NJ Legislative Disability Caucus Examines Continuity of Care and Service Gaps, Spotlights DHS Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan

Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn, NJAMHAA, DHS, and Advocates Highlight Workforce Crisis Impacting Thousands of New Jerseyans with Disabilities

TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus convened on June 2, bringing together legislators, state officials, family advocates, and service providers to address critical continuity of care and service gaps within New Jersey’s disability systems. The session underscored the urgent need for state action on direct care workforce shortages affecting individuals with developmental, physical, and behavioral health disabilities across the state.

“Today’s session put a human face on the data,” said Mercedes Witowsky, Executive Director of the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities, who facilitated the meeting. “When families are navigating a system with workforce shortages, inadequate care plans, and limited provider capacity, the consequences fall directly on the most vulnerable New Jerseyans. The DHS Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan gives us a framework for real, lasting solutions, and the Caucus is committed to ensuring that framework becomes action.”

Assemblywoman Dunn: Workforce Crisis is a Constituent Crisis
Caucus Co-Chair Assemblywoman Aura K. Dunn opened the session by connecting the workforce shortage directly to the experiences of her constituents, citing challenges in access to transportation, housing, and employment for individuals with disabilities.

“Every family that calls my office struggling to find care for a loved one with a disability is experiencing the real-world consequences of a system under strain,” said Assemblywoman Dunn. “We chose this topic because our constituents are living it every day—the facility closures, the caregiver shortages, the gaps that families are left to fill on their own. The Legislative Disability Caucus exists to make sure those voices reach this building, and today’s conversation was an important step toward real solutions.”

Senator McKnight Champions DHS Strategic Plan
Senator Angela McKnight expressed strong support for the DHS Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan presented during the session, pledging to champion any legislation necessary to support its implementation.

“Direct care workers are the backbone of our disability services system, and for too long we have asked them to do more with less,” said Senator McKnight. “This strategic plan represents a serious, data-driven commitment to recruiting, retaining, and supporting the workforce that our most vulnerable residents depend on. I am fully behind these efforts and look forward to working with my colleagues to turn this plan into meaningful legislation.”

Guest Speakers Bring Family and Provider Perspectives
The session featured testimony from Terri Cowen, a family advocate, and William England, President and Founder of Disability Services & Advocacy, LLC (DS&A), who offered complementary perspectives on navigating New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) fee-for-service system.

Cowen shared her journey as guardian for eight adopted siblings with disabilities, stepping into that role following the passing of both parents. Drawing on years of experience with the DDD system, she described both the supports that made a difference for her family and the significant gaps that exist, including inconsistent implementation of detailed care plans, communication barriers between providers and families, and challenges securing appropriate group home placements.

England, whose agency has worked with Cowen’s family since 2015, highlighted systemic issues affecting support coordination statewide, including managerial instability within provider agencies, insufficient staff training, high turnover rates, and questions about whether current care planning documents— given literacy levels, language barriers, and staff churn— remain the most effective tools for delivering critical information to direct care staff.

NJAMHAA: Service Gaps Extend Beyond Developmental Disabilities
Debra L. Wentz, PhD, President and CEO of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies (NJAMHAA), broadened the discussion beyond the DDD system to examine capacity and service gap challenges across New Jersey’s behavioral health sector. Dr. Wentz, whose association represents organizations serving more than 500,000 New Jerseyans annually, highlighted the severe impact of workforce shortages and inadequate reimbursement rates on mental health and addiction services, including halfway houses and residential programs facing significant funding shortfalls.

DHS Presents Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan
Jack Teters, Senior Policy Advisor for Aging and Disability Services at the New Jersey Department of Human Services, presented the DHS Direct Care Workforce Strategic Plan, a comprehensive roadmap developed through an interagency collaboration involving the Departments of Labor, Education, Children and Families, and Health, as well as the Office of Higher Education, Division of Consumer Affairs, and higher education partners.

The plan outlines more than 40 data-driven strategies organized across three core areas: gathering data and stakeholder input; recruitment through talent attraction and educational pathway development; and retention through workplace sustainability and worker recognition. Implementation updates shared by Teters include the creation of the Office of the Care Workforce, formation of the Direct Care Workforce Advisory Council, updates to the Jobs at Care website, and exploration of apprenticeship opportunities. The full plan is available at: https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/news/publications/DCW%20Strategic%20Plan%20Draft_final%20draft_v6.pdf

Next Session: July 28
The next meeting of the NJ Legislative Disability Caucus is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, 2026, and will be led by Senator Anthony Bucco. A recording of the June 2 session and related resources will be posted at https://njcdd.org/legislative-disability-caucus-schedule-and-recording/.

About the New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus
Formed in December 2020, the Caucus is a bipartisan forum within the New Jersey Legislature for lawmakers and their staff to consider the impact on the disability community when shaping all public policies in the Garden State. The Caucus is co-chaired by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz (D-29), Assembly Majority Leader Louis D. Greenwald (D-6), Republican Leader Senator Anthony M. Bucco (R-25), and Assistant Minority Whip Aura K. Dunn (R-25). Participation in the Caucus is open to all legislators who agree to be champions for individuals with disabilities in New Jersey by meeting with them in their district offices, participating in quarterly education forums, and promoting policies to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families. People with disabilities, their families, and organizations that serve, support, and advocate for people with disabilities in the Garden State serve as a resource for the NJ Legislative Disability Caucus. For more information about the Caucus and to get involved, visit https://njcdd.org/legislative-disability-caucus/.