Got Hours?

The Decline in Hours for our Client-Employers

SEIU Local 503, OPEU

May 17, 2006: If you wonder why your client-employer has faced a loss in service hours without a good reason, you are not alone.

According to numbers we have received from Seniors and People with Disabilities, since October 2004 there has been a continual decline in hours.

This average, if carried out over the course of this biennium, will amount to a loss of almost two million client service hours.

Union member leaders and staff have been fielding a growing number of calls from desperate caregivers and client-employers trying to get answers on how they can restore service hours, prepare for an assessment, and better understand the rules that help determine eligibility for homecare services.

One caregiver, Louis Orman from Keizer, explains, "I'm not asking for anything for my client that she does not absolutely need. At her assessment last year, they cut her hours even though she is getting worse. I didn't agree with what they did but my client was too sick to fight back. I only want what's fair."

In addition to lobbying our legislators during special session in April, we have prepared a Guide for caregivers: How to get the hours your client-employer really needs - Advocating for Quality Care.