16-04-2025
Gov. Shapiro proposes $5M to help people with disabilities find, retain employment
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) joined more than 550 autism-support students and educators from 16 Pennsylvania schools for the 2025 Autism and Acceptance Walk.
The walk, held at the department's Hiram G. Andrews Center, was meant to support and empower Pennsylvanians with disabilities. In an effort to continue the support, Governor Josh Shapiro's proposed 2025-2026 budget calls for an additional $5 million investment in L&I's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR).
'At L&I, we're not just raising awareness – we're transforming lives by breaking down barriers for Pennsylvanians with autism and other disabilities,' Jill Moriconi, Director of the Commonwealth Technical Institute at HGAC, said. 'Through our work at HGAC, we're creating pathways to independence and meaningful careers where every person is supported and celebrated. Governor Shapiro's proposed investments in vocational rehabilitation reflect our commitment to building a Commonwealth where disability is not recognized as a limitation, but as a powerful source of innovation, resilience, and strength for our communities and our economy.'
In addition to the proposed $5 million for OVR, some other key proposed investments are:
$1 million to the Centers for Independent Living (CIL) to recruit and hire staff
$5 million to support workforce initiatives to educate, train, and recruit nursing professionals
$12.5 million dedicated to the Workforce and Economic Development Network appropriation, leveraging $10 million in existing funds and $2.5 million in new state funds to train additional workers
$10 million to further boost employment in the behavioral health sector by expanding the Primary Care Loan Repayment Program at the Department of Health (DOH), broadening the program's geographic eligibility requirements and making it available to behavioral health care workers in all regions of Pennsylvania and
$55 million to support childcare workforce recruitment and retention grants; this would provide roughly $1,000 more annually per employee to licensed childcare centers in the Child Care Works program.
Currently, the budget has yet to be approved.
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