In Budget Move, California Could Halt Scheduled Raises for Disability Care Workers

California Gov. Gavin Newsom leaves the stage after delivering his budget proposal in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2023. José Luis Villegas/AP Photo

In response to California’s budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed delaying pay increases for disability care workers by one year to fiscal 2025–26.

The scheduled pay raises, first funded in 2021-2022, were part of a five-year rate reform intended to address shortages in disability care workers, who typically make $16 to $20 an hour. The 2022–23 budget accelerated the timeline to four years.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office suggests that the governor’s proposal to push the raises back a year would save $612.5 million and aid in tackling the state budget deficit, which some estimates say could hit $73 billion.

Disability care workers, also called direct care workers, provide daily assistance to seniors and disabled people, according to the California Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to improving access for low-income people and communities that “have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to care.”

According to the foundation, such workers can be responsible for custodial care, which involves daily activities like eating and dressing, and for skilled care, which could involve changing bandages or taking blood pressure.

The foundation points out that California’s disability care workers are 80 percent female and 47 percent are immigrants. Over 75 percent are people of color.

Some lawmakers say the postponed raises will increase turnover and vacancies, leaving families without services, the Orange County Register reported, adding that 400,000 Californians need that assistance.

Experts foresee a shortage of 600,000 disability care workers by 2030, the foundation says on its website.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, providers have expressed concerns that the persistent shortage of direct care staff could result in delays for consumers.

The analyst’s office observed that the state Department of Developmental Services, which oversees disability care workers, has tried to boost workforce stability by offering bilingual pay differentials and by setting up Direct Service Professionals University, a program that provides training and certification that can lead to higher pay.

But the analyst’s office said these efforts are still in the early stages and are unlikely to address providers’ immediate workforce needs in 2024-25.