FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 22, 2024

Contact: [email protected]

AUSTIN, TX – In case you missed it, last week the Dallas Morning News editorial board highlighted the dire need for a competitive wage increase for direct support professionals (DSPs) who support Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

“Right now, some Texas workers who care for the most vulnerable among us make less money for their work than cooks flipping burgers at fast-food restaurants,” the paper’s editorial board wrote. “That needs to change.”

The ongoing workforce crisis impacting DSPs who serve Texans with IDD has been exacerbated by persistent low average hourly wages. Last week, the Time To Care coalition released new data showing that more than a third of staff positions at community-based facilities serving Texans with IDD are vacant, severely impacting their ability to deliver quality care to the most vulnerable Texans.

“The base pay for these caregivers is $10.60 per hour, which has led to a staffing crisis in these group homes. Many of the caregivers who remain work long, grueling shifts and take on second jobs to make ends meet.”

To read the full piece from the Dallas Morning News editorial board, click here or on the image below:

In response to the Dallas Morning News editorial board’s piece, Angela King, President and CEO of Volunteers of America Texas and a member of the Time To Care coalition, detailed the substantial financial loss VOA Texas has taken on by supplementing DSP wages due to a lack of sufficient funding from the Texas Legislature, writing to the paper:

“As part of our commitment, VOA Texas has increased wages for our direct-support professionals from $10.60 to $15 per hour…

“I witness the struggles of these dedicated, direct-support professionals daily. These caregivers are essential, performing tasks that are both physically demanding and emotionally taxing, yet the state rate for these workers is only $10.60.”

With staff vacancies at community-based IDD service providers rising to an unsustainable 33-34% over the past year, providers are seeking immediate, emergency relief from the Legislature to address this crisis and ensure that the quality of care for the IDD community is not compromised. Lisa Brodsky, CEO of Community Homes for Adults, has been serving individuals with IDD for over 40 years. She wrote to the Dallas Morning News illustrating the real, day-to-day impact of the DSP workforce crisis is:

“As our costs rise for food, gas, electricity and insurance, there is nothing more important than our staff that takes care of our residents all day every day….

“…The amount Medicaid pays us per hour ($10.60) for our staff does not come close to what it costs us to take care of our residents (many who have been with us for 35 years) in the kind, dignified and respectful way in which we do…Do lawmakers really believe that $10.60 an hour is a livable wage?”

Group homes for Texans with IDD are state contractors, and the Legislature sets their reimbursement rates from the state. Last year, lawmakers raised the rate from $8.11 to $10.60 an hour, which remains woefully insufficient to combat the ongoing workforce crisis among community-based DSPs.

While urging the Texas Legislature to revisit reimbursement rates during the upcoming 2025 legislative session, the Dallas Morning News editorial board emphasized that group homes’ inability to offer their workers a competitive wage leads to rapid staff turnover, resulting in more injuries, instances of abuse or neglect, causing Texans with IDD to be unnecessarily jailed or hospitalized. The editorial board concluded:

“If we want quality care for people whose lives depend on it, then Texas needs to make sure the base pay for caregivers is competitive. Dignity for the vulnerable should also include dignity for their caregivers.”

To read the full editorial board piece from the Dallas Morning News, please click here.

To read letters to the Dallas Morning News editors, please click here.

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