Senate Democratic Caucus Policy Committee Holds Hearing Regarding Supporting Home Care Workers & Consumers

November 10, 2025

PHILADELPHIA, PA − November 10, 2025 −Today, Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing to examine direct care employee wages, and the trends observed in the Commonwealth over the last decade.

"Earlier this year, I walked a day in the life of a home care worker and heard directly about the urgent need to support home care workers and the individuals in their care," said Senator Nick Miller. "Today's hearing further underscores the urgency of investing in those who demonstrate unwavering dedication, compassion, and selflessness in these roles. I have witnessed firsthand the sacrifices made by home care workers, who often prioritize the well-being of their community members over their own. It is time for the legislature to move forward with investments to support these crucial members of our communities."

"Our direct care workers need a living wage. They are indispensable to the patients they serve, yet we hear story after story about direct care workers struggling to pay their bills or needing to decide between their own healthcare or groceries. That is not right. We need to take care of the people who take care of our communities," said Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair.

"Supporting our home care workforce is deeply personal to me," said Senator Tartaglione. "As someone living with a disability, I know the difference that care and compassion can make in a person's life. Direct care workers provide independence, dignity, and connection for seniors and people with disabilities across Pennsylvania. In my district alone, more than half the residents rely on Medicaid, so the need for strong home care services is tremendous. Investing in these workers is both a moral and practical necessity, and I'm proud to work with my colleagues and advocates to strengthen this vital profession."

"The labor of hundreds of thousands of home care workers allows people across our commonwealth to receive the dignified, compassionate support they need to remain in their homes and communities, yet these workers are overburdened, overworked, and shamefully undercompensated," said Senator Saval. "Right now, even as demand for these vital services grows, many skilled caregivers are forced to leave their profession for jobs that enable them to support their families. Creating a Direct Care Workers Wage Board would provide a mechanism for workers to have their needs addressed so that they can continue to provide expert care. The health of our communities depends on these workers and on our commonwealth's ability to sustain them in this field."

"How we support our direct care workforce reflects how we value our seniors and most vulnerable neighbors," said Senator Kim. "This could one day be any of us or someone we love, and we have a responsibility to ensure the system works when families need it most. Through better data collection, stronger accountability measures, and competitive wages that help us recruit and retain good people - a recent independent and bipartisan study confirms what we've heard from families and workers alike: we can and must do better.

Stevi Sprenkle, Project Manager at PA Legislative Budget & Finance Committee (LBFC), a bipartisan, bicameral legislative service agency consisting of twelve members of the General Assembly, shared a study of HR 165: Home and Community-Based Services.

In their findings, LBFC found there is no government data that specifically tracks the home and community-based workforce in Pennsylvania, and the demand for home and community-based services are expected to continue to grow in Pennsylvania, further exacerbating the direct care worker shortage.

Matt Yarnell, President of SEIU Healthcare PA, which represents more than 25,000 healthcare workers, testified that Pennsylvania needs to invest in this workforce to achieve improvements in the long-term care system.

"We need more investment into direct care workers and home care services in order to make sure we're able to provide care for the growing population of aging and physically disabled Pennsylvanians who need it," said Yarnell. "That's why we're working to grow the participant-directed model of care, and why we're supporting the legislature's work towards bolstering this workforce to make these good, union, family-sustaining jobs."

Monica McDuffie, a dedicated home care worker, highlighted the sacrifices she has made in her dual roles as both a caregiver and a nursing student. She faces the challenges of living with a rare organ condition that weakens her respiratory system and relies on Medicaid for essential, life-sustaining medication.

"Every day I take care of people whose lives depend on me," said McDuffie. "One of my clients is a woman in a wheelchair. She needs me to help her eat, bathe, go to the bathroom, and stay clean and comfortable. For her, homecare means dignity. It means being able to live a full life and be treated as a whole person rather than merely survive."

Tony Brooks, consumer, also explained his experience as his care attendant left the industry due to low wages.

"My disability is not going to be any better than it was 15 years ago," Brooks said. "I am aging, and I am going to be needing services. I had personal care attendant who was helping me, but she had to leave the job because the pay wasn't what she felt that would help her. So, I had to depend on my family."

"Our association recently submitted our call for a 2026-27 rate increase to strengthen wages and benefits, protect access to care for Medicaid recipients and stabilize the network," said Cody Jones, Senior Director of Government Affairs for Pennsylvania Homecare Association. "Pennsylvania must take immediate steps in the right direction if it hopes to retain its workforce and avoid further access crises."

Rhiannon DiClemente, Employment Unit Attorney, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia shared stories of home health workers from her time meeting and working with them that includes wage theft.

"Wage theft is a very prevalent problem in the home health care industry," said DiClemente. "In 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor launched a nationwide initiative focusing on home health agencies to enforce our wage and hour laws. The DOL completed 1600 investigations in the first year of this initiative and recovered $28.6 million in back wages for nearly 25,000 workers."

Testimony

• SEIU
• Community Legal Services
• PA Legislative Budget & Finance Committee
• PA Homecare Association (PHA)
• Home Care Workers
• Home Care Recipients

Senator Nick Miller was elected Policy Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in December 2024. Today's hearing was his eleventh as Chair.

Footage of the hearing, as well as the written testimony of the panel, is available at PASenatorMiller.com/Policy. Photographs and downloadable video are available upon request.

Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats' priorities visit https://www.pasenate.com.

Testimony

Panel 1: Methodology and Overview of Study (HR 165 of 2023)

• Stevi Sprenkle, MPA, Project Manager, PA Legislative Budget & Finance Committee (LBFC)
• Shanika Mitchell-Saint Jean, Dave Beaudoin, and Amy Hockenberry, LBFC analysts

Panel 2: State of the Care System

• Matthew Yarnell, President, SEIU Healthcare PA
• Monica McDuffie, Local Homecare Worker
• Tony Brooks, Consumer

Panel 3: Impacts within the Industry

• Cody Jones, Senior Director of Government Affairs, PA Homecare Association (PHA)
• Matt Barbee, Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs and Program Development, PHA

Panel 4: Workers' Advocacy

• Rhiannon DiClemente, Employment Unit Attorney, Community Legal Services of Phila

Additional Information

• Department of Human Services (DHS)