Last month in the War Room of the Capitol in Albany there was a rallying cry: “DSPs do serious work! DSPs deserve serious pay!” Today, that rallying cry continues to be the message that advocates for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are spreading amid a dire crisis impacting the nonprofits and workforces in the sector.
Across New York State, Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) provide the critical care and support necessary to help more than 130,000 people with disabilities live in their homes, be a part of their communities, obtain employment and maintain their independence.
Nonprofit providers are increasingly challenged to recruit and retain the skilled workers necessary to meet the urgent needs of people with disabilities. Direct-support positions are currently facing a nearly 20% vacancy across New York State. This vacancy rate has increased by 42% since pre-pandemic levels.
Agencies are facing recruitment challenges for these incredibly important positions because of a lack of a consistent investment in this essential workforce. Based on a recent survey conducted by New York Disability Advocates, the average starting wage for Direct Support Professionals in nonprofit agencies is $16.07 per hour across the state ($16.24 in NYC). This salary is barely above the $15 minimum wage and does not align with the complexity of the job these essential workers perform each day.
While the state provided financial support last year in response to a decades-long lack of investment in our workforce, the FY 2024 budget proposal announcement from Gov. Hochul unfortunately did not include adequate funding for critical resources for people with disabilities and the nonprofits and workforces that support them. I stand with the individuals, families, DSPs and other advocates who are calling for the following investments in this essential workforce.
The budget proposal from the governor includes a 2.5% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). This will not provide the necessary resources to keep pace with the growing cost of providing services for people with developmental disabilities. The governor notably included a 5.4% COLA in last year’s budget, which was a crucial investment in our field. However, due to the lack of investment over so many years, significant inflationary growth and the global supply chain, operating costs have increased significantly. An adequate cost-of-living increase is also critical to retain and recruit more people.
With this in mind, an 8.5% COLA is required to keep pace with the growing cost of providing services and critical agency operational issues, like the ongoing recruitment and retention of direct care, support and clinical staff. Without immediate action, the opportunity for individuals to reach their potential will be limited due to lack of qualified staff available to facilitate the outcomes they hope to achieve. The state Assembly and Senate recognized our challenges, and we applaud both houses for increasing the COLA to the needed 8.5% in their one-house bills.
The implementation of a $15 minimum wage for fast food workers in New York State is laudable. However, it compressed the wages of the DSP workforce whose responsibilities are much more complex. New York Disability Advocates proposed a wage enhancement where provider agencies would receive an annual funding allocation of $4,000 per eligible employee to enhance the hourly rate of pay for all staff with direct care/support responsibilities. This would have been equitable to the proposed $4,000-6,000 increase included in the proposed budget for DSPs who work for New York State. We are disappointed that this was not included in the one-house bills. This makes it essential that the 8.5% COLA be included in the final budget. It will enable nonprofit providers, supporting 85% of individuals with I/DD, to invest in their workforce and manage increased operating costs.
Moving forward, we must finally commit to providing all Direct Support Professionals with an equitable wage so they can pursue their chosen career and comfortably provide for their families. The responsibilities of this workforce are broad and complex, and they should be recognized and compensated for such. We must ensure that DSPs are compensated higher than the minimum wage whether working for New York State or a nonprofit provider.
The governor promised to lift up all New Yorkers and give them the best possible life in her budget proposal announcement. Without an adequate investment from government, people with disabilities, their families and the workforce supporting them are left out of this promise. We are pleased to see that the Senate and Assembly’s recent budget proposal included the 8.5% COLA, and urge the governor and Legislature to include the COLA at 8.5% in the final budget to be negotiated and adopted. The New York dream for people with disabilities can only be realized with these actions.
Sturiale is president & CEO of Birch Family Services, a nonprofit providing education and community support to more than 2,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in New York City.