November 7, 2019
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TO: WHCA/WiCAL  Members
FROM: John Vander Meer, President & CEO
SUBJECT: Contact Governor Evers TODAY to ask him to support Assembly Bill 76 and to allow this important legislation to become law
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Earlier this week, the State Senate passed Assembly Bill 76, bipartisan legislation which would align Wisconsin's CNA hourly training requirements with the federal standard of 75 hours. Wisconsin currently requires 120 hours of training. 

The bill has now passed both chambers of the state legislature with bipartisan support. The next step is that State Assembly leadership will send the bill to Governor Evers for his consideration. Once the bill is sent to the governor, he will have 10 days to sign the bill or veto it, otherwise it will automatically become law.

Starting NOW, WHCA/WiCAL urges members to contact the governor's office via phone call and email to ask him to support the bill and allow it to become law.  This final advocacy push will be critical because other organizations have been opposing this bill, and they will surely be contacting the Governor with their arguments. We need to send a clear message to the Governor that this bill has widespread support among the people who spend every day providing care for our state's most vulnerable citizens.

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Call or email the office of Governor Evers and ask the Governor to support Assembly Bill 76, the CNA Training Bill.

Phone: (608) 266-1212

CLICK HERE for an online contact form

MESSAGING:

You can find general talking points on this bill below. We have also provided a template email draft you can download here which you can copy and paste into your own email to the Governor.

Assembly Bill 76 - CNA Training Bill Talking Points
 
ISSUE:  Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) or Nurse Aides, provide necessary services to elderly and disabled citizens within our communities. However, due to a variety of factors it is difficult to train and recruit these important workers in Wisconsin's long-term care facilities. Federal law has a minimum requirement of 75 hours of training to be certified as a CNA. However, Wisconsin requires 120 hours of training. Wisconsin facilities are at a significant disadvantage; Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa all mirror the federally authorized standard of 75 hours.
 
PROBLEM:  A recent survey of long-term care facilities in Wisconsin found that 1 in 5 caregiving positions remains unfilled. Wisconsin's long-term care facilities are concerned that Wisconsin's CNA training requirements are making it more difficult to recruit qualified CNAs.
 
SOLUTION:  Along with adequate reimbursement, changing the CNA training requirement is an important step in the right direction in helping providers address our state's workforce crisis. Allowing this bill to become law will make sure that Wisconsin is no longer at a competitive disadvantage with neighboring states when it comes to CNA training, while also ensuring quality care and allowing flexibility for CNA training programs that want to remain at the 120-hour level.
 
ARGUMENTS: 
  1. Eliminate Barriers to Work: Current law creates barriers to people being able to work as caregivers in Wisconsin's LTC facilities.
     
  2. Workforce Crisis: Aligning with the federal standard will positively affect the profession's ability to attract, hire and retain CNAs. Adoption of the federal standard would also positively impact the turnover of nurse leadership. Qualified individuals from neighboring states are subjected to a burdensome process to secure certification.
     
  3. Quality Advancement: There is no evidence that longer training has impacted quality of care. Without an adequate workforce, it is very difficult for facilities to focus on advancing quality - this in conjunction with other efforts will help ensure Wisconsin has the staff to provide quality care. In fact, establishing a 75-hour training standard would address current personal time and resource barriers, resulting in more individuals becoming interested in pursuing a CNA opportunity. There clearly is a correlation between adequate staffing and the quality of care offered.
  4. Eliminate a Competitive Disadvantage: State law should not place Wisconsin health care providers in the state line areas of Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan at a significant disadvantage when competing for labor.
     
  5. Clear Standard: Adopting the Federal Standard provides certainty to care providers. It also allows Wisconsin law to be flexible and remain in federal compliance in the event that federal standards are altered in the future.


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WHCA/WiCAL: The Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living is a non-profit organization dedicated to representing, protecting and advancing the interests of Wisconsin's long-term care provider community and the residents they serve.