Direct support professionals to get raises, under Albany deal

ALBANY – Direct Support Professionals,
who help people with developmental disabilities, mobility limitations
and other demanding healthcare needs, are said to be critical to our communities.
However, in recent years, these hardworking support professionals have
struggled to earn the wages.
An agreement was struck this week between the Assembly, Senate, and Governor
to raise their wages in this year’s budget. If this funding is included,
Direct Support Professionals can expect a 6.5 percent pay increase over
the next two years.
“Direct care workers deserve to be paid a wage that matches their
skills and dedication,” said Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D-I-WF
Forestburgh), chairwoman of the Assembly Mental Health and Developmental
Disabilities Committee. “The governor’s pledge represents
a victory, not just for our community’s Direct Support Professionals,
but for the people they serve, too.”
In 2015, nonprofit agencies surveyed by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities indicated that they were having trouble attracting and retaining employees. Nearly one in four Direct Support Professionals who began employment at the agencies did not return for a second year, and vacancy rates exceeded 9 percent.
“Agencies can only recruit and retain staff when the state provides the resources for them to pay a respectable wage,” Gunther said. “I’m proud to see us moving in the right direction, and I will continue to fight for DSPs to receive the compensation and respect they deserve.”