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Help Individuals with Disabilities- Stop the Workforce Crisis
  1. Signatures
    43 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. The U.S. Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The U.S. Senate
      • The U.S. House of Representatives
  2. Created By
    Kerry Klein
    Cleveland, OH
About this Petition Petition Letter

Individuals with disabilities want to live in the community. The shared goal, life in the community for individuals with disabilities, was reaffirmed and promised by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, the New Freedom Initiative, Congress, the A.D.A., and U.S. Governors.

To achieve the goal of community living, millions of Americans with disabilities daily depend on Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), often referred to as personal assistants or home care aides, to provide critical supports. These critical supports include assistance with medical appointments and follow-up, grocery shopping, transportation, personal hygiene, vocational training, meal preparation, and other intimate in-home services.

Because many Americans with disabilities depend on Medicaid as their primary source of funding for their services and supports, providers of services and supports are held to fixed Medicaid reimbursement rates and cannot pass cost increases onto their “customer.” These fixed Medicaid reimbursement rates impact DSP wages. At the same time that there is an increased demand for the supports DSPs provide,  DSP hourly wages increased nationally only $1.55 from 1996 to 2006 compared to an increase of $2.92 for public DSPs in the same time period.

It is essential that Congress recognize the tremendous work of DSPs, correct wage disparities that exist between public and private DSPs, and help the industry address the workforce crisis.  In February, Reps. Lois Capps (D-CA) and Lee Terry (R-NE) introduced The Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009 into the 111th Congress. The bill, H.R. 868, seeks to amend the Social Security Act to provide funds to states to enable them to increase the wages paid to targeted DSPs who are providing services to individuals with disabilities under Medicaid.  H.R. 868 would offer states an option for supplemental Medicaid funding needed to increase DSP wages. Please help us encourage Federal Action to permanently address the workforce crisis.

Recent Signatures

Support The Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 868)

Dear Representative

Each year, New Avenues to Independence, Inc. provides services and supports to over 500 individuals with disabilities throughout Northeast Ohio. These individuals depend on over 250 direct support professionals (DSPs), often referred to as personal assistants or home care aides, to assist them. Our DSPs help with a variety of daily activities including medical appointments and follow-up, grocery shopping, transportation, personal hygiene, vocational training, and meal preparation. Without our DSPs, individuals with disabilities would be unable to live in the community.

Medicaid is the only source of long-term care insurance for the individuals with disabilities served by New Avenues. New Avenues, like all Providers, are held to fixed Medicaid reimbursement rates and cannot pass cost increases onto their “customer.” The fixed Medicaid reimbursement rates impact the wages paid to our DSPs. The national average hourly wage of a DSP is $9.85 compared to the national average hourly wage of DSPs employed by a state government of $15.48. At the same time, there is an increased demand for the supports DSPs provide. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the demand for this workforce will increase more than 41% between 2004 and 2014, despite the worsening economy. Without our DSPs, individuals with disabilities would be unable to live in the community.

People with disabilities, families, and providers agree that the United States must adopt a long- term support system that gives all people the opportunity to live and work in their community. Please support The Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009. The bill, H.R. 868, seeks to amend the Social Security Act to provide funds to states to enable them to increase the wages paid to targeted DSPs who are providing services to individuals with disabilities under Medicaid. H.R. 868 would offer states an option for supplemental Medicaid funding needed to increase DSP wages.

We urge you to take Federal Action to permanently address the DSP workforce crisis. Thank you for your consideration of this important legislation.

[Your name]

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