Role of Direct Support Professionals Act

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Dear [Decision Maker],

I wholeheartedly support the "Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act" (S.1332/H.R. 2941). This bill will lead the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a distinct category for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) under the Standard Occupational Classification system. This legislation will provide essential data collection addressing the needs of this indispensable workforce and enhance service delivery for people with disabilities.

Across our family of organizations, 4,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families are supported in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. It's important to me that you understand:

-Across New York, one-third of direct support professionals leave their jobs, each year, leading to turnover costs of $100 million*. Across our family of organizations, approximately 17.5% of all full-time and part-time DSP positions turn over in a year.

-The high level of skill and experience needed to accomplish DSP jobs. You may not know that DSPs are the primary source of support for Long Islanders with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Every day, Long Islanders with IDD rely on DSPs to meet their daily needs, including "personal care, transportation, managing finances, education, household tasks, and self-determination needs.*"

-Wages have the strongest effect (one-third of all explained variance) on tenure of DSPs at New York State provider agencies," according to a study by New York State's Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.*

-The minimum wage of $16 per hour makes staff retention challenging as Long Island's living expenses remain steep. Nearly a third of Long Island homeowners with mortgages might be considered "cost-burdened*" or allocating 35% or more of their income towards monthly housing expenses. Around 20% of residents might be classified as "structurally poor" struggling with basic necessities.*

-Continuity of care is mission-critical for people with IDD. In one study, "regardless of their demographics, when people with IDD experienced continuity and security, the probability of them exercising rights increased from 17% to 56%.*" Such continuity matters across different roles such as residences, group homes, and respite programs.

-By supporting DSPs, you are supporting Long Island and New York's greater economy. From $14.3 billion in economic impacts to social enterprise endeavors, disability service providers occupy a significant role in New York State. Long Island's non-profit disability service providers generated nearly $2 billion dollars in economic impact.*

*To view citations, visit ahrc.org/citations

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