10/11/2022
http://www.votervoice.net/Shares/Bgrl0AC7ACGoXArm71a7FAA
As your constituent,
I urge you to support the bipartisan "Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act" (H.R. 4779 / S. 1437), which requires the Office of Management and Budget to establish a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs).
DSPs are the backbone of the home- and community-based services system, which provides supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) that promote independence and community inclusion.
All across the country, providers of services for individuals with I/DD are being forced to shutter programs and reject new referrals due to the ever-worsening workforce shortage. The creation of a new SOC will allow states and employers to understand workforce trends more accurately, which will influence policy-making and job creation. A new SOC has the potential to expand access to home and community-based services for people with I/DD.
Please support individuals with disabilities and the workforce that enables them to live full lives in their communities. Support the "Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act" today!
I can guarantee, being someone who struggles to recruit for such a vital role, that if the legal starting wage was raised for this profession up to $15.00 an hour, the vacancies would fill much quicker. That isn't too much of a jump, and is something that is easy, and could really make change, with such a tremendous impact !
