Ken Sklenar is the president/CEO of Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
Every day at Easterseals, I see Delawareans whose lives depend on the services our organization and others like it provide. Among them are children learning to communicate, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are working toward more independent lives, and older individuals living with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease who can stay at home because their caregivers have the support they need.
Last year alone, we delivered vital services to over 7,200 Delawareans. Behind this number are individuals and families striving toward stability, dignity and hope.
Today, that stability is at risk. Federal government policies now threaten to trigger deep cuts to the programs that enable independence for thousands of Delawareans. For the individuals we serve — and for the professionals who support them — these cuts would not be just abstract line items. They would be life-changing.
Adults with intellectual disabilities who have worked hard to develop skills and independence might lose the supports that help them succeed in their communities. Older citizens in Day and Memory Care programs could face premature placement into long-term care facilities and expensive emergency interventions. These outcomes not only have a human toll but a significant financial impact, since community services that enable people to stay at home are much more cost-effective than institutional care is. And, if these services weaken, the consequences won’t be limited to the individuals receiving them. Family members could be forced to leave the workforce to care for their loved ones.
Threats to funding could not come at a worse time, as most services are already underfunded. For example, even with some reimbursement rate increases in recent years, day and residential services for adults with intellectual disabilities are operating on reimbursement rates based on economic conditions from nearly eight years ago — long before the pandemic reshaped our workforce and our economy, and well before significant inflation pushed costs to record highs.
At the heart of this challenge is the inadequate reimbursement for the wages of direct support professionals. These are the women and men whose work helps individuals eat, bathe, communicate, work and participate in everyday life. In Delaware, 74% of DSPs are women, and 69% are women of color — a workforce that has long been undervalued despite its essential role.
Our DSPs show up every day, out of compassion and commitment. However, outdated state reimbursement rates keep wages unsustainably low, forcing many to work multiple jobs or rely on the very safety net programs they help others navigate. Easterseals pays above the state reimbursement rate, but even with those supplements, direct support professionals’ pay does not match the level of responsibility the job demands. And, when service providers cannot compete for talent, the people who suffer most are the Delawareans who depend on these services.
For decades, Easterseals and other service providers who deliver essential care have stood shoulder to shoulder with the state of Delaware, developing systems that enable people with disabilities and older adults to live at home, engage in their communities and age with dignity. These programs are not luxuries; they are lifelines — and they cost far less than institutional care does.
Today, as the fiscal 2027 budget takes shape, we ask Gov. Matt Meyer and state leaders to protect these services and invest in the people who make them possible. Protect community-based services. Invest in the workforce that carries this mission forward every day. And make sure that every Delawarean — regardless of ability — can live with dignity, independence and hope.
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