Kentucky Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on January 2, 2007

Click here to view bill details.

Please support this bill. I have been on the front lines as a social worker and have been threatened with guns and verbally on several occasions. Workers are at risk to save Kentucky's at risk populations. Help protect our families by supporting this bill. Thank you Rhonda Cantrell

I agree with and support this bill. Social services workers and aides perform duties that are hazardous everyday (investigating child abuse, visiting clients at their homes, removing children from their parents custody, and entering properties where there are meth labs, among many other dangerous duties). You can't pay someone enough or train someone enough to do these duties. Social services worker's do these duties because they care about the families they serve. Social services workers need to be recognized for their efforts and personal sacrifices. Currently social services workers in Kentucky have too many cases that involve too much risk and stress which cause workers to seek other employment. How sad that the state cannot (or does not) support the employees who are responsible for the safety and well being of it's most vulnerable citizens.

I feel that it needs not to only address those families who have had children placed in states custody but any family that CHFS is involved with. We often enter homes that have were issues of domestic violence is present. We have to remember that families that physically and or sexually abuse their own love ones (children, parents) have no love in their hearts for us (we who enter their homes unprotected). We should receive hazardous duty, fewer cases,and more intense training. October 16, 2006,was a sad day in Kentucky when Ms. Boni was killed at the hands of a parents for trying to ensure a visit for the family. How scrary is that. I do support Rep. Embry’s bill to include all social workers, support aids.

Most people have no idea what we face everyday. I try to be careful, but we often deal with people who are mecurial by nature or by chemical means. I did not have to major in social work; I could have taken courses on something safer, like bomb disposal.

I've worked for over 10 years with DCBS. In that time, I've been threatened with a gun by a birth parent, I've been chased by dogs, and I have been cussed at by the clients that we deal with. I'm tired. So very tired of having my safety put on the line by an administration who does not care. I feel that every time this issue is brought up, it's shot back down. I don't know who is to blame. Can we blame the legislators? Can we blame our own Cabinet leadership? Or should we blame ourselves for not standing up for our issues long before now. Though I'm not sure how hazardous duty would affect someone who has the amount of time that I have in, I would like to see it assist those new workers who are coming into DCBS. Let's hope that the citizens and government of Kentucky hear our voices. I support this legislation.

I have been working in Social Services for several years. We are threatened in a number of ways everyday. We dedicate our lives to Kentucky families because we care about them and want to help. Our services are irreplaceable and valuable for Kentucky and Kentucky's families. Our daily duties are extremely high risk and warrant the same recognition when it comes to Hazardous duties. Thank you, AKM

After working at DCBS, as did my husband, I support the legislation for hazardous duty.

I have been a social worker with CHFS for seven years. I, along with other workers, have been at the very least, verbally assaulted on almost a daily basis by clients. This is almost seen as a "norm" anymore by myself and my coworkers. However, this should not be the case. Other than law enforcement, I do not know of any other profession that involves individuals being verbally assaulted on a daily basis. In fact, I have had police officers tell me on numerous occasions that they would not even do my job. I think this speaks volumes. It is time the profession of social work is recognized as being the dangerous profession it truly is by giving workers hazardous duty pay.

I urge your support of House Bill 52. From 1992-2000 I worked as a front-line Social Worker and supervisor in Paducah with the Department for Social Services (now Community Based Services). I made numerous home visits in areas and in homes where the potential for violence was ever present. I have had law enforcement officers remark that they would have never gone alone into such areas or homes to deal with families and their children, especially unarmed. I know firsthand of colleagues in the Paducah office who were physically attacked and verbally threatened. All of us in this field were very alarmed, but not surprised, about the recent murder of a colleague who was simply providing supervision for a mother with her children. Please give these dedicated and brave workers the benefit of hazardous duty pay for their hard work in dangerous circumstances. Ruth Elliott

This bill expands the definition for ‘hazardous duty’ beyond the front line social workers who knock on unfriendly doors. As it is written, it would include those that never leave the office but may have to deal with families within the confines of their office. Most of these office are behind a security door. See proposed bill definition: Positions classified in the social services series with duties that regularly and routinely involve child protective services investigations or ongoing direct face-to-face contact with families whose children have been placed in the custody of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services I’m all for people being compensated for their work. But is this about hazardous duty pay for front line social workers, an across the board pay raise for all social worker classifications, or is it really about the 20 year early retirement enjoyed by law enforcement officers (compared to 27 years.) After all, that is what KRS 61.592 does is increase the contributions to the retirement accounts of ‘hazardous duty’ employees so they can retire early. If we are going to give social workers full retirement in 20 years, why not give it to pre-trial services officers that have to deal with drunk and unruly detainees right after they are arrested, or revenue workers who have to deal with upset taxpayers, or workers in the child support office who deal with hostile deadbeat dads. The list goes on.............. Increasing the base pay of social workers is long overdue. But let us know all of the ramifications of this bill before jumping on the bandwagon.

This Bill is dead in the House A & R Committee. It will never be discussed due to the funding required.