![]() “The other benefit of the cost of living adjustment is that it gets built into our rates. ![]() It provides a 5.4% cost of living adjustment for the ARC’s programs - funds he said will be invested in the organization’s workforce. 18, is the best his field has seen in many years. Kathy Hochul’s fiscal year 2023 executive budget, the highlights of which were announced Jan. 1, the organization was able to raise that hourly rate to $14, which is still less than what fast-food restaurants are paying their employees, Lewis pointed out. More Outlook 2022 – Spotlighting businesses around the Schenectady areaĭuring that time period, there were increases targeted at specific categories of workers, but none were large and often those increases were accompanied by budget cuts in other areas, he added.Ĭonfined by the state’s funding parameters, in 2021 the ARC’s base-pay rate for direct-support professionals was $12.80 an hour, although extra pay could be earned for working nights and weekends, and for obtaining additional training. “Last year, the Legislature put in a 1% cost of living adjustment, and in the 10 or 11 years before that we had only received one increase of a tenth of a percent,” Lewis said. ![]() New York state reimburses a set amount for each day a person lives in one of the ARC’s residences and for the services each program participant receives. “I think we could fill 100 direct-support professional positions tomorrow if we had people come in, maybe even more,” Lewis said.Ī major hurdle to hiring is the low base-pay rate the organization has been obliged to offer direct-support professionals who work in the ARC’s houses and day programs, providing support services to people with developmental disabilities. Fully staffed, Schenectady ARC would have about 550 employees. ![]()
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