February 28, 2007
We need to get a message to the Governor.
The budget that Governor Rell submitted to the General Assembly does not contain good news for community providers. The Governor’s budget proposed a $15 million “low wage pool” to increase the wages of providers that have low wages. While a low wage pool will go a long way in addressing this specific problem, it does not begin to address or correct the problems created by a long history of inadequate cost of living adjustments. These are two separate issues. We need a solution to both!
Despite the fact that HARC is one of the agencies that would likely benefit from a low wage pool, we are still concerned about it for two reasons. First, a low wage pool would itself create problems and leave other agency needs unmet. For example, increasing the wages of direct care workers to the medians proposed would make their salaries higher than the salaries of the lowest level of managers who supervise direct care workers. HARC views that as an untenable situation with no additional resources to correct it. Further, a low wage pool would not address other escalating costs, such as health insurance, Workers’ Compensation, and fuel. HARC’s health insurer notified us of a 26% rate increase when our insurance comes up for renewal on April 1, 2007. HARC was forced to change to another insurance company whose rates reflect of 9% increase for the same amount of coverage.
HARC and other providers have been advocating for a 7% rate increase for this fiscal year and a 5% increase next year to make up for historically low rate increases. Please write to the Governor asking her to reconsider her budget and include a 7% cost of living adjustment, along with the low wage pool, for community providers. Continued under funding threatens the services that the state has come to depend on to serve people with disabilities.
Please support community providers and make your feelings known to Governor Rell. Her address is
M. Jodi Rell, Governor
State Capitol
Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us