On July 11, the Providers’ Council submitted testimony to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in response to proposed amendments to 101 CMR 346.00 and 419.00, which affect rates for Certain Substance-Related and Addictive Disorder Programs and Supported Employment Services.
Representing nearly 220 member organizations and a workforce of more than 160,000 individuals, the Council’s testimony focused on how the proposed rates would impact the human services workforce—particularly amid ongoing recruitment and retention challenges that reduce program capacity and limit access to care.
The Council’s testimony can be found here. It asks EOHHS to:
- Avoid emergency adoption of rates and instead follow a full public hearing process
- Use the BLS 75th percentile, at a minimum, to set benchmark salaries; for example, $24.22 an hour for DC I
- Use the updated May 2024 OEWS in future rate hearings
- Maintain the use of baseline scenario data when calculating the Cost Adjustment Factor (CAF)
- Include 5.1% for retirement in the tax and fringe rate, setting the overall rate at 32.48%
- Set an administrative allocation between 15 and 18%
Advocating for Equity and Stability
The Providers’ Council’s testimony emphasized the real human impact behind these figures. With a workforce that is 80 percent women and 36 percent people of color—far above statewide averages—the Council urged EOHHS to apply a racial and gender equity lens to all rate-setting decisions.
The Council concluded its testimony by thanking EOHHS and the Healey Administration for their continued collaboration and encouraged the agency to adopt its recommendations to stabilize the workforce and protect access to critical community-based services.
For questions regarding this hearing, please contact Caroline O’Neill.