RYV! Community Attendant Workforce
4 minute read
This session took place Aug. 26, 2020 2:00 - 3:00 pm CST
Recording
In this session, CTD Executive Director Dennis Borel and Cathy Cranston of the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas (PACT) went into detail about our 2021 plans for raising the hourly wage of community attendants.
Run time: 34:49
Full transcript (.txt file, will prompt you to download in new window)
Submitting Comments
Background: Right now, Chair Sarah Davis of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services is requesting information from Texans. Your response to the Legislature’s action in 2019 to raise attendant base wages by 11 cents per hour will tell the committee what you think. This can be the basis for more attention in 2021.
Specific Request: Interim Charge #1: impact of funding to increase the base wage for attendant services (11 cents per hour in 2019).
Guidelines for submitting your comments
- Submissions must be submitted via e-mail to Appropriations@house.texas.gov and are requested to include “ART2” in the first part of the Subject for quick identification. Feel free to copy CTD on your email (info@txdisabilities.org)!
- Submissions must be in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF.
- Submissions are requested to be limited to 5 pages in length. It can be much shorter.
- Include the following information in the submission e-mail: submitter name, organization or entity (if applicable and an authorized representative), mailing address, email, and telephone number. Do NOT include this information in the Word or PDF attachment.
- The deadline for all submissions is Wednesday, September 30, 2020, but we encourage you to submit sooner.
- Comments received in response to this Request for Information will be publicly posted on State websites. When submitting your Word or PDF comments, please remove any personal identifying information, such as your personal phone number, residence address, or e-mail address. That Information must be in the body of the email.
Participant feedback
Poll #1: Your community care concerns
from 30 total responding
- 93% (28) Can’t keep attendants due to the low wage
- 87% (26) Difficult to recruit reliable attendants
- 83% (25) Can’t keep attendants due to no benefits (paid time off, health care etc.)
- 73% (22) High attendant turnover
- 60% (18) Potential loss of my independence to live in my own home
- 57% (17) Creates hardship for my family and friends
- 47% (14) Fear of institutionalization
- 13% (4) Something else
- 0% (0) None of these
Poll #2: How did this go?
from 33 total responding
- 79% (26): Great!
- 12% (4): OK, I would have done somethings differently
- 3% (1) I didn't like this
Agenda
Times are very approximate. CARTS provided.
1:30 Zoom Room opens for new Zoom users to check their tech, get oriented
2:00 Tech Intro: Some accessibility notes, review of features we'll be using (all participants enter room muted, with video off, please stay muted until we go into breakouts)
2:05 Sponsor Welcome: CDS in Texas
2:10 Zoom Poll: Your Concerns about Attendant Care
2:15 Who is CTD, What is Raise Your Voice!
2:20 Our 2021 Priorities: Raising the Wages of Community Attendants, with Cathy Cranston of the Personal Attendant Coalition of Texas
The following table was referenced in this section
| Occupational Title | Annual Average Employment 2014 | Annual Average Employment 2024 | Number Change 2014-2024 | Percent Growth 2014 2024 |
Annual Openings due to Growth |
Annual Wage 2015 |
| 1. Personal Care Aides | 197,590 | 247,460 | 76,870 | 38.9% | 7,685 | $17,991 |
| 2. Cooks, Restaurant | 88,320 | 124,570 | 36,250 | 41.0% | 3,625 | $23,043 |
| 3. Home Health Aides | 63,550 | 88,710 | 25,160 | 39.6% | 2,515 | $19,950 |
| 4. Nurse Practitioners | 8,090 | 11,970 | 3,880 | 48.0% | 390 | $105,221 |
| 5. Operations Research Analysts | 7,980 | 11,570 | 3,590 | 45.0% | 360 | $84,228 |
| 6. Physical Therapist Assistants | 6,110 | 8,760 | 2,650 | 43.4% | 265 | $72,818 |
| 7. Physician Assistants | 5,960 | 8,510 | 2,550 | 42.8% | 255 | $99,573 |
| 8. Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | 4,570 | 6,650 | 2,080 | 45.5% | 210 | $74,638 |
| 9. Interpreters & Translators | 4,860 | 6,930 | 2,070 | 42.6% | 205 | $50,979 |
| 10. Cardiovascular Technologists & Technicians | 4,570 | 6,530 | 1,960 | 42.9% | 195 | $53,879 |
2:35 Your Voice: Submitting Comments to the House Appropriations Committee
- draft comments on your own
- give and receive feedback in breakout groups
- how to submit your comment to HAC (detailed instructions above)
2:55 Zoom Poll: Your thoughts about this session
3:00 Wrap up and next steps
Thank you...
to all who joined us, and shared your concerns & stories, as well as guided us on how to do these sessions better. We hope to see you in an upcoming session! Also thanks to Cathy Cranston from PACT and Marjorie Costello from Disability Services of the Southwest for joining us. Finally, thanks to all our sponsors!
