On July 2, The Provider Alliance submitted recommendations on behalf of all TPA Members to Sec. Med Snead and Gov. Tom Wolf for use of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Our principal request is to establish a living wage for all Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) that are funded through increased fee schedule rates. Our recommended priorities include:
1. Increasing fee schedule rates to support a living wage of $18.20 per hour for DSP’s with an investment of $541 million.
2. Funding sign-on and retention bonuses for an immediate impact on workforce vacancies.
3. Incentivizing the use of remote supports and assistive technologies and funding for their ongoing costs.
4. Expanding the proposed student loan forgiveness programs to ID/A DSPs.
Our letter to Secretary Snead includes and contains the complete details behind our recommendations.
