IL HR0272

Direct support professionals are the primary providers of publicly-funded long-term support and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with rapidly growing demand projected by the Congressional Budget Office.

Community-based providers report significant challenges recruiting and retaining direct support professionals despite increasing service demand, and Governor Bruce Rauner's August 24, 2016 proclamation acknowledged a documented critical shortage nationwide.

Direct support professionals are currently classified under the same occupational categories as home health aides and personal care aides, preventing accurate federal data collection on wages, compensation, job openings, and turnover specific to this profession.

A 2016 Government Accountability Office report identified gaps in federal data collection that hinder policymakers' ability to assess current workforce numbers and predict future supply and demand trends for direct care workers.

The House urges the Bureau of Labor Statistics to establish a separate standard occupational classification for Direct Support Professionals to enable precise, ongoing data collection that would inform federal and state policymaking on workforce development initiatives.