Rehabilitation Services asks for $1.8 million to raise personal‑care wages, match vocational grant and restore cuts

Billy Taylor, the new executive director of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, told the Legislative Budget Committee the agency is requesting $1.8 million in state funds for 2026 to cover three items: restoring recommended cuts ($241,000), matching an estimated 3% increase to the federal Section 110 vocational grant ($527,000 state match), and raising personal‑care attendant (PCA) wages by $1 per hour (estimated $1.1 million).

Why it matters: The agency argued that modest state investments would preserve federal drawdowns, support workforce stability for in‑home caregivers and maintain vocational services that help Mississippians with disabilities enter or remain in the workforce.

Program highlights and staffing

Taylor said the agency serves approximately 15,000 Mississippians yearly through vocational programs and related services. He described Project SEARCH (26 sites, expanded by eight sites in the last year) and employer partnerships with companies such as Toyota, Fastenal and retail employers that host internships the agency supports.

Emerge center and independent living waivers

Taylor highlighted a new coastal Emerge Center for people who are newly blind that opened in March and serves people with structured‑discovery training. He also described the agency's home‑and‑community‑based waivers (independent living waiver and traumatic brain/spinal cord injury waiver) that support roughly 4,000 Mississippians and rely heavily on personal‑care attendant service. The agency said PCA turnover is about 41% and wage pressure contributes to recruitment and retention challenges.

Disability Determination Services (DDS)

Taylor said DDS is on track to process about 55,000 Social Security disability claims this year and described improvements in accuracy and staging after raising examiner starting salaries to about $40,000. He said the agency is piloting AI tools (named "Imagine" in testimony) to flag cases likely to be allowed to speed processing.

Budget requests and fiscal details

The finance director, Andy Salin, described the $1.8 million request as three elements: $241,000 to restore recommended cuts, $527,000 to match a likely 3% federal increase to the Section 110 vocational grant (state match needed to draw funds), and $1.1 million to raise PCA wages from $11 to $12 per hour. Salin said the agency is not seeking funds to expand waiver slots this year because attrition means it cannot currently utilize additional expansion funds.

What the agency asked the Legislature to do

The agency asked for the $1.8 million in state funds to (1) meet the federal match that would unlock additional vocational grant funds, (2) restore recommended cuts that would otherwise reduce service capacity, and (3) raise PCA pay to help stabilize the workforce. Taylor invited committee members to visit program sites and the new coastal Emerge Center.