SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois care workers for the disabled population are getting an increase in their pay in the upcoming year, but not as much as they wanted.

“$1, it’ll make a little bit of a difference, but I don’t know that it’s going to make a tremendous difference,” Tasha Haney, a direct support proffessional from Springfield, said.

Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) work with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to assist them with tasks in their everyday lives like getting dressed, taking their medicines, and cooking and cleaning. In the budget signed by the governor Wednesday, DSPs are guaranteed a $1 increase to their minimum wage starting in January.

“[The budget] allows for a $1 wage increase for Direct Service Providers, folks who take care of our most vulnerable citizens,” Sen. Elgie Sims (D-Chicago), the chief budgeteer in the Senate, said Wednesday.

While advocates are thankful for the wage increase, some were pushing for more in the budget.

“You’re competing for a worker whose choice is to attend to the toileting needs of an individual with special needs, or for the same amount of money, go work at McDonald’s,” State Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet said.) “You’re not keeping up with what is necessary.”

Several organizations including the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilties (IARF) had lobbied in the Capitol for a higher increase of $3 per hour. Still, Josh Evans, the IARF’s president and CEO, said the $1 per hour rate increase will help.

“I think this dollar is going to help keep us where we’re at,” Evans said. “We continue to get data from member agencies that their retention numbers are stabilizing, their recruitment numbers are increasing, and so I think we’re at a stable point.”

The state commissioned a study from Guidehouse, who found DSPs needed to be paid 150% of the state’s minimum wage in order to retain staffing. The $3 increase would hit the recommended threshold.

“Every time we get a raise, we face your electricity going up or the food costs going up or something going up … insurance costs going up, that takes away from that dollar that we got,” Haney said.

According to a news release from SEIU, a union that represents healthcare and other care workers in the state including DSPs, 75 cents of the dollar wage will directly support the base wages of the DSPs, while DSP providers can use the remaining 25 cents to improve the jobs through items like bonuses or seniority increases.

The budget for the current fiscal year also included a $2.50 wage increase for DSPs.