CANONSBURG — Mike Smith added a day in his life to the short list of the greatest he’s experienced, and he thanked the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro for helping it happen through their support of people with intellectual disabilities and autism.
Smith spoke at the Arc of Washington County on Thursday. He told of how his daughter, Sydney, diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and autism, recently graduated a specialized program at Slippery Rock University. He spoke of how meaningful it is for Sydney to have the opportunity to work and volunteer within her community.
Those best days? His wedding day, the day Sydney was born, and the day she was accepted into college.
“The other greatest day, I think, really may be the best day of all, you were instrumental in providing to us, is the day we came off of the waiting list just a couple of days ago,” Smith told Shapiro.
According to Shapiro, the count of people on the emergency wait list for services for intellectual disabilities and autism dropped by 28% in a single year, while wages for the direct support professionals (DSP) who provide the care grew by nearly 6%. The hourly wages grew from $16.90 in 2023 to $17.85 as of October 2024. Vacancy rates are at 14%, the lowest since 2015, he said.
Shapiro said more than 4,000 additional people were enrolled in support services since he entered the governor’s office in 2023. More than 40,000 people are receiving such services through the Department of Human Services, the highest total thus far, according to the Shapiro Administration.
“Thanks to historic investments we’ve made, thousands of Pennsylvanians are now finally getting off the waitlist and into services, DSPs are earning higher wages, and vacancy rates among DSPs are at their lowest point in 10 years. This is real progress, and my administration will keep working every day to ensure Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism have the opportunity to live, work and thrive in the communities they call home,” he said.
Shapiro cited the $354.8 million in state and federal funds allocated toward in-home and community-based care in 2024-25, with $280 million of that used to raise wages and nearly $75 million dedicated toward eliminating the emergency wait list.
The governor requested an additional $21 million in Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 budget, one that remains delayed due to legislative deadlock, toward again raising wages and benefits for about 8,500 direct care workers through the Community HealthChoices program.
Ed Picchiarini, CEO of Arc Human Services, called the efforts to improve access to ID/A services “monumental.”
“The direct support staff are the lifeblood of what we do. They’re there every day. The care and compassion they share with the individuals they serve is just tremendous. With that funding, we were able to increase salaries, benefits, and even the governor’s staff created a career path for folks through credentialing so that people could be direct service workers their entire career and still make a good wage in doing that,” Picchiarini said.