PROVIDENCE – The Community Provider Network of Rhode Island will host a week of action starting March 26 at the Statehouse to seek a $28.5 million budget increase for better pay for direct-support professionals serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The week of action will coincide with national Disability Awareness Month to highlight the need in the Ocean State for adequate funding to support employee compensation for the staff members who work at the 38 private agencies across the state, CPNRI announced.
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Throughout the week, self-advocates, family members and concerned members of the public will meet directly with members of the state legislature to seek increased funding for support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, CPNRI said.
The state’s intellectual and developmental disabilities support system faces a workforce crisis caused by low employee compensation, CPNRI said. The average annual turnover rate for direct-support professionals is above 33 percent for most state agencies, and 1 in 5 positions go chronically vacant.
The private community providers of intellectual and developmental disabilities supports are seeking a budget increase of $28.5 million in general revenue for fiscal year 2019-20 to address two major barriers to a stable workforce: increasing wage reimbursement to keep up with the recent 50-cent minimum wage increase and to correct the chronically underfunded employee-related expenses.
Providers have been funded for employee-related expenses at a flat 35 percent of a service provider’s wage for the past seven years while costs have only increased. These costs are mandatory and are part of the employee’s total compensation, such as health and dental insurance, and worker’s compensation. The provider’s actual cost for these employee-related expenses is on average 64 percent. Providers receive significantly less funding from the state than the actual cost of providing those employee benefits, so they must chip into the funded direct-service provider wage rate to cover the mandatory yet underfunded insurance costs and taxes, resulting in suppressed wages.
“Given the preponderance of evidence that the current I/DD workforce is in a state of crisis due to low compensation, now is the time for Rhode Island’s leaders to invest in the professionals who make it possible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live healthy inclusive lives,” said Gloria Quinn, CPNRI board president. “We hear from parents every day who can’t get the supports their son or daughter needs because there is no staff to do the work. This is wrong and avoidable. We need to prioritize the work of people who support people with disabilities in R.I. and increase state reimbursement for employee compensation. We need a stable workforce to ensure stable lives.”
For more information or to learn how to be a part of the week of action, check out the Facebook event and sign up page. Contact Jenna Husted at Jenna@cpnri.org for further questions.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN contributing writer.
