DDS commissioner reports legislative uncertainty; agency readies ARPA-funded DSP marketing campaign

Jordan Schaff, commissioner of the Department of Developmental Services, told the Council on Developmental Services on Feb. 20 that the agency is monitoring an “evolving” federal landscape and that the governor’s budget has been released. Schaff said the agency bill had not yet been assigned a number but that she expected an agency bill notice within a few days and that her appropriations testimony was scheduled at the Legislative Office Building.

Schaff and agency staff urged council members to monitor notices and the legislature’s daily bulletin for hearing dates. Council members said late posting and short notice have made it difficult to organize public testimony; Schaff said the agency would investigate communication lapses.

Workforce marketing campaign: Kevin Bronson, DDS, described an ARPA-funded marketing campaign and a centralized job board intended to recruit direct support professionals (DSPs) for private providers. Bronson said the campaign will combine radio, billboards and a “trusted messenger” outreach program that trains community leaders to speak about DSP careers. He said the campaign is scheduled to go live in April, run for two months (the length of ARPA funding), and that providers will be able to post openings on a single job board and reuse neutral branding materials; the agency planned to preview materials for providers at a provider meeting on March 27.

Budget concerns and advocacy: Council members raised concerns about the proposed budget. Adriana Ramirez and Adrian Benjamin urged members and families to contact legislators if they could not attend appropriations hearings; Benjamin said he saw public references suggesting a $19 million reduction affecting nonprofits and asked for clarity. Schaff said the agency is tracking budget materials and would share the agency’s bill and related materials when available.

Administrative systems and legislation: Schaff and staff answered questions about how federal IT outages and cross-agency data systems may temporarily affect benefits processing; they advised members to forward case examples to staff for follow-up with partners at DSS and federal agencies.

Why it matters: Council members emphasized that workforce shortages and state budget choices directly affect provider capacity, wait lists and service continuity for people with developmental disabilities. The DSP marketing campaign aims to expand recruitment and centralize job-seeking for provider vacancies.

What’s next: The agency will circulate the agency bill and a bill tracker when available, preview the DSP materials with providers at the March 27 provider meeting and continue to brief the council as legislative developments unfold.