As your constituent, and an active member of the community, I am urging you to support continued investments into the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce. Over the past several years DSP wages have incrementally increased, but these investments have been mitigated by outside factors. I am thankful that after so many years, we have begun to make investments into the DSP workforce and home and community based services (HCBS), but the job is far from complete. The state-commissioned Guidehouse Study’s top recommendation is to set DSP wages at 150% of the minimum wage. This must be done in order to stabilize the workforce and begin finding ways to expand services. If the system does not expand, it could be disastrous for individuals with disabilities, their families, and the taxpayers of Illinois. There are more than 50,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) receiving home-based services in Illinois whose caregiver is 60 years old or older. It is only a matter of time before these caregivers are no longer able to support someone with I/DD. What happens when they are gone? To serve just 10% of these individuals would require a 50% increase in the total CILA population and cost over $640 million. The cost of inaction is simply too great, and we must take action to prevent disaster. The historic investments in recent years have been critical in keeping HCBS afloat, but clearly more has to be done in order to meet the continuously growing need for services. Already, more than 16,000 individuals with I/DD are waiting for placement, and thousands more will soon need services. House Bill 2788 and Senate Bill 1690 would fulfill the top Guidehouse recommendation and set DSP wages at 150% of minimum wage. It is essential that DSP workers earn a fair wage in order to stabilize the workforce so we can work on, not just keeping the system afloat, but improving and expanding services to meet the needs of individuals with I/DD. I strongly urge you to support these critical investments. I know this year resources are strained, but this forthcoming crisis can be avoided if DSPs are made a priority. Please support HB2788/SB1690 and fight to secure investments into the DSP workforce. The daily lives and well-being of individuals with I/DD, their families, and the dedicated front-line professional who support them depend on it.

As a resident of your district, I would like you to be fully aware of the Direct Support Professional (DSP) staffing crisis is, and strongly urge you to support HB2788/SB1690 which would set DSP wages at 150% of the minimum wage, fulfilling the top priority of the state-commissioned Guidehouse Study. DSPs are the backbone of home and community-based services (HCBS) in Illinois, supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and helping them achieve their full potential. Without DSPs, community services could not exist. Unfortunately, the DSP staffing crisis has persisted for many years largely due to low wages. DSP workers are being lost to industries, such as fast food and retail, because compensation is comparable between the two industries. Essential, front-line support staff impact thousands of individuals throughout Illinois every day, and they should be making a living wage which reflects the high levels of skill, diligence, patience, and care that DSPs provide. In recent years, the state has made historic, although long-overdue, investments into this workforce, which has helped keep HCBS afloat. However, the impact of these investments have largely been mitigated by inflation, rising private sector wages, and especially the rising minimum wage. Since 2020, DSP wages have increased by only $0.75 more than the minimum wage and the DSP wage rate has gone from 140% of minimum wage in 2020 to 137% of minimum wage today. The progress made through these investments, while incremental and fragile, has helped to improve the DSP staffing crisis, but it is far from resolved. Not only do DSP workers deserve a livable wage, but it is essential in order to expand community service options, which is desperately needed. More than 16,000 individuals with I/DD are already waiting for services, and each year the need continues to grow. The system is near full capacity. If the HCBS system does not expand its capacity, thousands of individuals with disabilities will be out of options and have nowhere to turn. Fifty-thousand individuals with I/DD receive home-based services in Illinois whose caregiver is 60 years old or older. What happens when these caregivers are no longer able to support individuals with I/DD? To serve just 10% of these individuals in a CILA setting would require a 50% increase in the CILA population and cost over $640 million. We cannot sit and wait for the inevitable crisis that will emerge when these individuals need community placement. Already, individuals wait years to be selected off of the waiting list only to find that few if any providers have the capacity to serve them. We must take action now. I strongly urge you to support HB2788/SB1690 to increase DSP wages to the Guidehouse-recommended levels. No longer can we be satisfied with keeping the HCBS system afloat. There is a desperate need to expand community services, and that cannot be done without a stable front-line workforce. I look forward to hearing from you and will be watching and waiting to see who will stand up for individuals with disabilities, their families, and the dedicated front-line professionals who support them.

Over the past few years, Governor Pritzker and the General Assembly have made essential and long-overdue investments into intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) services. I am truly thankful that the Direct Support Professional (DSP) staffing crisis, and the other issues impacting Illinois’ most vulnerable residents had finally received the attention and investment from those who represent our state in Springfield. However, the work is far from complete, and I urge you to finish the investments as outlined in the state-commissioned Guidehouse Study, stabilize the DSP workforce, and expand community service options. The investments made into I/DD services in recent years have been historic, and essential in keeping the home and community based services (HCBS) system afloat. However, these crucial investments have largely been mitigated by economic factors such as inflation, rising private sector wages, and the rising minimum wage. Since 2020, DSP wages have increased only 75 cents more than the minimum wage and the wage rate has dropped from 140% of minimum wage to 137% today. Not only do DSPs deserve to earn more than they currently get, but it is essential to stabilize the DSP workforce. Without resolving the DSP staffing crisis, expanding community services is impossible, and thousands of individuals with I/DD will have nowhere to turn. There are over 50,000 individuals with I/DD receiving home-based services whose caregiver is 60 years old or older. Time will not stop or slow while the state makes incremental progress. These caregivers will inevitably age and be unable to support individuals with I/DD. What happens then? To serve just 10% of individuals with I/DD whose caregiver is aged 60+ in a CILA home would require a 50% increase to the total CILA population and cost over $640 million. This impending crisis can be avoided if we take action now to stabilize the DSP workforce and expand community service options. Even when the state has made concerted efforts to move 123 individuals from the Choate state operated developmental center into community settings, we have seen it is impossible to accomplish without more community service options. Halfway through the state’s Choate transition plan, 91% of individuals have been waiting over 9 months for placement, with most of them having been waiting more than a year. When there is no capacity in HCBS, individuals with the highest needs have the most difficult time accessing services. We must do more! The system is failing individuals with disabilities. The capacity of the community services system must be expanded in order to meet the growing need for services, and that cannot be done without DSPs. I know resources are strained, but to ignore this looming crisis is not in the interest of individuals with disabilities or the taxpayers of Illinois. I strongly urge you to support HB2788/SB1690 which would fulfill the top priority of the state-commissioned Guidehouse Study and set DSP wages at 150% of minimum wage. Please do not allow individuals with disabilities, or the dedicated professionals who support them to be overlooked again. I look forward to hearing your response, and hope you will be a champion for those who need it most.