Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics a coalition of organizations and Democratic state lawmakers, urged Governor Kathy Hochul on Jan. 11, to back a pay raise for home care workers as the state budget season begins. Hochul last week in her state-of-the-state address called for a pay raise for the state's health care workers with the goal of boosting employees in the sector by 20 percent over the next five years. But an issue for home care workers has been an even more acute shortage that has been blamed on low wages. State Sen. Rachel May released a report finding that 60 percent of open health care jobs are in the home care sector. “New York state is facing a dire shortage in-home care workers because we are paying these professionals poverty-level wages, forcing individuals who love their work to leave the caregiving industry for jobs that pay more," said Sen. Michelle Hinchey. One of the main concerns is the state's aging population, which has led to worries over whether there will be enough workers to provide care to elderly people in the coming years. Sen. Samra Brouk said, "For those aging at home, a well-staffed, quality home care workforce is critical. Home care workers care for our aging parents and grandparents and must be paid appropriately for the critical work they do." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.