TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas is protesting a planned federal labor rule applying to domestic service workers, arguing it would reduce the care available to the disabled and elderly in their homes.
The state Department for Aging and Disability Services said Tuesday the new rule would increase the cost of services and force consumers to cut back.
Secretary Kari Bruffett wrote this week to U.S. Labor Secretary Tom Perez, requesting an exemption from the rule for disabled and elderly Kansans who direct their own care.
The rule is set to take effect next year. The federal agency says it’s designed to ensure that domestic service workers are protected by federal wage and overtime rules.
But Bruffett said the law will treat health care consumers as employers.
