«One issue delaying certification for new home care aides is the state has to verify the FBI’s background checks. This is redundant, provides little value and is costing the state, auditors say.
There are also delays between training and the required skills and knowledge tests needed to get certified as a home care aide, auditors say. More than two-thirds of applicants aren’t testing within 60 days of finishing their training. The more time between training and tests, the less likely aides are to pass.
Part of this is outside the state’s control, as its contracted testing vendor, Prometric, has caused delays. The state Department of Health has little leverage to force Prometric to improve access, according to the audit.
‘We have been frustrated for many years at Prometric and the state’s oversight of Prometric. This has been, in our view, a subpar vendor for many years,’ said Adam Glickman, secretary-treasurer for SEIU 775, the union for long-term care workers.
‘We’ve talked to caregivers who have spent years, multiple years, trying to get tested,’ Glickman added.
Though some progress is being made, as the Department of Health is working to allow applicants to test at the same place where they train. Auditors recommend changing state law to allow the agency to add more test proctors.
Access to training, meanwhile, isn’t seen as a barrier in the process. SEIU 775 is pushing the state to fund integrating the required tests into the training to avoid these barriers.»