On October 30, 2026, the Providers’ Council submitted testimony to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) on the proposed rates for Youth Short-Term Stabilization and Emergency Placement Services (101 CMR 418.00).
Representing 220 community-based human services organizations across Massachusetts, the Council addressed Secretary Kiame Mahaniah and EOHHS, emphasizing that insufficient rates depress workforce salaries, worsen the sector’s recruitment crisis, and leave residents on wait lists when programs cannot run at full capacity. The testimony cited a January 2026 provider survey showing vacancy rates of 15 percent for client-facing full-time positions and 16 percent for part-time positions, far above the statewide job-openings rate of 3.3 percent.
The Council’s testimony can be found here.
Key Recommendations:
- Salary Benchmark: Thank EOHHS for holding the Direct Care I benchmark harmless at $22.52/hour (the 53rd percentile of May 2024 BLS data), which would have decreased under the most recent figures. The Council continues to urge EOHHS to use no less than the 75th percentile of BLS when setting benchmark salaries for all positions, which would mean a benchmark wage of $26.03/hour for DC I workers.
- Cost Adjustment Factor (CAF): Thank EOHHS for adopting baseline scenario data (a compromise between optimistic and pessimistic projections) in the proposed 2.7 percent CAF, and request continued evaluation to ensure it remains sufficient relative to market conditions.
- Tax & Fringe Rate: Appreciate the proposed increase from 24.97 percent to 26.93 percent, and ask EOHHS to include an additional 5.1 percent for retirement benefits, setting the total rate at 32.03 percent.
- Administrative Allocation: Increase the administrative allocation from the current 12 percent to a range of 15–18 percent, noting that the current allocation remains inadequate.
The testimony also asked EOHHS to view these figures through a gender and racial equity lens, citing a 2026 UMass Donahue Institute study finding that the sector’s workforce is 78 percent women and 38 percent people of color. The Council thanked EOHHS for the significant progress made to increase salaries and for its commitment to improving staff recruitment and retention.
For further questions, contact coneill@providers.org.