In March of 2007 legislation
was introduced in the United States House of Representatives to help
states increase wages for the direct support workforce. The bill
hopes to reduce the staggering rates of turnover in this group. Indeed,
many people needing direct support service wake up each day and wonder
who—if anyone—will be available to
meet their most basic needs. Forget about life goals. It is very difficult
to pursue larger goals when you are in a constant cycle of retraining new
people just to meet your daily needs.
Perhaps some help is on the way. The Direct Support Professionals
Fairness and Security Act of 2007 (H.R. 1279), introduced by Lois Capps
(D-CA) and Lee Terry (R-NE), gives states the opportunity to secure
additional federal medicaid dollars to increase wages for the direct
support work-force. These dollars represent a critical step towards
reducing workforce turnover rates. With turnover rates as high as 86%
in some services and with the highest turnover happening within the
first three months of employment, is it any wonder that people with
disabilities are stressed?
Although there are many
dedicated direct support professionals (DSPs) working daily to
meet the needs of people all over the nation, turnover in the industry
is a major problem. Nationally, the average wage of direct support
professionals is $8.86 an hour—not nearly enough
to support ourselves and our families. Many of us are women and are
our family’s sole breadwinner. Ironically, some of us qualify
for the same low-income support services that people whose lives we
impact receive. If we support a family of four, we don’t even
make enough to meet federal poverty guidelines.
The National Alliance
for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP), which includes DSPs and
their allies, wishes to state that the Direct Support Professionals
Fairness and Security Act of 2007 (H.R. 1279) is long overdue.
Direct support professionals are the very definition of “the
underpaid and overworked” that society—and even we at NADSP— joke
about at times. It is time for us to be recognized as the backbone
of community-based human services programs across the nation, since,
currently, we are as disenfranchised as the people we serve. With
this statement we voice our concern and join with other stakeholders
in reminding Congress that poor wage reimbursements jeopardize the
quality of life for people with disabilities, direct support professionals
and their families.
We ask Congress to think
about someone in their life who relies on the services of a primary “professional” caregiver. It
may be a family member, the man bagging their groceries or the woman
processing their mortgage payment. It may be someone in their office,
in their faith community or living down the block. We further ask each
member of Congress to imagine living in that person’s shoes.
Wouldn’t you want a consistent, qualified direct support professional
in your life?
We want the entire Congress to know that for many, many Americans,
having that consistent support is key to achieving their dreams. We
ask Congress to value the work we do by supporting the Direct Support
Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007 (H.R. 1279) and making
the lives of those we support the best lives possible. ![]()
The above is a statement by The National Alliance for Direct Support
Professionals.
