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Promising Practices Contest: Addressing the LTSS Workforce Shortage

Promising Practices Contest: Addressing the LTSS Workforce Shortage

Submission Guidelines to Identify Promising Practices

1. Introduction

The growing use of home and community based services (HCBS) has increased demand for direct care workers. Many states have identified direct care workforce challenges as a major issue today; demographic changes on the horizon are poised to exacerbate this problem. Developing an adequate workforce is a challenge for all communities, and there is a strong demand to identify strategies that recruit, retain, and support direct care staff. 

As states and communities seek to maintain and expand the workforce that provides HCBS, there are emerging pockets of innovation and promising practices around the country. This contest seeks to collect examples of strategies that are showing success in addressing the long-term services and supports (LTSS) workforce shortage in states and/or communities.

2. Eligibility

We invite promising practice submissions from aging and disability organizations that are improving the LTSS workforce shortage and as a result increasing access to services for older adults and persons with disabilities. Submissions can include promising practices that address a variety of issues related to the LTSS workforce shortage such as building the workforce pipeline, direct care worker recruitment, retention strategies, training strategies, innovative partnerships, career development, wage compensation, etc.

Entities eligible to submit promising practices under this contest are: State Aging and Disability Agencies; State Medicaid Agencies, State Developmental Disabilities Agencies, county and local government entities, Area Agencies on Aging (AAA), Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC), State No Wrong Door Systems (NWD), or Centers for Independent Living (CILs).

3. Selection Criteria

This promising practice contest will select two submissions for awards, and additional submissions beyond these may be identified for development and dissemination of promising practice profiles. Selection criteria include the following:
  1. The promising practice is relevant to supporting HCBS direct care workers in areas of recruitment, retention, and/or career advancement.
  2. The promising practice must include services funded by public programs, such as Medicaid, the Older Americans Act, state-funded programs, and related LTSS.
  3. The promising practice must target individuals who deliver services for persons with disabilities and/or older adults.
  4. The promising practice shows innovation in worker recrutiment or retention strategies.
  5. There is collaboration across multiple partners, such as state health and human service agencies, workforce development partners, entities that provide training such as community colleges, provider groups, beneficiary groups, and/or advocacy organizations.
4. Awards

Two promising practices will be selected for awards. The first and second place awards are described below. Additionally, all awardee organizations will receive a certificate of recognition. ADvancing States will work with each awardee organization to develop and disseminate a promising practice profile. The profiles will be widely disseminated to the disability and aging networks, and will be shared on the ADvancing States website.
  • 1st place award: Complimentary registration and lodging for two at the 2020 National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference (August 31st - September 3rd, 2020, Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, DC).*  The awardee will also receive recognition for its promising practice at a workforce session at the Conference and have an opportunity to share about their practice.
  • 2nd place award: Complimentary registration for two at the 2020 National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference.* The awardee will also receive recognition for its promising practice at a workforce session at the Conference and have an opportunity to share about their practice.
*Please note that travel expenses, meals not included with the conference, and incidentals will be the responsibility of the awardee organization.

5. Submission of Practices

The submission deadline is Friday, May 15th, 2020. For the submission form in an alternate format, please contact Samantha Gardner at sgardner@advancingstates.org.  

6. Award Announcement  

Awards will be announced by Friday, June 12th, 2020.
 
For more information, please contact Samantha Gardner at sgardner@advancingstates.org.
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