The Providers’ Council and other trade associations in The Collaborative sent a letter to Gov. Maura Healey in November urging the state to consider livable wages for human services workers and maintaining a tax and fringe rate for programs at no less than the prior fiscal year levels.
The Council made the request with the Association for Behavioral Healthcare, Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers and the Children’s League of Massachusetts as the Healey Administration considers its FY ’26 House 1 budget proposal. The Collaborative made two requests to the administration, urging officials to:
- Increase funding in the Chapter 257 line item to support the 63rd percentile of the Bureau of Labor Statistics state-specific data for Massachusetts being used in model budgets when setting human services rates
- Ensure the tax and fringe rate for human services providers does not decrease from year-to-year to ensure rates are not moving backwards due to fluctuations and include an equitable consideration for retirement expenses for community-based human service workers.
To read the full request, please click here.
Governor Healey is expected to release her House 1 budget proposal for FY ’26 in late January. The House and Senate will present their budget proposals in April and May, respectively, with the goal of finalizing a Conference Committee budget for Governor Healey’s approval by June. The next fiscal year will begin on July 1, 2025.
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