Senator Rachel May Secures a Much-Needed $3 Raise for Home Care Workers

Syracuse, NY – Senator Rachel May (D-Onondaga, Madison, Oneida) championed home care workers during the FY23 budget negotiations and now these workers will get a well-deserved $3 per hour increase in pay over the next two years. In total, the state will spend $7.7 billion over the next four years, representing one of the single largest investments in home care wages by any state in the country.

This represents a 20% increase for these skilled workers who have said they love their jobs, but struggle to feed their children and buy health insurance on their current pay. 

Not only will the raise in pay benefit hardworking home care workers, but also older adults who would like to stay in their homes instead of moving into a long-term care facility. Numerous studies show more than 76 percent of Americans aged 50 and older prefer to stay in their homes and communities if possible. Aging-in-place not only provides a safe and familiar place to live, but it is also the most cost-effective way to provide care for older adults who do not require the highest levels of care.

“I see this as an important first step in achieving appropriate, equitable pay for the skilled services that home care workers provide.  They deserve a living wage, and we will continue to advocate for true Fair Pay for Home Care, which sets the home care worker minimum and 150% of the regional minimum wage. None of this would be possible without the advocacy of the New York Caring Majority, AARP, 1199, and many others in the coalition, and I look forward to standing with them next year as we continue this work,” Senator Rachel May said.