ICYMI: Time To Care Coalition Members and Advocates Call for Urgent Action to Support Community IDD Services During Legislative Budget Board Hearing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 4, 2024

“The $10.60 an hour wages appropriated for community staff is not enough to address the current workforce crisis.”

AUSTIN, TX – In case you missed it, this week the Texas Legislative Budget Board (LBB) heard from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on the agency’s Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) for the upcoming biennial budget. Time To Care coalition members made their voices heard during Tuesday’s hearing, calling on state leaders to prioritize support for community-based services for Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by increasing hourly wage reimbursement rates for the direct support professionals (DSPs) who serve them.

To watch the testimony from Time To Care members and advocates at the Legislative Budget Board hearing, click here or on the image below.

“Even though there was an increase that was funded last session, providers continue to report challenges in retaining and recruiting staff, and I will tell you, that is an understatement. I’ve been doing this for 49 years… I can assure you never, never have I seen a situation like it is today. With providers not being able to hire or retain staff, owners having to work shifts, many staff working 60-70 hours a week and providers reporting anywhere between 33-34% staff vacancy rates. It is a dire situation out there.”

Carole Smith, Executive Director, the Private Providers Association of Texas (PPAT)

“As you’ve heard this system of care is in crisis. The only funding we need is funding to keep this system from breaking more…HHSC has demonstrated that increasing the range of starting wages combined with across the board raises for all staff has successfully reduced turnover and vacancies in SSLCs. A similar approach is needed for community IDD service shortage areas, DSPs and nurses. IDD providers face staff shortages that have a human element of diminishing quality of care, and separating families as group homes close…These shortages also have a logistical impact as providers rely on overtime, administrative, and quality assurance staff are forced to cover shifts…One PACSTX provider left the state this year and many others feel like their businesses are on the verge of collapse…This is not sustainable.”

Sandy Batton, Executive Director, Providers Alliance for Community Services of Texas

“When we talk about the amounts of people on the waitlist and those that are receiving services now, just addressing the interests list is like saying, ‘How many cars can we put on the road without looking at the integrity of the bridge? If the bridge is collapsing and we put more cars on it, then it won’t help anyone.’ The current issues that have been plaguing the entirety of the community-based program have started a very long time. We’ve been coming to sessions after sessions talking about raising it to $15, and that was pre-COVID, and the market today is completely different. $10.60 is less than any fast-food chain that you see, and this is very complicated work. Working with behavior plans, being delegated by a nurse to pass medications that are critical to clients’ needs daily, and as well as the additional support services that, at a State-Supported Living Center, would be covered by a whole different department. They have a housekeeping department, or a medical department that does not fall on the duties of the direct care people. So, our staff are asked to do all of these additional things that require training, that require supervision, without having the same rate that the SSLC is offering. We have lost staff that have gone to the SSLC. I’m glad they’ve had those increases of not having as much turnover but that has made ours just so much more. If you look at the percentage of people with IDD or developmental disabilities within the waiver programs, the largest percentage is in the community, and we have been more cost effective at providing these services. However, that means we’re looked at a little bit less because we’re doing as much as we can with just the pennies. At this point it’s a flat bottom rate.”

Carroll Rabalais, Assistant Director of Homes and Community-Based Services, Mary Lee Foundation

“I’ve also worked as direct care in the past. I would like to talk about the matter which is dire need for funding in order to hire and maintain our direct care professionals. To me, I consider our clients as the jewels and the direct care staff as the jewelers who shine and help them bring in the things that they need to maintain their lives and to live properly. Without them it’s really sort of detrimental to our company. The RNs, LVNs, therapy specialists, the direct care professionals and case managers all help in getting the issues in maintaining the clients’ livelihoods. There has been an issue with staffing shortages pre-COVID that is due to low-level livable wages that facilities are able to offer these employees. As it is, our current staff work double shifts to keep the homes covered at all hours, they deserve to know that they are appreciated for their work and determination to keep the clients in a happy, healthy, and safe environment. We can tell them we appreciate them, but they need their living wages. It’s very difficult for them to be able to live and help these clients themselves but they have families of their owns.”

Melinda Mills, Medical Billing Specialist, Mary Lee Foundation

“We also know that IDD waiver interests’ lists cannot be reduced unless that effort is accompanied by stabilizing rate increases. Together with many other stakeholders we urge attention to Direct Support Professionals or DSPs and their wage rates in IDD community services…unfortunately community DSPs serving this same population did not fare as well, and the $10.60 an hour wages appropriated for community staff is not enough to address the current workforce crisis. We urge the 89th Legislature to support community DSP wages commensurate with wages for DSPs in State-Support Living Centers.”