118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1332 

AN ACT 

To require the Office of Management and Budget to consider 

revising the Standard Occupational Classification system 

to establish a separate code for direct support professionals, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Recognizing the Role 

3 of Direct Support Professionals Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Direct support professionals play a critical 

7 role in the care provided to individuals with intellec8 tual and developmental disabilities by providing a 

9 wide range of supportive services on a day-to-day 

10 basis to promote independence, including— 

11 (A) enhancing independence and commu12 nity inclusion of these individuals, including 

13 through travel and recreation, visiting friends 

14 and family, shopping, or socializing; 

15 (B) coaching and supporting individuals in 

16 communicating needs, achieving self-expression, 

17 pursuing personal goals, living independently, 

18 and participating actively in employment or vol19 untary roles in the community; 

20 (C) providing assistance with activities of 

21 independent daily living (such as feeding, bath22 ing, toileting, and ambulation) and with tasks 

23 such as meal preparation, shopping, light 

24 housekeeping, laundry, and home management; 

25 or 
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1 (D) supporting individuals at home, work, 

2 school, or any other community setting. 

3 (2) Through the support of direct support pro4 fessionals, individuals are able to lead self-directed 

5 lives within their own communities. 

6 (3) Providers of home- and community-based 

7 services are experiencing difficulty hiring and retain8 ing direct support professionals, with a national 

9 turnover rate of 43 percent, as identified in a 2021 

10 study by the National Core Indicators, and full-time 

11 vacancy rates increasing by 94 percent between 

12 2019 and 2021. 

13 (4) High turnover rates can lead to instability 

14 for individuals receiving services, and this may result 

15 in individuals not receiving enough personalized care 

16 to help them reach their goals for independent liv17 ing. 

18 (5) A discrete occupational category for direct 

19 support professionals will help States and the Fed20 eral Government— 

21 (A) better interpret the shortage in the 

22 labor market of direct support professionals; 

23 and 

24 (B) collect data on the high turnover rate 

25 of direct support professionals. 
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†S 1332 ES

1 (6) The Standard Occupational Classification 

2 system is designed and maintained solely for statis3 tical purposes, and is used by Federal statistical 

4 agencies to classify workers and jobs into occupa5 tional categories for the purpose of collecting, calcu6 lating, analyzing, or disseminating data. 

7 (7) Occupations in the Standard Occupational 

8 Classification system are classified based on work 

9 performed and, in some cases, on the skills, edu10 cation, or training needed to perform the work. 

11 (8) Establishing a discrete occupational cat12 egory for direct support professionals will— 

13 (A) correct an inaccurate representation in 

14 the Standard Occupational Classification sys15 tem; 

16 (B) recognize these professionals for the 

17 critical and often overlooked work that they 

18 perform for the disabled community, which 

19 work is different than the work of a home 

20 health aide or a personal care aide; and 

21 (C) better align the Standard Occupational 

22 Classification system with related classification 

23 systems. 
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1 SEC. 3. REVISION OF STANDARD OCCUPATIONAL CLASSI2 FICATION SYSTEM. 

3 The Director of the Office of Management and Budg4 et shall, as part of the first revision of the Standard Occu5 pational Classification system occurring after the date of 

6 enactment of this Act, consider revising the Standard Oc7 cupational Classification system to establish a separate 

8 code for direct support professionals as a healthcare sup9 port occupation. 

10 SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

11 If, after carrying out section 3, the Director of the 

12 Office of Management and Budget decides not to establish 

13 a separate code for direct support professionals in the 

14 Standard Occupational Classification system, the Director 

15 shall, by not later than 30 days after the first revision 

16 of the Standard Occupational Classification system occur17 ring after the date of enactment of this Act, submit a re18 port to the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern19 mental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Edu20 cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives 

21 explaining the Office of Management and Budget’s deci22 sion. 
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1 SEC. 5. NO NEW FUNDS. 

2 No additional funds are authorized to be appro3 priated to carry out this Act. 

Passed the Senate March 20, 2024. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1332 

AN ACT 

To require the Office of Management and Budget 

purposes. for direct support professionals, and for other Classification system to establish a separate code to consider revising the Standard Occupational