By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Nathan Young works three jobs to support his family.
Even at full-time, he does not make enough at his job at Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas to get by. He also works another 16 hours per week aiding another disabled individual as well as a semi-professional gamer.
Young, lead paraprofessional at the Reed Development Center, works with lower-functioning individuals. He helps his clients with basic care like feeding themselves, toileting and keeping themselves clean.
He said he loves his job, but he wishes he was paid more.
“The thing I like the most is not just the smiles I get everyday with everyday interactions. I am able to help someone to the fullest of my abilities. It just brightens their heart,” Young said.
Young, 31, as a direct support professional, is not alone in his struggles to make ends meet. He is one of many workers at DSNWK who work physically and mentally demanding jobs for low wages.
Jerry Michaud, DSNWK president, said because of state-set reimbursement rates, the wages DSNWK can offer direct care workers is low. This, coupled with low unemployment in northwest Kansas, means it is difficult for DSNWK to recruit and retain employees. The agency constantly has vacancies.
DSNWK has about 345 employees across its 18-county coverage area. As of the end of June, DSNWK had 27 open positions — mostly direct support professionals.
The overall unemployment rate for DSNWK’s coverage area is 2.84 percent, which is very low.
“It means there are not a lot of individuals out there in the workforce, so that is one challenge right off the bat,” Michaud said. “It is a challenge in all our communities, so I think that is something all employers are up against.”
How much DSNWK is reimbursed for caring for disabled individuals is complicated. The state assigns disabled individuals to a tier system based on their needs, and then the state reimburses DSNWK based on that tier system. DSNWK serves people on all tiers.
The bottom reimbursement rate is $7.68 per hour. Minimum wage is $7.25. DSNWK recently raised its direct support professional starting pay to $9 an hour.
Michaud acknowledges $9 is not a high wage, but DSNWK still has to make up the difference between $9 an hour and the state reimbursement.
“I will tell you that the rates that are paid don’t cover the cost,” Michaud said. “That is in part of why we approach our counties to help us to fill the gap.
“What we ought to be paying is something different,” he added. “That is part of the equation we haven’t even broached. What is a prevailing wage in this community versus the next community? That is where it become more complicated to try to figure out what that is.”
Turnover is directly tied to wage, Michaud said.
“How do you live on a $9 a hour wage?” he said. “Can you find housing? Can you pay for your housing on $9 an hour alone? I am saying these things knowing it is a hard reality.”
The answer, in Young’s case, is you don’t.
Not only is Young working extra jobs, he has also had to reach out for state assistance.
DSNWK offers health insurance benefits to its employees. Young is able to purchase health insurance for himself through DSNWK, but he can’t afford the family plan that would cover his children. They are covered by state insurance.
Young said turnover can be a problem. He sees fellow employees come and go. It is a tough job for not much pay. He said the people who stay are like him — committed to the people who they serve.
“I would like more pay,” he said. “It would definitely financially aid me, but it is not about the money there. I love seeing my friends every day. I know I work for them. They are so much fun to hang out with and help them grow.”
Turnover definitely has an effect on the quality of care that the people DSNWK serve receive.
“Let us assume for a moment that I am the person who receives services, let’s just say I require personal services — using the restroom, toileting, showering, and those kind of things,” Michaud said. “If you have new people coming and going all of the time, helping you in some of those most personal times, that would be hard. I can’t sugarcoat that.
“It really solidifies making a change or making a difference so we can slow that revolving door and have greater stability. That is why we are doing what we are doing.”
Not only does turnover have ramifications on care, constantly training new employees is costly and time-consuming.
“When you go through that process and a person stays for a month or a few months, that is not necessarily a good thing,” Michaud said.
DSNWK employs university students in Hays. Although those students might not leave due to wage, they usually eventually leave due to graduation.
DSNWK has a capital campaign to address in part some of its employment challenges. However, long-term, Michaud said the reimbursement rates for care need to increase in order to deal with the direct support professional pay issue.
Michaud said increases in reimbursement rates have not kept up with inflation and neither have wages. From 2008 until a couple of years ago, state reimbursement rates remained flat.
“As a state, we’ve got to find a way to have a realistic funding structure that is practical as far as the ability to hire, recruit and retain a workforce that can provide these vital services. I think the state understands this,” Michaud said.
The state has had to increase wages on the institutional side at facilities, including Larned State Hospital and Osawatomie.
On a related issue, the state has tried to reduce the number of disabled individuals waiting for Medicaid-funded services. There are 107 people on that list in DSNWK’s coverage area and more than 4,000 people on the list statewide.
The Legislature this spring allocated more funding to decrease two of the Medicaid waiting lists. One-hundred seven people were removed from the wait list statewide with that funding. Only one of those people was from northwest Kansas.
Although the state needs to reduce the waiting list, it also needs to address the wage issue., Michaud said. If more people come into the system without increasing wages, DSNWK and other agencies like it in the state will have capacity problems, he said.
DSNWK is taking steps internally to fill its need for employees. This includes recruiting employees human resources believe will feel fulfilled working with people and tapping untraditional markets, such as retirees.
The agency is also engaged in a capital campaign it hopes will partially address the wage gap, Michaud said.
But for every step forward, there seems to be a step back. Due to a budget shortfall in Ellis County, the county cut $25,000 in funding for the DSNWK and another $10,000 in funding from ACCESS, general transportation, which DSNWK manages.
The ACCESS cuts also mean a loss in KDOT matching funds. The total loss to the agency will be $57,000 for the coming budget year.
Michaud said the DSNWK has limited means to address those funding cuts, and it definitely does not help its struggle to increase wages.
For those interested in employment with DSNWK, you can visit its website. If you are interested in donating to DSNWK click here.