Urgent message from ADDP and the Collaborative: Help is needed now

In case you missed this important, time-sensitive message from the Collaborative:  

We are very pleased to report that our collective efforts to elevate the human services workforce crisis with the Legislature continues to be successful.  Recently, the Senate included $250 million in its Economic Development bill to fund supplemental workforce payments for Chapter 257 services over the next two years. This is $150 million above the House allocation, and includes several important provisions:

• • • $100 million to increase payments for Ch.257 direct care, front-line and medical and clinical staff rates in FY 2023. This construct  is substantially similar to existing supplemental workforce payments in terms of allowable uses; and

    • $150 million to increase rates above the current 50th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics benchmarks for salaries beginning in FY 2024.

       

Next, the House and Senate will meet to reconcile the differences between the two bills. Legislators need to hear from you today about the importance of the Senate language to alleviating the human service workforce crisis. This is an important step in our advocacy campaign to ensure that base rates are fair and adequate to deliver services to individuals and families throughout the Commonwealth.

Please contact your state Senator and state Representative and thank them for the Legislature’s focus on the human service workforce, and encourage them to support the Senate language as the bill moves to a Conference Committee. Your feedback is urgently needed as the Legislature has until July 31st to pass the final bill.

 

Sincerely,

Lydia Conley

President/CEO

Association for Behavioral Healthcare

 

Ellen Attaliades

President/CEO

Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers

 

Rachel Gwaltney

Executive Director

The Children’s League of Massachusetts

 

Michael Weekes

President/CEO

Providers’ Council

 

(To find your state Senator and state Representative, visit https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator