Join the State of the Workforce – Aging and Disabilities (SoTW-AD) Initiative!

ADvancing States is pleased to announce the launch of the State of the Workforce – Aging and Disabilities (SoTW-AD) initiative. This important initiative is a partnership between HSRI, ADvancing States, and participating states to gather information about the strengths, weaknesses, and trends of the direct service workforce (DSW). Learn more about this initiative and how to succeed in implementation.

  • Based on the SoTW-IDD tool, and 5 states’ experience in piloting the tool. The survey has been adapted for Aging and Disability (AD) populations and updated based on pilot feedback.
  • The State of the Workforce Survey for the I/DD population is administered by States, HSRI and NASDDDS, was launched in 2014, and 29 states currently participate.
  • The SoTW-AD tool will help your state gather critical provider-level data, and develop indicators of quality and stability, to inform policies and decision-making.
  • The recently released Access NPRM requires multiple data points about DSW wages, as well as wage pass thru. The SoTW-AD can help to meet these requirements and demonstrate compliance.

The benefits of state participation in SoTW-AD:

  • Without data it is difficult, if not impossible, to make informed policy recommendations or plan for the future. This tool will provide data that will arm you with information to make recommendations both internally and externally - to your legislature, or other important stakeholder groups (including DSW advocacy groups), about the current state of the workforce for aging and disability populations in your state.
  • States that do participate in the IDD version of the survey have used the data to support DSW minimum wage initiatives, standardized benefits, and have learned about what efforts have worked for retention (through training, certification, bonuses, supervisor ratio, etc), and implemented changes based on data.
  • We’ve learned that as states get started, they may not know who the DSWs are, or know how many there are. This provides an opportunity to gather benchmark data that will be crucial in coming years with shifting demographics and growing needs.

Our first state cohort meeting will be Wednesday, July 12 from 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET. States will have the opportunity to run the survey with their providers through October 2023.

Please reach out to Rosa Plasencia [email protected] with questions or to be invited to the state meeting! Looking forward to working together.