H.F. No. 7 Summary

• Increases the maximum monthly hours personal care assistants and support workers can work from 275 to 310 hours per month.

• Temporarily allows parents, stepparents, spouses, and legal guardians of minors to provide and receive payment for personal care assistance services during the COVID-19 peacetime emergency, expiring January 31, 2021 or 60 days after emergency termination, whichever is earlier.

• Establishes a temporary 15 percent rate increase for direct support services under covered programs, requiring providers to use at least 80 percent of additional revenue for wages, salaries, and benefits for personal care assistants and related payroll taxes.

• Requires providers receiving rate increases to post distribution plans specifying use of additional revenue by September 15, 2020, with contact information for direct support professionals to report non-compliance.

• Appropriates unspecified amounts from the general fund for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 to implement personal care assistance provisions, with provisions to redirect eligible expenses to CARES Act federal funding.