Rep. Raskin Joins Pocan, Schakowsky in Demanding CMS Protect ACA, Medicare & Medicaid Call Center Workers

WASHINGTON, April 11 -- Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, issued the following news release:

After the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance mandating that call centers contracting with CMS force employees to work in-person, rather than telework, Congressman Jamie Raskin joined U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) in sending a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma demanding she reverse the policy.

CMS' blanket guidance provides no pathway to creating teleworking opportunities for these essential workers and puts their lives at risk. Maximus, the company that CMS contracts with for these services, has already been forced to close call centers in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana due to COVID-19 outbreaks at the centers in these states.

In the letter, the Representatives call for remote work policies to be laid out, full paid sick leave and robust workplace safety policies.

The letter was endorsed by the Communications Workers of America and co-signed by Representatives Deb Haaland, Jesus G. "Chuy" Garcia, Rashida Tlaib, Wm. Lacy Clay, Andre Carson, Alan Lowenthal, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Ilhan Omar, Darren Soto, Steven Horsford, Katherine Clark, Nydia M. Velazquez, Pramila Jayapal, Rosa DeLauro, Jared Huffman, Yvette D. Clarke, Tony Cardenas, Peter A. DeFazio, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Linda T. Sanchez, Tim Ryan, Andy Levin, Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Joe Neguse, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Donald Norcross, James P. McGovern, Danny K. Davis, Emanuel Cleaver, II, Bill Foster, Elliot Engel, Daniel T. Kildee, Bennie G. Thompson, Paul D. Tonko, Jerrold Nadler, David N. Cicilline, Sheila Jackson Lee, Marcy Kaptur, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Bobby L. Rush, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

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April 9, 2020

To: The Honorable Seema Verma, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20201

Dear Administrator Verma:

In the midst of one of the worst pandemics in modern history, we are writing out of concern regarding a notice that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued to state and local government officials on March 21, 2020, that could put the lives of American workers in grave danger.

The CMS notice titled "Responding to the Coronavirus: Essential Mission Infrastructure Support - Health Care Services Delivery Support - Medicare & Medicaid - ACTION" urges state and local governments to continue in-person call center operations operated via a federal contract by Maximus at 11 locations in the wake of a growing global health crisis. The notice insists that call centers remain open because "there is currently no infrastructure in place for the call center to run via telework in any location." It is troubling that, despite universal uncertainty over how long this crisis will last, CMS does not outline a process for creating that telework infrastructure.

While we recognize that call center operations are crucial to the well-being of millions of Americans, it is concerning that CMS is pursuing the status quo without considering the well-being of workers or the sustainability of a policies that risk their health. Maximus has already been forced to close call centers in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana due to COVID-19 outbreaks at the centers in these states./1

Thousands of workers are now at risk of contracting the virus and continuing to spread it in their communities. This risk is especially worrisome given the key services that these workers are providing by ensuring the public's access to health care coverage in the midst of a pandemic.

We ask you to promptly alter this guidance and instead adopt a policy for all contractors that includes the following:

* Remote work policies for every worker possible;

* Full access to paid sick leave for all workers and a waiver of penalties for use of that sick leave;

* Assurance that workers who miss work due to illness, illness of a family member, or closure of a school or child care center will not lose their jobs due to attendance;

* Assessments of increased staffing needs due to necessary worker safety and leave policies;

Robust workplace safety policies, including social distancing, thorough cleaning of work spaces, and proper protective and sanitation equipment to protect any workers who must come to work in person.

Thank you in advance for your quick attention to this issue.

See signatures here (https://pocan.house.gov/sites/pocan.house.gov/files/documents/Congressional%20Letter%20to%20CMS%20on%20Call%20Center%20Worker%20Safety%204.9.20.pdf)

Footnote:

1/ See https://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2020/03/31/maximus-responds-hattiesburg-coronavirus-case/5094254002/ and https://www.wtvq.com/2020/03/30/maximus-closing-monday-employee-presumed-positive-covid-19/; https://maximus.com/employees#