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1 | AN ACT concerning care for persons with a developmental | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | disabilities, which may be referred to as the Community | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | Disability Living Wage Act.
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4 | WHEREAS, An estimated 27,000 children and adults with | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | intellectual and developmental disabilities are supported in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | community-based settings in Illinois; direct support persons | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | (DSPs), are trained paraprofessional staff that are engaged in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | activities of daily living and community support; these | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | employees earn wages that place them and their families below | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | the poverty level; and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | WHEREAS, According to a recent industry salary survey, the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | average DSP wage in Illinois is $9.35 per hour which is 25% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | below the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | threshold of $11.66 for a family of 4; this workforce is often | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | compelled to work many overtime hours or hold down a second job | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | to support their families; many have to fall back on public | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps, creating additional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | expenditures for State government; low wages are a consequence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | of the historically low reimbursement rates paid by the State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | of Illinois to community-based service providers; over the last | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | 8 fiscal years, there has been no increase in State funding to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | these agencies; by contrast, the Consumer Price Index increased | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | 14% over the same period; and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | WHEREAS, The lack of adequate wages for employees who |
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1 | perform the challenging work of supporting persons with | ||||||
2 | intellectual and developmental disabilities results in high | ||||||
3 | employee turnover, which in turn negatively impacts the quality | ||||||
4 | of services provided; higher wages are proven to reduce staff | ||||||
5 | turnover, improving stability and quality of services while | ||||||
6 | reducing employer training costs; and | ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Rising wages in several other sectors now mean, | ||||||
8 | despite strenuous efforts to recruit new workers, agencies are | ||||||
9 | experiencing staff vacancy rates of up to 25%; excessive | ||||||
10 | vacancies force employers to rely more on overtime, leading to | ||||||
11 | staff burnout and driving up costs; this growing hiring crisis | ||||||
12 | impedes the ability of community disability agencies to expand | ||||||
13 | to accommodate persons newly approved for services as part of | ||||||
14 | the Ligas Consent Decree; and | ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, The General Assembly finds that in order to reduce | ||||||
16 | turnover, increase retention, fill vacancies, and ensure DSPs | ||||||
17 | are adequately compensated for the critically important work | ||||||
18 | they do, an increase in rates and reimbursements to | ||||||
19 | community-based service providers to effectuate an increase in | ||||||
20 | the hourly wage paid to DSPs is needed; and | ||||||
21 | WHEREAS, It is the purpose of this amendatory Act to | ||||||
22 | increase the wages of DSPs in community disability agencies | ||||||
23 | beyond the poverty level and to a level competitive with rival |
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1 | employers, in an effort to improve the lives of DSPs and the | ||||||
2 | lives of the vulnerable persons they support; therefore
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3 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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4 | represented in the General Assembly:
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5 | Section 5. The Mental Health and Developmental | ||||||
6 | Disabilities Administrative Act is amended by adding Section | ||||||
7 | 55.5 as follows: | ||||||
8 | (20 ILCS 1705/55.5 new) | ||||||
9 | Sec. 55.5. Increased wages for front line personnel.
The | ||||||
10 | Department shall establish reimbursement rates which build | ||||||
11 | toward livable wages for front line personnel in residential | ||||||
12 | and day programs serving persons with intellectual and | ||||||
13 | developmental disabilities under Section 54 of this Act, | ||||||
14 | including, but not limited to, intermediate care facilities for | ||||||
15 | persons with developmental disabilities, community-integrated | ||||||
16 | living arrangements, developmental training programs, | ||||||
17 | employment, and other residential and day programs for persons | ||||||
18 | with intellectual and developmental disabilities supported by | ||||||
19 | State funds or funding under Title XIX of the federal Social | ||||||
20 | Security Act. | ||||||
21 | As used in this Section, "front line personnel" means | ||||||
22 | direct support persons, aides, front-line supervisors, | ||||||
23 | qualified intellectual disabilities professionals, nurses, and |
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1 | non-administrative support staff working in service settings | ||||||
2 | outlined in this Section. The Department shall increase rates | ||||||
3 | and reimbursements so that direct support persons earn a base | ||||||
4 | wage of not less than $15 per hour and so that other front line | ||||||
5 | personnel earn a commensurate wage. | ||||||
6 | Section 10. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by | ||||||
7 | adding Section 5-5.4i as follows: | ||||||
8 | (305 ILCS 5/5-5.4i new) | ||||||
9 | Sec. 5-5.4i. Increased wages for front line personnel. As | ||||||
10 | used in this Section, "front line personnel" means direct | ||||||
11 | support persons, aides, front-line supervisors, qualified | ||||||
12 | intellectual disabilities professionals, nurses, and | ||||||
13 | non-administrative support staff working in service settings | ||||||
14 | outlined in this Section. | ||||||
15 | Under Section 55.5 of the Mental Health and Developmental | ||||||
16 | Disabilities Administrative Act, the payment rate for all | ||||||
17 | facilities licensed by the Department of Public Health under | ||||||
18 | the ID/DD Community Care Act as intermediate care for the | ||||||
19 | developmentally disabled facilities and under the MC/DD Act as | ||||||
20 | medically complex for the developmentally disabled facilities | ||||||
21 | shall be increased to fund rates and reimbursements so that | ||||||
22 | direct support persons earn a base wage of not less than $15 | ||||||
23 | per hour and so that other front line personnel earn a | ||||||
24 | commensurate wage.
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1 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
2 | becoming law.
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