Human Resources and Related Information

You should contact a member of the Human Resources team if you:

• Are interested in a training program or are looking for employment
• Need employment verification
• Need information regarding medical or dental coverage
• Need information regarding disability, leave of absence (LOA), or retirement plans

To contact a member of the Human Resources team, first call (212) 609-4442. Then dial star ( * ) to go to the main menu. Once prompted, select option 4 for your call to be directed to the Human Resources unit.

If you have any questions about your medical or dental coverage and you are a member of the 1199SEIU union, please contact one of the union’s coordinators by clicking the button for the 1199SEIU Benefit Coordinators phone number list.

The 2025 Benefits Program and information about what you need to know is now available for non-union HHAs who work in Westchester and Long Island, and non-union on-call HHAs.

Click on the links below to view:

• What You Need to Know for 2025 (includes overview of changes to your benefit options and next steps for what you need to do)
• Highlights of Your 2025 Benefit Program for Personal Care Non-Union Home Health Aides

If you have a document or request to submit, you can do so in any one of the following ways:

• Mail: VNS Health Personal Care, Attention: HR Shared Services, 5 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001
• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 212-290-3086
• Phone: 212-609-4442, option 4

You can submit your documents or requests in any one of the following ways:

• Mail: VNS Health Personal Care, Attention: Roxanne Watson, 5 Penn Plaza, 12th Floor New York, NY 10001 OR
• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 212-290-3086
• Phone: 212-609-4442, option 4 or 212-609-7743

Bereavement Policy

Effective 01/01/2026- Employees(Home Health Aides) may, upon request, receive a maximum of three (3) consecutive days off with pay in the event of the death of an immediate family member (Father, mother, sister, brother, child, spouse, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, or parent-in-law). The Employer(VNS Health Personal Care) may require sufficient verification of death and/or relationship(Death Certificate, a letter from the funeral home (on company letterhead), or the complete obituary). It is the Employee’s responsibility to timely notify the Employer of the Employee’s intent to take bereavement leave. Bereavement leave must be taken within thirty (30) days following the date of death or funeral service. Employees will be paid a bereavement day ONLY when it falls on a day of the week when an Employee is scheduled to work. Employees will receive pay for a day equal to the regular rate of pay.

Bereavement Process:

Step 1: The employee (HHA) must inform their supervisor of the requested bereavement dates.

Step 2: The supervisor will remove the HHA from the schedule in accordance with the Bereavement Policy outlined above.

Step 3: The supervisor must select “Requested Off” in HHAX under Absence and Restrictions.

Step 4: The supervisor or employee must email or fax the required supporting documentation—Death Certificate, a letter from the funeral home (on company letterhead), or the complete obituary—along with the employee’s full name and EID number to [email protected] or fax it to (212) 290-3086.

*Please do not leave any bereavement or jury duty documentation in the HR office, as this may cause delays in processing.*

Click the button below to view and print the form used for Home Health Aide job evaluations.

VNS Health Home Care and Hospice are preparing for an in-depth review by CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner).

The surveyors will:

• Accompany staff to visit patient homes.
• Interview patients, family and staff, including Aides.
• Review patient charts, including HHA duty sheets.
• Review personnel records of all staff, including Aides.

We do not know when the surveyors will come, it must be a surprise visit, but we do our best to always provide quality care.

Click the button for some important reminders for Home Health Aides to stay ready.

Check out the “Childcare, Education, Food, and Housing Resources” page to find what opportunities and resources may be available to you as a VNS Health home health aide.

Some opportunities and resources that may be available include:

• Education Opportunities Through 1199SEIU Training & Employment Funds (TEF)
• Assistance Programs for Heating and Cooling Your Home
• Financial Assistance for Eligible 1199SEIU Employees
• Housing and Childcare Resources and Assistance

The VNS Health Code of Conduct is developed by our VNS Health Corporate Compliance team.

Our Code of Conduct provides all of us with a framework for how we must operate as an organization and how we must behave as individual employees in order to remain compliant and behave ethically.

The Code is in alignment with both our VNS Health Mission and Core Values to follow the highest ethical, business and legal standards. Unlawful or unethical behavior, including fraud, waste and abuse, is not tolerated.

The VNS Health Compliance team leads our organization’s comprehensive Compliance Program. However, ensuring we’re compliant as an organization rests with each of you. By adhering closely to the VNS Health Code of Conduct, whatever your role is or wherever you may be working from, you’re protecting our entire organization from potential missteps and contributing directly to VNS Health’s ongoing success in providing an excellent quality of care and consumer experience to our patients, members and clients.

Please take the time to carefully review this Code of Conduct, and continue to focus as an organization on our shared responsibility to implement these guidelines in every aspect of our daily work.

It is important that all team members dress appropriately when entering any VNS Health office. There have been instances when team members did not wear appropriate attire.

If you are coming into the office for an in-service, please be sure to follow these dress code guidelines:

• Please come in your full uniform and bring your VNS Health ID with you.
• Make sure your nails are clean and trimmed.
• Please wear only minimal jewelry, if any at all.
• If you arrive to in-service with inappropriate attire, unclean and/or long nails, or open toe shoes or Crocs, you will not be allowed to stay for in-service and will be sent to your supervisor for coaching.

If you are coming into a VNS Health office for any other reason, please be sure to follow the dress code guidelines listed below:

When you’re not in uniform and you come into the office, please do not wear:

• Hoodies
• Sweatpants
• Flip Flops or open-toe sandals
• Crocs
• Slippers
• Pajamas/pajama pants
• Any ripped or torn clothing
• Shorts
• Yoga pants
• Tank tops
• T-shirts (plain white undershirts)

Please note that this only applies to when you are coming into a VNS Health office. When you are working with a client, you must wear your full required uniform.

For the full list of VNS Health dress code guidelines that all team members are required to follow, please click here.

We believe this allows for flexibility in what you can wear and still provide for comfortable, casual, and relaxed working clothes. Jeans, clean sneakers, and decorative T-shirts are all still permitted when entering VNS Health offices for purposes other than attending in-service.

Check out the “Education & Career Development” page to find opportunities that are available to you as a VNS Health Home Health Aide, including:

• Educational opportunities through 1199SEIU Training & Employment Funds (TEF)
• Internal Mobility Program resources for Home Health Aides interested in developing and growing their career
• Health coaching opportunities

Find out everything you need to know about your role as a Home Health Aide with VNS Health, including:

• Policies and procedures
• Available benefits
• Time off and holidays
• And much more.

*Now available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Haitian Creole!

Check out the “Employee Health & Safety” page to find everything you need to stay healthy and safe while you’re on the job, including:

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Order Form and Information
• Annual Health and Tuberculosis Forms (Available for Download)
• Available Health & Wellness Classes (Yoga & Meditation)
• Mental Health Support Information
• CHAP Tip Sheets
• And Up-To-Date Health Information

Name change request must be done in-person at 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 on the 20th floor and must include supporting documents. The reception desk or TA staff can assist.

Supporting Documents include:

• Valid NYS ID (Updated)
• Social Security Card (Updated)
• Marriage License
• Divorce Decree
• US Passport
• Certificate of Naturalization with new name

One of the best ways that VNS Health hires clinicians and home health aides is through referrals from our own team members. All referrals are welcome—whether you’re referring a relative, a family friend, a colleague you used to work with or someone in your professional network, or even a casual acquaintance. Click on the button below to learn more and to find out how to make a referral.

For address changes, you must provide proof of address. This includes:

• A recent lease agreement;
• Utility bill less than 3 months old (Gas, Electric, Telephone, or Cable); or a
• Valid NYS ID with updated address

You can submit your documents or requests in any one of the following ways:

• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 212-290-3086
• Phone: 212-609-4442, option 4

Some patients, clients and/or their family members may want to show their appreciation for your work by giving you a gift. However, the VNS Health Code of Conduct does not allow any employee to receive or accept or exchange gifts, cash, favors, or anything else that has monetary value from patients or their families/caregivers. Click on the button below for what you should know.

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that sets standards for the verbal, written or electronic exchange, privacy and security of health information.

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) revised certain parts of HIPAA, including the addition of breach reporting requirements, and significantly increased penalties.

Click on the links below for helpful resources that explain how to keep your patients’ and members’ information protected. 

You do not need to send a form to Benefits.

You can submit your request in either of the following ways:

• Electronic request form: Click here for the form.
• Email Britt Minott at [email protected] with the following information:
  • Your name
  • Your VNS Health Employee ID number
  • Last 4 digits of your Social Security Number
  • Your phone number

(HR handles forms or letters requiring dates of employment and title ONLY!)

You can submit your documents or requests in any one of the following ways:

• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 212-290-3084

You can submit your documents or requests in any one of the following ways:

• Email: [email protected]
• Fax: 212-290-3184
• Phone: Britt Minott, 212-609-7693

VNS Health Personal Care is preparing for the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) triennial recertification survey. Our agency is required to meet state and federal regulations to be able to operate.

But we need your help! Please be sure to:

• Read the weekly tip sheets that are emailed or texted to remind you of standards and best practices in patient care so you can successfully apply them at work
• Review any resources on this website regarding the NYSDOH triennial recertification survey
• Ask your supervisor about any questions you may have

Click the links below to review each of the available tip sheets, with reminders of best practices, policies, and procedures.

Click the button to find phone numbers for Personal Care teams (including Payroll, HR, and Compliance) and Supervisors.

• HR does not complete references that include work performance questions. They can provide letters indicating dates of employment and title only.
• Detailed work performance can be requested from your supervisor; however, it is at their discretion to complete. It cannot be on VNS Health letterhead and the supervisor will be operating as an individual.

This includes the HHA Retirement Plan w/ Empower, the CARE Pension Plan, and the 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuity options through Fidelity and Vanguard. Non-Union HHAs can enroll in the 403(b) plans and if employed prior to 2024, they may have a balance with Empower. If employed prior to 2014, they may have a balance in the CARE Pension plan.

If you need information or have any questions, please call the Benefits Team at the phone number listed below:

• Britt Minott – Phone: 212-609-7693

The purpose of this policy is to support the communications of paraprofessional staff with VNS Health Personal Care office staff involved in patient care, while ensuring that the agency complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the regulations promulgated thereunder (“HIPAA”) and mitigates any risk of protected health information (PHI) being compromised.

Click the button to view the policy.