Case for Inclusion Data Snapshot: The Looming Impact of Funding Cuts on Access to Community Services (January 2026)
Download the Case for Inclusion Data Snapshot as a PDF
Since 2006, the Case for Inclusion has been a leading source for data and policy recommendations regarding the effectiveness of state programs in serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families.
In 2024, we began a new series of Case for Inclusion reports, referred to as Data Snapshots, that are designed to give you more targeted insights in a timelier manner. Data Snapshots are meant to offer a clearer sense of the challenges facing community-based IDD services and are supplemented by our annual Policy Blueprint, wherein we offer recommendations for what regulators and legislators at all levels of government can do to strengthen community services.
Highlighted within each Data Snapshot are key findings on select indicators chosen from the nearly 80 measures that comprise the Case for Inclusion’s seven issue areas. These issue areas include:
- Addressing a Workforce in Crisis
- Promoting Independence
- Promoting Productivity
- Reaching Those in Need
- Serving at a Reasonable Cost
- Keeping Families Together
- Tracking Health, Safety & Quality of Life
This latest Case for Inclusion Data Snapshot finds that:
- 94%: The proportion of Medicaid-funded long-term supports and services (LTSS) for people with IDD provided in home and community-based settings.
- $17.20: The median hourly wage for direct support professionals (DSPs) in 2023.
- 39.7%: The average turnover ratio in 2023—the first time this measure fell below 40% since data collection began—while average vacancy rates for DSPs decreased to 12.2% and 14.6% for full- and part-time positions, respectively.
- 23.5%: The percentage of people with IDD accessing employment supports and working in integrated settings in 2022.
- 552,339: The number of people with IDD were on their state’s waiting list or interest list for home- and community-based services in 2025, which represents an increase of 8% over the previous year.