A direct support worker, center, puts on Keith Conley’s shoes, as his brother Kristopher moves around their home in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The twin brothers have severe autism, need 24-hour care, and have had a lot of trouble finding quality, reliable aides to help them. (Courtney Hergesheimer/The Columbus Dispatch/TNS)
Hourly pay is increasing for direct support professionals, but advocates say that does not appear to be enough to prevent the barriers faced by people with developmental disabilities seeking services.
Across the country, hourly wages for direct support professionals averaged $15.79 in 2022, surpassing $15 per hour for the first time.
However, despite the increase, the turnover rate in the field remained above 40%, leaving many service providers struggling to maintain enough staff to support people with developmental disabilities living in the community. .
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The figures come from a report issued by United Cerebral Palsy and the American Network for Community Options and Resources, or ANCOR, which represents disability service providers nationwide. Traditionally, advocacy groups have published an annual “Case for Inclusion” report that evaluates how well states are supporting people with developmental disabilities in the community. The new report is the first in a series of “data snapshots” released under that umbrella.
In an ANCOR survey late last year, 77% of providers said they were rejecting or no longer accepting referrals and 44% had discontinued their offerings. Most indicated they were considering additional service cuts.
Providers received help from the 2021 American Rescue Plan, a pandemic relief package that included $26.3 billion to improve the recruitment and retention of direct care providers, according to the report. But that money, which advocacy groups say is largely responsible for the increase in DSP salaries, must be exhausted by March 31, 2025.
“Increasing hourly wages and reducing turnover and vacancy rates highlight providers’ desire to offer adequate compensation and actively engage in strategies to help recruit, hire and retain direct support professionals. With increased resources due to state and federal action, including emergency funding from the American Rescue Plan, it is clear that providers are eager and willing to address the current workforce crisis; they just need the support to do it,” said Barbara Merrill, executive director. ANCOR officer.
As of 2022, average vacancy rates for full-time DSPs remained above 15%, the report states. And wages in some states like Louisiana and Alabama were still below $11 an hour.
Meanwhile, more than half a million Americans with developmental disabilities were on state waiting lists for services last year, with waits averaging 50 months, data show.
“Decades of underinvestment in the Medicaid program, in which reimbursement rates are set by states and funded with federal matching funds, have left providers powerless to raise wages to a competitive level,” said Armando Contreras. , president and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “Without meaningful action to support the direct care workforce and the indispensable services that direct support professionals provide, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will continue to spend years waiting for services, delaying their fundamental right to live in their communities and in the most integrated environments. possible.”
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