Final Note from Past DSPAM Board Chairman:

Final Note from Past DSPAM Board Chairman:

Tuesday January 28^th we have the first DSPAM Board Meeting of the 2013 Board Members at the Offices of MTS (Midway Training Services on University Avenue.  I joined the DSPAM Board 4 years ago after I had gotten a Social Work Degree because I thought that I wanted to be in a Professional Position.  I found that I was not happy within a paper pushing position and I missed working with people to take care of their needs.  When I heard about the Direct Support Professional Association of Minnesota I recognize that this was what Direct Support Professionals needed to promote that they are also working in a Professional Position and that their Code of Ethics and the job that they do is just as needed and important as any other Professional Position.  Although I had joined DSPAM for a year I found that the only way to really feel a part of a Professional Organization was to get involved in promoting your profession rather than to think that by paying a small amount of money to be a part of a Professional Organization made you a Professional.

By joining DSPAM I was able to learn to speak out for my own Profession rather than to rely on my Employers and a gathering of Co-Workers one day a year at the Capital to speak out for the needs of my Profession.  I also found by broadening my work experience within the field that as Direct Support Professionals we may work in a wide variety of settings and positions but each of us is just as needed and are fulfilling just as meaningful and important a position as any other DSP.  During my 16 years in Topeka, Kansas we would have over 1,000 people gather at the capital working with Day Services, Mental Health, Residential and PCA Services to promote a Bi-Partisan effort to lobby all our legislators for funding for all our programs in what they called a Big Tent Coalition.  In Minnesota I have found that we have 4 to 6 different groups bringing 100 to 300 people to the capital to compete in lobbying for funding for our different programs.  Everyone seems to be concerned about lobbying for funding for whatever program they work for.  But the best way to get our programs funded is to stick together and advocate for funding all of our programs together.  Too many times we see some programs are selected for cut backs while other programs be spared cuts and then cost of living increases be given to only certain programs.  When that happens we eventually all suffer because services can only receive good professional support when you pay people adequate and professional wages.

On March 6th I was able to support my company at the ARRM Day At The Capital.  I was happy to see some of our DSPAM supporters from Day Services Programs attending the Rally saying that we are all working together to ask for a COLA Cost of Living Adjustment.  Although the Governor has promoted giving Unionized State Employees and Nursing Home Workers COLA increases he has only promised to remove the 1.67% Rate Cuts to Residential Programs from last year’s Legislature.  There are two Bills Senate Bill 599 and House Bill 777 promoting Cost of Living Adjustments for Direct Support Professionals.  This need for a COLA salary increase is not needed just for large Residential and Day Services Programs.  But it should be something that is needed for all Direct Support Professionals no matter what programs you work for whether it is for a large program or whether you are a PCA working to support individuals to live independently.   We should all work together and not as separate organizations to advocate for regular Cost of Living Adjustments for all Direct Support Professionals.

2013 Legislative Letter – Direct Support Professional Association of MN

March 2013

Dear Senator or Representative,

The Direct Support Professional Association of Minnesota (DSPAM) is a professional association representing the interests of people employed to provide direct care and support services to individuals with disabilities and seniors. Our members primarily work in residential programs, day training programs, employment support services, plus personal care assistance positions. DSPAM seeks to improve the quality of human services provided to persons receiving disability services by strengthening the direct support professional workforce.

In 2008, DSPAM surveyed the needs, interests, and overall working conditions for direct support professionals in Minnesota. Our results remain relevant today. Our key findings are listed below:

• Direct support professionals (DSPs) are not making living wages. The majority of DSPs are dissatisfied with their wages and list it as the most important issue facing their families. Fact: Only 14% of DSPs make more than $14 per hour; the remaining 86% make below $14.

• DSPs report that they cannot afford insurance coverage, even if it is offered by their employers. Low wages influence a DSP’s ability to purchase health insurance coverage. Fact: 65% of DSPs are uninsured.

• DSPs report they feel respected by their clients and coworkers. However, many report they do not feel respected by their communities or employers. There is an overall lack of respect for our profession. Fact: DSPs enable people with disabilities to live and work in community settings rather than more expensive institutional environments.

We are happy to share the full report with you upon request. Our findings paint a very clear picture of how difficult working as a DSP can be. For many, this is a career with significant limitations: low wages; expensive insurance; lack of respect; difficulty connecting with others in the field; and lack of incentives to pursue educational opportunities. These challenges create an uninviting environment for our profession during a time in which our services are urgently needed.

Mission:

DSPAM is dedicated to the development of a highly competent and professional human services workforce by supporting and working together with Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), self-advocates, families, and allies.

800 Transfer Road, Suite 7A

St. Paul, MN 55114

E-mail: bridgetsiljander@yahoo.com

Phone:  612-272-0281

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Over the last several legislative sessions, the services provided by direct support professionals have been subjected to numerous devastating cuts. These cuts impact us and our families, not to mention those we serve and their families. For example, the funding for personal care assistance (PCA) services has been whittled away. This program keeps people independent in our communities. These cuts are an unacceptable solution to balancing our state’s budget.

We urge you to take specific steps during the 2013 session to protect the interests of over 120,000 direct support professionals serving Minnesota citizens and families. Specifically, we urge you to do the following:

• Support a Cost of Living Allocation for providers of support services to people with disabilities. The only time most DSPs get raises is when the legislature authorizes a rate increase for their employers. The current economic crisis impacts DSPs tremendously. For those of us with little or no discretionary income, the only places we can cut are food, child care, housing, and transportation. We have no cushion!  
• Eliminate the projected 1.67% cut to the already drastically reduced reimbursement rate for DSPs.  We need to increase the hourly reimbursement rate for DSPs, not reduce it.  Consumers are forced to work with DSPs who are under-qualified and unprofessional in order to get their needs met, while those who are qualified and passionate about providing services are forced to pursue careers that will supply a living wage.
• Support the addition of on-site training hours for DSPs.  Currently, when a consumer is receiving PCA services, their DSPs are not allowed to have any overlap in hours even if they are brand-new and going through training.  By not allowing a new DSP to learn from an experienced DSP and watch them provide cares to their consumer, the consumer and the DSP are both placed at a disadvantage. 
• Oppose any proposals to cut rates for programs serving people with disabilities. Many of these agencies do not have the ability to absorb further cuts. Imposing cuts will likely result in layoffs of direct support professionals and a diminished quality of life for people who have disabilities. Some agencies may not survive additional budget cuts, thus affecting the community-based infrastructure that is so important to people with disabilities.
• Oppose efforts to limit access to community-based services for people with disabilities. People with disabilities already sit on waiting lists for years for many types of critical support services. Families who have children with disabilities need these services now to stay together. Adults with disabilities need these services now to live, work, and play in their local communities.
• Support efforts to make health insurance affordable and accessible to direct support professionals. Lack of health insurance causes dedicated people to leave the field out of necessity to care for their family and personal health needs.

Please contact the Direct Support Professional Association of Minnesota whenever there is an opportunity for our members to offer testimony at the Capitol or if you have any questions about the issues facing us, our families, and those we support.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you in the months ahead.

Sincerely,

Bridget Siljander, Chair

Jennifer Walton, Vice-Chair