A Stitch in Time… ANCOR Meets Regulatory Staff as Trump Administration’s DOL Overtime Proposed Rule Becomes Imminent

Last Wednesday, ANCOR staff and Board Member Daryn Demeritt met with the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) regarding DOL’s soon to be proposed overtime rule. OIRA reviews federal regulations before they are published for public notice and comment to ensure they meet the policy objectives of the White House. During the meeting, ANCOR explained that the supports and services which help people with disabilities live life like everyone else operate within a unique framework of fixed, non-negotiable Medicaid rates and a workforce crisis among frontline staff. This creates many nuances that we hoped DOL would consider, including the need for interagency cooperation between the DOL and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees Medicaid, and a long implementation period to accommodate for states with 2-year budget cycles. We also discussed that due to the current level of Medicaid funding for I/DD supports, most disability providers would only be able to accommodate a salary threshold in the $30,000 – $35,000 range.

A Bloomberg Law article published two days afterwards shows the timeliness of this meeting as it broke the news of the forthcoming proposed rule and a possible salary threshold leak. The article states: “Workers who make less than about $35,000 a year will be eligible for overtime pay under a long-awaited proposal the Labor Department is set to unveil soon, sources familiar with the situation tell Bloomberg Law.” ANCOR will keep members informed of opportunities for action as they emerge.

Pictured – ANCOR staff from left to right: Esme Grewal, Vice President of Government Relations, Doris Parfaite-Claude, Federal Advocacy and Research Manager, Barbara Merrill, Chief Executive Officer

Not pictured: Daryn Demeritt, member of ANCOR’s Board of Directors (called in)