Members join forces with activists and community allies to protect senior care.

After successfully reversing proposed cuts to the Massachusetts personal care attendant (PCA) program in 2024, it was time for 1199 PCAs to fight to protect the state’s senior residents once again at the beginning of this year. On January 7, Union members joined forces with the disability community to deliver a letter to Governor Maura Healey demanding that she fully fund the program in the FY26 budget.

There are more than 58,000 PCAs in Massachusetts, providing home health care to nearly 50,000 consumers in the state, and they are all represented by 1199SEIU.

The letter to Governor Healey stated: “PCA services enable thousands of people with disabilities, including many older adults, to live independently in the community, with significant enhancement to their independence and wellbeing.

Absent PCA services some people would need to enter a costly nursing facility, others might lose their job, and the health of many people would decline, putting more pressures on already overburdened health care systems and other state-funded services.”

Along with 1199, the letter was signed by almost 30 organizations, including the Disability Law Center, the Massachusetts Senior Action Council, and Health Care for All.

When Governor Healey announced her draft budget on January 22, it included overly restrictive growth caps on the PCA program. Tim Foley, 1199SEIU Executive Vice President for Massachusetts says, “Restricting future access to the PCA program will result in waiting lists and push consumers who rely on support from PCAs out of the program. This proposal places the burden onto already struggling families to care for their loved ones and increases the likelihood of more intensive care settings such as nursing homes and frequent overnight hospital stays.”

Zohra Ayou, an 1199 PCA who attended the rally at the Boston statehouse, adds, “I take care of everything for my mom, including cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping, and taking her to medical appointments. I am so happy that I get to take care of her, and that she gets to stay at home. I hope that everyone who needs help through the PCA program is able to receive it, and that means we must fully fund the program. I say this knowing that one day, I myself may need the same care from a PCA.”

The PCA program has grown tremendously in recent years as the Massachusetts population grows older and more people choose to remain in their homes. In 2020, 14 percent of Massachusetts residents were 65 or older. The UMass Donahue Institute population projections predict that by 2050, that number will climb to 27 percent above the retirement age of 65. 1199ers negotiated a threeyear contract with the state in 2023 that will raise PCA pay from the flat $18/hour rate to a wage scale that goes up to $25/hour based on experience by 2027.