3.22 in the three counties.
The amended law also calls for employers of home healthcare aides to provide employees with notices detailing the supplemental benefits — the hourly rate paid, the type of supplement or type of home care aide benefits, the names and addresses of the benefit providers, and the plan or agreement, if any, that creates the benefit for each type of benefit.
Proponents of greater paid family leave also gained a victory as the state increased leaves from 10 to 12 weeks and the level of wage-replacement benefits from 60 to 67% of the average weekly wage, with a maximum weekly benefit of $971.61.
