WYOMING
The Legislature took major action in 2002 to improve the availability of direct care workers who provide services to people with developmental disabilities by studying their wages and then appropriating funds for wage increases. After the state set minimum wage guidelines, studies showed that wages for direct care workers had risen considerably. Other long-term care activities included the release of a comprehensive plan for expanding home and community-based services for people with disabilities and legislative action to increase penalties for elder abuse.
Work Force
The 2001 Legislature directed the Wyoming Department of Health to conduct a study of wages and salaries of direct care workers. The study, which was submitted to the Legislature on December 1, 2001, included recommendations about additional funds needed to bring salaries up to a competitive level for the FY 2003-2004 biennium and the type of incremental increases that would be needed to allow health care providers to remain competitive.
In response, the 2002 Legislature appropriated $7.6 million in biennial state general funds and $14.8 million in federal funds to improve the salaries of direct care workers in adult developmental disabilities community-based programs. The funds became available beginning in July 2002. Guidelines issued by the Developmental Disabilities Division provided that 100 percent of the funds had to be used for wages and benefits, new staff had to be paid a minimum of $7.50 per hour, and staff with at least 12 months' experience had to be paid a minimum of $8 per hour.
In a November 2002 report to the Legislature on how the funds were used, the Department of Health said direct staff minimum wages had gone from $5.15 per hour to $7.50 per hour or more since July. Average wages had gone from $7.38 per hour to $10.32 per hour. Total compensation for full-time direct care staff, including both wages and benefits, had increased from an average of $9.08 per hour to $13.74 per hour, a 51 percent increase. Turnover dropped by nearly one-third in only the first 90 days after implementation of the salary improvements.
Planning and Reports
The Wyoming Department of Health released a comprehensive plan addressing home and community-based care for people with disabilities in July 2002. The plan consists of four sections: Aging, Developmental Disabilities, Acquired Brain Injury and Mental Health. Each section of the plan consists of nine elements, one of which is "development of new community services and support infrastructure." Under this category, the Developmental Disabilities Division proposed, for example, to serve a total of about 3,500 people by the summer of 2002, to have no waiting lists for services, and to provide a cost-of-living increase for providers in 2002. The Aging Division called for Medicaid subsidized assisted living, adult chronic mental illness residential homes, increased senior housing options or group homes for seniors, and increased training for health professionals and service providers. The Mental Health Division said its priority was for " ... promotion of community-based services, when appropriate, as well as utilization of inpatient hospitalization when necessary."
Elder Abuse
The Legislature in 2002 divided elder abuse into two categories, misdemeanor and felony, based on the intent of the abuse, the severity of the abuse, and any prior knowledge of the mental state of the person being abused. The penalties range from one year in jail and a $1,000 fine for a misdemeanor to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for a felony.
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