Incentives, Wages, and Retention Among Direct Support Professionals: National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Social Work
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) are crucial for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), enabling community living and participation.
• High annual turnover rates among DSPs disrupt services, negatively affecting client outcomes and increasing organizational costs for recruitment and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between compensation (wages and incentives) and annual turnover rates among DSPs.
• To identify factors influencing DSP retention in the United States.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Core Indicators® (NCI®) Staff Stability Survey 2018.
• Analyzed relationships between wages, various incentives (benefits, bonuses), and DSP annual turnover across participating states.

Main Results:

• Incentives, including benefits and bonuses, were not significantly associated with improved DSP retention.
• Staff wages emerged as the most significant factor correlated with DSP retention rates.
• State of operation and organization vacancy rates also showed associations with DSP turnover.

Conclusions:

• Financial compensation through wages is a more critical factor for DSP retention than non-wage incentives.
• Addressing high DSP turnover requires a focus on competitive wage structures, potentially varying by state.
• Reducing organizational vacancy rates may also contribute to improved staff stability.