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American Rescue Plan Act: Workforce Surveys

Staffing Surveys icon

Workforce surveys

As part of the direct care workforce initiative, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is conducting surveys to assess turnover, tenure, wages, benefits, and other factors. The results will help DHS discover ways to improve the quality and stability of the caregiving workforce that assists long-term care Medicaid beneficiaries.

Survey news

Now available: 2021 NCI-IDD State of the Workforce Survey (PDF)

For the first time, Wisconsin providers supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities contributed to this national survey. The data from 204 agencies representing all 72 Wisconsin counties will inform DHS of ways to reduce the costs associated with staff turnover at provider agencies and to reduce the impact of turnover on the quality of supports and outcomes for consumers.

State data at a glance

  • Racial breakdown: 62.3% White, 21.4% Black or African American, 3.4% Asian, 3.2% Hispanic/Latinx, 2.3% Indian or Alaska Native
  • Gender identity: 77.3% female, 21.5% male, 0.2% non-conforming
  • Wages: The average starting wage is $12.90 (NCI-IDD average $13.61)
  • Health insurance: 39.9% of agencies offer to some or all workers (NCI-IDD average 59.9%)
  • Paid time off: 62.3% of agencies provide some paid time off (NCI-IDD average 73.7%)
  • Turnover ratio: 49.9% (NCI-IDD average 43.3%)
  • Vacancy rate: 15.7% full-time and 16.8% part-time (NCI-IDD average 16.5% and 20.3%)

Resources

Upcoming Activities

Children’s Long-Term Services

DHS will conduct a new workforce survey focused on children’s long-term services in 2024 for the calendar year 2023. It will be patterned after the NCI IDD survey with modifications for children. A similar incentive will be used to encourage participation.

Current activities

New survey focus group

DHS is currently participating in a focus group with three other states and four national organizations to develop a new national State of the Workforce Survey for individuals who self-direct their care. The goal is to pilot this new survey in 2024 for the calendar year 2023. A similar incentive will be used to encourage participation.

Completed surveys

September 1 – October 31, 2022

Agencies that serve older adults and people with physical disabilities participated in a pilot survey focused on direct care service workers. The pilot included Wisconsin along with five other states: Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, Montana, and Washington. The 274 agencies that completed the entire pilot survey by October 31, 2022, received incentive payments between $250 to $1,000, with a total payout of $81,250.

Lessons learned from the pilot will be applied to launch a survey available to all states in 2023. This survey, from the National Core Indicators—Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) initiative(link is external), is a collaborative effort between ADvancing States(link is external), Human Services Research Institute (HSRI)(link is external), and the pilot states.

Resources

April 12 – June 30, 2022, extended to July 31, 2022

Wisconsin joined 28 other states and the District of Columbia for the 2021 NCI-IDD State of the Workforce Survey (formerly called the Staff Stability Survey). Agencies that provide long-term care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities were invited to submit their workforce data. The 204 participating agencies received incentives between $250 to $1,000, with a total payout of $71,250.

Resources

Related pages
Last revised May 10, 2023