Texas workers in facilities for developmentally disabled people have lowest paying, highest stress jobs

From the Houston Chronicle Dec. 4:

AUSTIN — The employees who care for developmentally disabled Texans at 13 large state facilities have some of the lowest-paying, highest-stress jobs in state government.

Starting salaries are around $20,500, about $7,000 less than a beginning prison guard earns. Applicants for either job must have a high school diploma and pass drug screens and criminal background checks.

Turnover for correctional officers is about 25 percent. It's double that for mental retardation assistants.

A Justice Department report released Tuesday said Texas is failing to protect nearly 5,000 developmentally disabled persons from abuse, neglect and poor medical care.

The report found insufficient staffing left fragile residents unattended for long periods of time. High turnover meant workers were unable to identify risks and keep residents from engaging in dangerous or self-destructive behavior.

It said until the state can retain, train and adequately supervise front-line workers, conditions are unlikely to improve.

"We have failed miserably and we've failed because we've refused to pay enough for quality care," said Rep. Garnet Coleman, who led a House study group that visited several state schools.

The Houston Democrat's policy group is calling for higher qualifications for workers, increased pay and more accountability.

Other lawmakers say it's time to stop pouring money into these institutional facilities and care for people in less expensive community settings such as group homes or with relatives. House Human Services Chairman Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, said the federal investigation underscores the need to consolidate and close several state schools, and said he will file legislation to do so next year.

But there is no debate about the difficulty of state workers' jobs.

During an eight-hour shift, for instance, a mental retardation assistant may bathe, dress and feed full-grown adults, break up fights among residents and keep constant watch to make sure no one ingests a stray pair of latex gloves.

The care worker must observe individuals who don't have the ability to communicate and try to determine if they are getting ill or having a bad reaction to medicine. Employees may be subject to physical or mental abuse from residents.

And if one of the residents develops a suspicious bruise, there is a good chance the employee might lose his or her job.

"We understand this work is not for everyone," said Cecilia Fedorov, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services.

New employees tour facilities and meet with residents as part of their orientation. They are told that no one will view it negatively if they decide the work isn't for them during their initial six-month probationary period, Fedorov said.

Jim Branson, lead organizer for the Texas State Employees Union, said the only people in state government who are paid lower than the state school workers are food service and custodial staff.

"We're talking about folks here who are taking care of very vulnerable people and working very hard at it," Branson said.

The Justice Department report said that 800 employees had been suspended or fired for abusing residents since 2004.