This post originally appeared at https://wisconsindailystar.com/the-upper-midwest/wisconsin-launches-direct-care-training-program-for-10000-new-workers/tcsquare/2023/08/14/

by Benjamin Yount

Wisconsin officials aren’t saying how much a new program to grow the state’s direct care workforce by 10,000 will cost taxpayers.

The program, launched by the Department of Health Services, includes free classes and promises a pair of $250 bonuses. The state has said it will use federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover the expense.

The state’s Department of Health Services launched an effort to train 10,000 direct care workers across the state.

“Through our Certified Direct Care Professionals initiative, we will grow and strengthen skilled professionals in our workforce who can provide quality care to our older adults and people with disabilities,” DHS Deputy Secretary Deb Standridge said in a statement. “Wisconsin has long been a leader in innovative approaches to address community-based long-term care for adults, and this program is a prime example.”

The program is centered on online classes developed by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The classes are free for anyone who signs up, and DHS says they can be completed in as little as 30 hours. The classes end with a test that earns a certificate.

“There is a shortage of caregivers not only in Wisconsin but nationwide,” Curtis Cunningham, an assistant administrator with the DHS Division of Medicaid Services, said. “The only way to find more is to promote this fulfilling career by providing standardized training and certification that helps people learn, grow, and advance, and our new CDCP program does just that.”

A 2021 report from the group PHI, which researches and works with direct care providers, said Wisconsin desperately needs direct care workers.

“According to data compiled by PHI, the median wage for home care workers in the state was only $13.65/hour, and low wages are a major reason why one out of every two home care workers in the state leaves the workforce every year. As in most other states, home care workers generally receive inadequate training and few advancement opportunities,” the report said. “The state’s rural communities are and will be hit particularly hard by these workforce challenges.”

DHS said graduates from the new CDCP initiative would be eligible for bonuses.

“As an added incentive, caregivers who successfully complete the program and get a job with an eligible home and community-based services employer can earn a $250 hiring bonus. Those who work for at least six months can earn another $250 as a retention bonus. Current employees of eligible providers can earn the same certification and stay-on and retention bonuses if they become a CDCP, at no cost to their employer,” DHS announced.

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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square. 

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