emergency. Can I change/cancel my directive? You can always change or cancel your directive. If you chose to cancel your directive, please notify your designated health care agent, family members and your attorney. If you want to make changes, you should consider completing new documents. Pg. 6 Recent Reports Highlight Need for Increased Wages for Direct Support Professionals Community living depends on the work of direct support professionals. Unfortunately, low pay and a lack of benefits make it difficult to recruit and retain people to provide direct support. Recent reports highlight this important issue. In 2016, a report produced by a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services work group, the “Section 1009 Report,” detailed these challenges, concluding: “The Michigan Legislature and Governor need to make additional investments into all the named Medicaid Covered supports and services to assure that direct support staff earn a starting wage of at least $2.00 per hour above the state’s minimum wage.” Although the Legislature responded by adding $.50/hour to the direct care rate, that effort did not fully implement the recommendations in the 1009 report. In March 2018, MARO and the Michigan Assisted Living Association (MALA) conducted a workforce survey to obtain data on wage levels, turnover rates, open positions, and other important issues. One hundred and five (105) organizations representing nearly 14,000 direct care support workers responded to the survey. The respondents noted a starting average wage rate of $10.46/hour, only slightly higher than the state minimum wage. The annual staff turnover rate was over 36%. Over 21% of providers discontinued programs, and over 47% of providers declined additional work or programming; in nearly three-quarters of these cases, the inability to recruit or retain direct care staff was the reason. Several organizations recently issued a position statement on increased wages for direct care workers. The statement made four essential points:
emergency. Can I change/cancel my directive? You can always change or cancel your directive. If you chose to cancel your directive, please notify your designated health care agent, family members and your attorney. If you want to make changes, you should consider completing new documents. Pg. 6 Recent Reports Highlight Need for Increased Wages for Direct Support Professionals Community living depends on the work of direct support professionals. Unfortunately, low pay and a lack of benefits make it difficult to recruit and retain people to provide direct support. Recent reports highlight this important issue. In 2016, a report produced by a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services work group, the “Section 1009 Report,” detailed these challenges, concluding: “The Michigan Legislature and Governor need to make additional investments into all the named Medicaid Covered supports and services to assure that direct support staff earn a starting wage of at least $2.00 per hour above the state’s minimum wage.” Although the Legislature responded by adding $.50/hour to the direct care rate, that effort did not fully implement the recommendations in the 1009 report. In March 2018, MARO and the Michigan Assisted Living Association (MALA) conducted a workforce survey to obtain data on wage levels, turnover rates, open positions, and other important issues. One hundred and five (105) organizations representing nearly 14,000 direct care support workers responded to the survey. The respondents noted a starting average wage rate of $10.46/hour, only slightly higher than the state minimum wage. The annual staff turnover rate was over 36%. Over 21% of providers discontinued programs, and over 47% of providers declined additional work or programming; in nearly three-quarters of these cases, the inability to recruit or retain direct care staff was the reason. Several organizations recently issued a position statement on increased wages for direct care workers. The statement made four essential points:
fall_exchange_2018.docx