Starting in July, the California state government will introduce an electronic system to monitor the actual working hours of home care workers. The aim is to enhance care services by addressing issues such as inaccurate reporting of working hours.
However, there are concerns within the Korean American community about a potential “revolt of caregivers” as many ethnic Korean caregivers are resigning in large numbers.
Joyce Hong, 54, a resident of Los Angeles, shared her experience, saying, “The caregiver who used to visit my mother-in-law for about three hours every Tuesday and Thursday informed me abruptly that she would be quitting at the end of this month. She attributed it to the new system, and now I, along with everyone I know, am scrambling to find a new caregiver due to this sudden resignation trend.”
James Koh, 60, who has been availing caregiver services for his 90-year-old father for the past five years, expressed his concerns, saying, “I am worried because our current caregiver has also quit suddenly. As a son, I prefer a caregiver who can communicate in Korean, rather than one who cannot. I am contemplating whether I should pay her additional cash so that she can continue working.”
The reason for the resignation of ethnic Korean caregivers stems from the upcoming launch of a system in California, starting July 2023, that will enable caregivers to track their working hours and locations in real-time.
Until now, caregivers have been remunerated by submitting timecards to the state, either through handwritten records or online platforms. Unfortunately, this system has led to numerous instances of caregivers inflating their working hours, indicating longer shifts than they actually performed.
In Hong’s case, her caregiver was expected to provide services five days a week, averaging approximately 20 hours. However, the caregiver only visited for a total of six hours, three hours on each Tuesday and Thursday.
Nevertheless, on the caregiver’s timecard, visits were recorded for all five days, resulting in payment for over 20 hours. To address these issues, the state has been pushing for the implementation of an electronic visit verification system since 2019 to ensure accurate recording of worked hours, following reports of underserved patients due to fraudulent practices.
“There have been numerous reports and complaints regarding caregivers receiving payment without providing adequate services,” stated an official from IHSS in Los Angeles County, adding that the new system is expected to rectify these problems.
However, ahead of the introduction of the new system, ethnic Korean caregivers in the field are resigning, citing concerns about increased workload and reduced wages.
Jeff Lee, executive director of the Korean American Council of Los Angeles (KACLA), which organized a training seminar for ethnic Korean caregivers in collaboration with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU 2015) on June 27, commented, “Many of the ethnic Korean caregivers at the seminar expressed overwhelming concerns regarding the new system.”
The organization plans to conduct three additional seminars in July to further explain the new system.
The caregiver program, managed by the California government, offers assistance with tasks such as bathing, grocery shopping, cleaning, and nursing care to low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities who have limited mobility but do not reside in nursing facilities.
According to the Korean American Council of Los Angeles, there are over 20,000 ethnic Koreans registered as caregivers in Southern California alone.
BY NICOLE CHANG [support@koreadaily.com]
