PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island lagged behind the other states in staff retention among developmental disability support workers in the first year of the pandemic, according to a recent report.
Rhode Island had the third-highest turnover rate among 26 participating states in a National Core Indicators survey, which was included in the United Cerebral Palsy and the ANCOR Foundation’s “Case for Inclusion 2022” report.
Rhode Island’s average turnover rate in this sector, 56.9%, significantly higher than the national average of 43.6%. The state has a 14% vacancy for full-time professionals, and a 20.4% rate for part-time professionals.
The report, released last month and compiled from 2020 data, found issues still persist among the intellectual and developmental disability support workforce, such as low wages, few applicants and benefits.
At The Fogarty Center, a Barrington-based organization providing services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, operating with these lingering issues means “continually looking at just trying to break even, basically,” said CEO David Reiss.
“We’ve done okay, but I’ve closed six group homes in the past five or six years,” primarily due to staffing shortages, Reiss said, with another closure likely in the next six months.
“There are a lot of people with disabilities who need support,” Reiss said, “but if I don’t have the staff to provide it, I can’t take new clientele.”
The Fogarty Center isn’t alone in this struggle, he added.
“Anything that’s Medicaid-funded is struggling,” Reiss said, and “the state does not acknowledge this. In my opinion, there’s no respect” for developmental disability support workers.
The Fogarty Center has a 2022 operating budget of $62 million and is fully funded through the state and federal governments. But funding hasn’t been enough to provide workers competitive compensation, Reiss said.
According to National Core Indicators data, Rhode Island’s average wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) in 2020 were $13.80, not significantly higher than the $11.50 statewide minimum wage. The gap between minimum wage and average DSP wages placed Rhode Island third-to-last in this ratio among other participating states and Washington, D.C.
The leading state, Pennsylvania, paid DSP workers an average wage of $14.15 per hour compared to just a $7.25 minimum wage.
Connecticut led the country for the overall average DSP wage, at $16.15 per hour. Massachusetts did not participate in the survey.
The Fogarty Center can now start employees at up to $15.75 per hour, Reiss said, but this pay rate still fails to attract applicants in today’s competitive hiring market.
“We can’t just raise our wages,” Reiss said. “We’re depending on the federal government and the state government to give us increases.”
Most turnover occurs within the first six months of a new staff member joining, Reiss said, with staffing tending to stabilize among those who stay with the organization longer.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
