(1) The General Assembly finds that: Although a direct-care worker in the State of Arkansas who serves a Medicaid-reimbursable client must undergo a forty-hour training program, a direct-care worker who serves a client in his or her home and who is not Medicaid-reimbursable has no training requirement; and
(2) Beginning January 1, 2012, and continuing until January 1, 2027, approximately ten thousand (10,000) persons a day turn sixty-five (65) years of age in the United States.
(3) This subchapter is intended to: Assure disabled citizens and the constantly expanding population of senior citizens in Arkansas that a direct-care worker is properly trained in core competencies; and
(4) Acknowledge the necessity of proper training for all direct-care workers that, in turn, will contribute to a reduction in per capita healthcare costs for Arkansans.