SR0242 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0242 LRB095 12315 CMK 36938 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, According to U.S. Census Bureau data for 2004, 18%, or 51,200,000 people in the U.S. are persons with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, According to data from the 2004 American Community Survey, 12.4%, or 1,400,000 people in Illinois are persons with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, By 2030, 1,200,000 individuals nationwide with developmental disabilities will be over the age of 60; and

WHEREAS, In the U.S., 35% of people with a mental illness or developmental disability live with caregivers between ages of 40-60, and 25% live with caregivers over the age of 60; and

WHEREAS, 1 in 6 people provide care for a chronically ill, older adult, friend or relative with a disability without public funds; and

WHEREAS, Currently more than 50% of all direct support positions, often known as caregivers, personal assistants or homecare aides, turnover every year in the U.S.; in Illinois, turnover in residential and vocational settings is nearly 70%, with an estimated cost ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 to replace a direct support worker; the high turnover results in vacancies, puts unfair demands on remaining workers and, most importantly, negatively impacts the quality and consistency of support to people with disabilities and mental illness; and

WHEREAS, Poor wages and heavy job demands have caused this crisis; in 2005, a report by the Illinois Direct Support Professional Workforce Initiative, using data from multiple studies, found that the average annual income for direct support professionals in residential settings, vocational settings, and in-home and respite settings ranged from $18,366 to $22,651; the current federal poverty level for a family of four is $20,650; and

WHEREAS, It is essential that people with disabilities and mental illness have access to support that allows them to live and work in the communities of their choice; and

WHEREAS, In order to stabilize and increase the number of direct support professionals in the workforce, the wages and benefits of direct support professionals must be improved and made equitable among long term support options; and

WHEREAS, Medicaid is the single-largest payor of long-term support and services for people with disabilities; enhanced Federal Medicaid matching funds should be available to assist states committed to addressing wage differentials among direct support professionals by increasing the wages of direct support professionals and supporting and improving the stability of the direct support professional workforce; and

WHEREAS, The Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2007, as introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in H.R. 1279, would provide a voluntary option to states to receive additional Medicaid funding to reimburse community-based organizations to raise the wages of direct support professionals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Congress of the United States to support and pass H.R. 1279 so that states will have additional options to raise the wages of direct support professionals; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage the State of Illinois to take advantage of this option should it become available; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be sent to President George W. Bush and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.