"Five years ago, we begged for sustainable funding to retain [caregivers]. Today, legislators are yanking that lifeline away. In two years, they’ll wring their hands over the same collapse they engineered," Tom Gillespie writes. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

Five years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives, Minnesota called caregivers heroes. We sang songs for them, cheered for them in the streets and thanked them for their sacrifices and continued service amid the pandemic. Today, Gov. Tim Walz and lawmakers are singing a different tune about disability service providers and the vulnerable people they serve — that they’re a burden to ignore.

As someone who has dedicated my career to caring for adults with disabilities right here in Minnesota, I am deeply troubled and frustrated. Actually, I’m furious. This isn’t just about money. It’s a moral failure.

During COVID, direct support professionals (DSPs) risked their lives to keep people with disabilities safe, ensuring they could stay home, receive high-quality care and thrive. Legislators funded wage increases, called DSPs “essential” workers and acknowledged their irreplaceable role. Now? The same leaders are slashing hundreds of millions of dollars collectively from disability services.

The governor’s proposal alone calls for capping inflation adjustments at 2% despite 11% projected needs, cutting 14 days of annual funding for residential care and restricting access to critical services for those under age 55. Further financial burdens would also be placed on already strapped providers if the House’s new proposal passes, which would limit their ability to account for days when a resident is absent or when they have openings. And while the Senate’s proposal doesn’t call for all the same cuts, it supports many of them.

Bottom line, none of these proposed cuts fix, preserve or save anything. They achieve nothing except slashing providers’ ability to care for those who rely on services every day to engage fully and safely with their family, friends, colleagues and community — a right we all have.

What happened to “protecting progress”? The whiplash is staggering. Even more mind-boggling is the claim by many that these cuts would “hold people harmless.” As a leader and expert in this field who has seen the impact our support makes on the lives of those with disabilities and their families, I cannot think of anything more harmful to our community. I can confidently say that this claim is both ridiculous and dangerous to believe. Because when the state funds only 351 days of care instead of 365, it doesn’t mean vulnerable Minnesotans miraculously stop needing support for two weeks. It means essential care diminishes or disappears. Either way, people suffer.

DSPs earn $17 per hour on average — 16% below living wages. Turnover is 45% with 20% vacancies. The state admits these positions are underfunded; yet, this budget deepens the crisis. By capping reimbursement rates, providers cannot compete for workers in a job market where even fast-food chains pay more. We aren’t asking for luxuries. We’re fighting to keep homes open and staffed.

Five years ago, we begged for sustainable funding to retain workers. Today, legislators are yanking that lifeline away. In two years, they’ll wring their hands over the same collapse they engineered.

I understand legislators have a deficit to solve. But what you don’t have is the excuse to ignore your best partners — the providers and caregivers who live this work every day. We are the ones administering medications at 2 a.m., advocating for creative solutions and stretching every dollar to its limit. We see where the gaps are. We know where waste exists and have offered cost-saving ideas for years. Invite us to the table.

Legislative leaders still need to negotiate final budget targets. They can right this wrong and provide human services with a target that will protect Minnesotans with disabilities and the workforce that supports them.

To the public: If this angers you (and it should), join us. Call your legislators. Hold our leaders accountable to Minnesota’s values of compassion and community. Let them know that the lives and well-being of our loved ones and neighbors in need of care hold more value than the figures on a spreadsheet that need to be balanced.

To Gov. Walz and lawmakers: You called us heroes then. Treat us like collaborators now. Reverse these cuts. Sit down with us. We are your fastest path to smarter, lasting solutions.

Tom Gillespie is the president and CEO of Living Well Disability Services and a board member of ARRM, a nonprofit representing over 230 provider organizations who support 35,000 Minnesotans with disabilities.