Press Release
From the Office of
State Representative
Gale D. Candaras
| 17 Main Street Wilbraham, MA | Room 478 State House, Boston, MA |
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Darlotte J. Gay |
| 413-599-4785 | |
| 617-722-2520 | |
| dgay@galecandaras.org |
CANDARAS SPONSORS HUMAN SERVICES LEGISLATION
BOSTON, MA December 15, 2004— State Representative Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, is the author and lead sponsor of two new pieces of legislation that advocates education benefits for employees of human service provider organizations and proposes rate setting procedures for human and social services contracts.
The tuition remission bill would provide education benefits to human service workers similar to those of state workers. Representative Candaras said, “This legislation is important because it not only promotes higher education among employees of human services but also fosters retention strategies for employees of human service providers.”
“Overall, salaries for direct care workers are low so having an opportunity to take college courses free of charge operates as an incentive for people to stay in the job,” Candaras said. According to Candaras, the passage of this bill would also codify a standing agreement with the Board of Higher Education and ensures educational opportunities for workers committed to the human services profession that they otherwise could not afford.
In a separate measure, Representative Candaras addresses state reimbursement policies, known as “rate setting,” for human and social service programs. Candaras said, “After attending a Human Services Crisis briefing last year I found that while the contract requirements have expanded, processes for reimbursement to human service providers have not changed in several years. Human service providers are often short-changed and reimbursement is slow,” she said. “The way providers get paid for the services they provide requires a more rational rate-setting policy.”
Candaras said, “I believe that the rate setting legislation I have filed is a good first step in correcting a systemic problem that adversely affects many human service providers dedicated to aiding the elderly, sick and disabled citizens in the commonwealth.”