The federal government is weighing whether to start tracking the number of direct support professionals, a move advocates call a critical first step in easing the nation’s dire shortage of workers caring for people with developmental disabilities.

The White House Office of Management and Budget is seeking input on potential changes to what’s known as the Standard Occupational Classification Manual, which outlines how federal agencies classify occupations for the purpose of collecting data. Among the options is whether to add “care workers” to the manual and, if so, how this occupation should be named and defined.

As it is, DSPs are often lumped in with home health aides, personal care aides, certified nursing assistants and other job categories that don’t accurately describe their true role. That means that policymakers lack the data needed to address the shortage of workers providing home and community-based services, advocates say.

“A unique DSP occupational code will ensure the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics can accurately capture employment and wage data specific to the profession, which will in turn assist federal and state policymakers to inform and impact future policy,” more than two dozen disability advocacy groups wrote in a letter to lawmakers earlier this month. “Accurate and comprehensive data on DSPs is crucial for understanding the workforce crisis and developing effective solutions.”

The request for comment from the Office of Management and Budget comes as Congress is moving forward with legislation that would pressure the budget office to act on the dearth of data on DSPs by adding a Standard Occupational Classification code for these workers. The bill known as the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act unanimously passed the U.S. Senate in March and was approved by a House committee earlier this month.

Lydia Dawson, vice president of government relations at the American Network of Community Options and Resources, or ANCOR, which represents 2,100 disability service providers across the nation, said that an act of Congress is not necessary for a code to be added, but it “sends a message to OMB on the importance of addressing the absence of a classification for DSPs.”

And, Dawson noted, there is urgency. The Office of Management and Budget is currently considering changes to include in its 2028 manual. Once that process concludes, additional revisions are not expected until 2038, she said.

The Office of Management and Budget is accepting comment on the possible changes to the Standard Occupational Classification Manual through Aug. 12.

Read more stories like this one. Sign up for Disability Scoop's free email newsletter to get the latest developmental disability news sent straight to your inbox.