Raising Pennsylvania Direct Care Staff Hourly Wages To $15 Projected To Result In Net Taxpayer Savings

Raising hourly wages for community-based direct support professionals (DSPs) for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and other disabilities in Pennsylvania from the current median of $11.50 per hour to $15 per hour is projected to result in net taxpayer savings of $199 million annually. The cost of the wage increase would be offset by a reduction in the number of DSPs who access public benefits and would also lower recruiting costs.

The total cost to increase DSP wages to $15 per hour is projected to raise total Medicaid costs by $475 million. There are approximately . . .