PAR Mail 2017-248| December 7, 2017
PAR Members Testify at House Human Services Committee Hearing on the DSP Workforce Crisis
PAR members, Direct Support Professionals, family members, and other key community stakeholders packed out the hearing room yesterday to watch and listen to heartfelt testimony to the House Human Services Committee, led by chairman Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks) on the impacts of the DSP Workforce Crisis. To see a video of the proceedings, click here . To view the agenda and read the testimonies here).

HARRISBURG — Nearly 20 years ago, Cheryl Dougan's 14-year-old son, Renzo [pictured above], suffered a cardiac arrest and severe brain injury...

“My son's life now depends on direct support professionals, DSPs, every hour of every day,” Ms. Dougan told a state House committee Wednesday.

The House Human Services Committee heard testimony about wages and workforce issues for direct support professionals...

These workers earn a median wage of $11.50 an hour, or about $24,000 per year, according to the authors of a study who testified before the committee. This leads to high turnover among staff, which can hurt the care people like Ms. Dougan's son receive.

Such workers assist her son with medical, dental and therapy appointments, monitor his health, tend to personal needs such as trimming his beard and fingernails, buy clothes for him, take him grocery shopping, and a host of other duties, said Ms. Dougan, who lives in Bethlehem.

"My son has had over 20 different people bathe him, care for him, the most intimate things imaginable," said another parent, M.J. Bartelmay, of Mercer County, testifying to the importance of such workers to his son's life.

Such low wages also mean direct support professionals, often referred to as DSPs, must frequently use public benefits like food stamps to support their own families, the study's authors said.

"We either pay on the front end, or we pay on the back end," said Nicholas Torres, CEO of Social Innovations Partners, and one of the authors. The study was commissioned by The Alliance of Community Service Providers, Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability, and Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association.

While the study cautions they do not have exact benefits data, it estimates raising wages to $15 an hour would have an upfront cost, but would ultimately result in taxpayer savings of $199 million because of reduced safety net costs and reduced overtime and turnover...

Samira Gray, a DSP who lives in Philadelphia, told committee members she loves her job, though she must use food stamps to make ends meet.

"I believe in this line of work," she said. "It should not be so hard to stay in the job we love."
Because workers are essentially paid using Medicaid funds, the joint federal-state health care program that covers people with disabilities, more state funds are needed to cover the cost of higher wages.

“Renzo lost several good DSPs this past year, due to crisis, burnout, or the need to make a living wage,” Ms. Dougan told state representatives.
PAR MEMBERS PRESENT TESTIMONY

Key testimony was provided by PAR Board member Scott Spreat, E.d.D., President of Woods Research and Evaluation Institute and Nicholas Torres, M.Ed., CEO of Social Innovations Partners on the results of the Direct Support Professional Compensation Practices Study, released by PAR, The Alliance CSP, and RCPA.

According to their testimony, "the current Direct Support Professional wages [averaging $11.50/hour] require them to rely on public assistance creating increased demand on the state budget and cause Direct Support Professionals to leave their jobs at an alarming rate (11.9 % vacancy rate and 25.22% staff turnover), thus compromising the quality of care to Pennsylvania's most vulnerable individuals: children; persons with intellectual disability and/or autism." [PAR note: this translates into well over 9500 people leaving these jobs in PA annually.]

The study recommends an increase to $15/hour which would result in a $199 million savings to taxpayers in reduced overtime costs, training and recruitment costs, and reliance on public assistance.

Mia McGuire (pictured above), Director of Administration of SpArc Services, and Samira Gray, a DSP for SpArc, testified, along with a DSP who works in the mental health field. Samira testified noted:

"DSPs are front line people who work to instill independence within the participants daily by redirecting when things are done improperly; by teaching morals and values and by explaining things one does not understand. With the aid of a DSP participants can become more independent and are able to accomplish goals that are important to them."
Past President of The Arc of PA M.J. Bartelmay and Cheryl Dougan provided a moving perspective as parents of adult children with disabilities. Cheryl, who is featured in the Fix The DSP Crisis video, along with her son Renzo and one of Renzo's DSPs, said in her testimony:

"I know that Renzo's well-being does not rest secure amid fluctuating budgets, regulations, program silos and their separate requirements, or a plethora of services requiring endless and often redundant paperwork. Rather, Renzo's life depends upon ethical, compassionate, and competent Direct Support Professionals. They have made all the difference."
“I do see this [wage issue] as something that develops the cycle of poverty amongst people in the DSP community. This couldn’t be a bigger issue to address in our community and getting people to be self-sufficient, and I think you hit the nail on the head with how we can move this in our caucus, and I thank you for the work you have done.” - Representative Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne County)