The Arc Receives Living Wage Award
The Arc of Harrisonburg and Rockingham is proud to stand among the growing list of local businesses committed to paying a living wage for their employees. Silver Award recipients ensure every employee receives at least $12.50 per hour and thanks to recent Medicaid Reimbursement rate increases, we’ve been able to do just that. What does Medicaid Waivers have to do with employee pay? Most of our program participants receive services through a Medicaid Waiver which means the government helps reimburse specific providers for specific services depending on that individual’s needs. The rate percentage they reimburse for changes annually at state and federal levels and, unfortunately, rarely meet the necessary rates needed to cover the costs related to providing services.
That’s where advocacy efforts come into play. When we come together as a community to voice our stories and concerns, local representatives who have the power to impact the state level budget are able to advocate for us to receive higher reimbursement rates which then allows us to pay our employees more. There are many ways you can be involved in helping to influence your representatives! Do you have a story to share about how a Direct Service Professional (DSP) supports you or someone you love? Would you like to receive regular advocacy calls-to-action to help us pay our employees more? Contact marketing@hrarc.org or fill out our Contact Form Here.
A thank you to Ramona Sanders and Janet Harvey of The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Living Wage Committee for helping us receive this honorable award. Here we come Gold!
