Subcommittee Elects Co-Chairs, Warns 4,000 Provider Positions Remain Unfilled

BOSTON — January 29, 2026 — Massachusetts disability providers warn of fragile workforce progress as nearly 4,000 positions remain unfilled. The Joint Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities' Workforce Support Subcommittee heard from the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers President and CEO Stephanie Costa and Vice President Mandy Nichols, whose September 2025 survey of 102 member organizations found the overall staff vacancy rate fell from 19 percent in 2024 to 15 percent in 2025 — the third consecutive year of decline — but that nearly 4,000 positions system-wide remain open and approximately 1,800 people are still waiting for day services. Licensed practical nurse vacancies held at 28 percent, more than six times the statewide job-opening rate. Nearly 90 percent of providers reported health insurance premium increases averaging 11 percent, with Costa warning that immigration policy changes and rising costs risk reversing years of hard-won improvement. The subcommittee voted unanimously to seat Rachel Caprilian and Leo Sarkisian as new co-chairs following the departure of Commissioner Andrew Lavald.