May 2023: Climbing the Same Mountain Together

Meet the Need NC is including a blog article in its monthly newsletter, sharing opinions of individuals from our LENS (Lived Experience Network Speaks) advisory group. Our LENS advisory group includes individuals with I/DD lived experience — people with I/DD and their families/caregivers. We provide a space to share freely but these opinions do not necessarily represent all those of Meet the Need NC advisory group members. 

 “To be candid, there is no substitute for money” 

Those are the words of North Carolina Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson during a news conference at the Legislative Building in Raleigh last week. Commissioner Dobson, in addition to representatives from four state agencies and one member of the NC House of Representatives, were discussing the need for higher raises for state employees to combat the problem of “the growing vacancy rate among state employees.” Meanwhile, state and local governments tout the recruitment of companies relocating to North Carolina and the influx of high paying jobs. However, employers, the State included, are unable to fill crucial positions across North Carolina.  

Representative Donna White is quoted as saying “We are in a mess” and Ardis Watkins, Executive Director of the State Employees Association of North Carolina, stated “We’ve got issues that are going to lead to tragedy.” 

These are dire situations that require the attention and action of members of the NC Legislature working on the State’s budget. However, there are other dire situations that unfortunately do not get this kind of attention and action from our State leaders.  Currently, 17,008 North Carolinians with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) are waiting for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) through the NC Innovations Waiver (Waiver). The Waiver waitlist is called the Registry of Unmet Needs (RUN). At the same time, a good portion of the 14,386 people with I/DD who receive the Waiver are not getting the support they need because of the Direct Support Professional (DSP) workforce crisis. Meaning, those fortunate to have the Waiver are also not being served because of the lack of qualified DSPs to fill the thousands of positions the Waiver would potentially employ. 

Several bills filed in both the NC House and NC Senate that start to alleviate these crises for those with I/DD have been stalled and sitting in legislative committees for months. Alternatives to these bills have been added to the proposed House Budget Bill and the Senate Budget Bill. However, instead of proposing serious solutions that will have a positive impact on the lives of people with I/DD, the House has included funding for 250 Waiver slots and the Senate has included funding for 350 Waiver slots while 17,008 people wait on the Registry of Unmet Needs. Both budget bills include a $6.50 per hour increase for DSPs. This increase might make a difference if the average rate for DSPs was not so meager. 

There is the argument that funding more Waiver slots is premature given the DSP workforce crisis. Let’s get out of this bureaucratic cycle and do both. It is possible and practical to fund more Waiver slots and provide benefits to the recipients. Not all the supports and services provided by the Waiver require DSPs. Why make so many people live with these extremely serious situations when the solution is obvious and the right and moral thing to do? 

Cathy Truitt, Superintendent of Public Instruction, said “A meaningful investment in the state’s workforce now – both for state employees and teachers – would produce tangible benefits for decades to come.” This is true of the return on investment and the boost to the North Carolina economy that would be realized by funding a significant number of Waiver slots and increasing the hourly pay rate for DSPs to be competitive among other industries. Members of the NC Legislature need to fix this mess and avoid tragedy by prioritizing people with I/DD just as they are considering solutions to the vacancy rate among State employees. There is no substitute for money. 

For more information about this crisis, read an article from the News and Observer (May 25, 2023). 

About the author: Donna Beckmann has been involved in the Down syndrome community since the birth of her son in November 2000. She is the Advocacy and Outreach Director for the North Carolina Down Syndrome Alliance working on local, state and national initiatives benefiting people with Down syndrome and other Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Donna has established relationships across the disability spectrum and across agencies and organizations in North Carolina. She was the driving force in the creation of Down syndrome specific web pages for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service’s website. In addition to a degree in Political Science, Donna has completed North Carolina’s Partners in Policymaking and was a Fellow at the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities LEND – Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program.