Underpaid Disability Workers Won’t Get Critical Raise, As HCA Officials Ignore Rate Increase Approved by Legislature
NM HCA Secretary Kari Armijo
On July 1, 2025, Three Highly Paid HCA leaders Will Get Their Pay Increases of Between $6,000 to $9,000 each – Even as They Refuse To Do Paperwork Needed For a Meager But Critical Pay Raise for the Hands-on and Underpaid Workers Who Actually Provide the Care for Developmentally Disabled New Mexicans – A Rate Increase Already Approved by the Legislature.
When the New Mexico Legislature met between January and March earlier this year, members focused on many issues regarding the needs of the people of New Mexico.
Two of those issues related to compensation – one was for school and state government employees, and another focused on raising the rates impacting the direct care workers who provide guidance and the hands-on care to developmentally disabled New Mexicans.
Lawmakers voted for state employees, including leaders of the Health Care Authority and the Developmental Disabilities Supports Division, to get a four percent (4%) pay raise.
The appropriation for the pay raise to state employees was $96,143,100.
The lawmakers also voted that an appropriation in, “the developmental disabilities support program of the health care authority in the other financing uses category includes twenty-six million one hundred ninety-five thousand dollars ($26,195,000) to raise rates for developmental disability providers.”
Those developmental disability providers are the non-profit entities and companies that hire direct care providers also known as direct support professionals.
If you Google a definition of direct care providers/professionals, you will likely get something like this for a response:
“Direct Support Professional. They are healthcare workers who provide direct support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in their daily lives, helping them with various tasks and activities. DSPs play a crucial role in ensuring these individuals receive the necessary assistance to live independently and participate in their communities …”
The way it is supposed to work is, once the legislators and governor have passed and signed the budget bill, the Health Care Authority leaders are supposed to put together the paperwork to submit to the federal government – the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) – seeking a match of federal funds to the state appropriation.
That match is significant – it brings about three times what the state funds – which is critically important to the people who care for the individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their daily lives because it makes sure that workers can be paid enough to be there to care for them.
For the past two years, the New Mexico Health Care Authority under the current administration has been needlessly late in getting this paperwork done when the legislature has appropriated funds for these direct care workers.
But it appears the Health Care Authority Leaders’ indifference is even worse this year.
The word from The Candle’s inside sources at the agency is the leadership is not even going to apply for a the federal match for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2025 – despite the demonstrative language in the budget bill passed by the legislature which provides the state match for rate increases – which translate into pay raises for these workers.
(On Monday, The Candle sent a detailed email to the Health Care authority leadership and communications director seeking a response to what we were told was a decision by HCA leadership not to seek the amendment needed to be submitted to CMS for a rate increase as approved by the legislature – the leaders of the agency refuse to respond. A copy of our email can be read at the end of this story.)
The direct care workers make less than a living wage – which is in itself deplorable.
The average wage is comparable to what fast food stores pay workers to flip burgers.
These are the people who wash, lift, insert feeding tubes, and similarly care and provide companionship to some of the most vulnerable New Mexicans.
There are not enough of these workers due to the very low pay provided to them.
The Developmental Disabilities Supports Division conducted a study which connected the inability to retain and recruit enough workers directly to compensation.
The Developmental Disabilities Supports Division Claims its Mission is, “To serve those with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing a comprehensive system of person-centered community supports so that individuals live the lives they prefer, where they are respected, empowered, and free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation.”
Those Words Do Not Match The Agency’s Actions and Indifference to the Needs of The Hands-on Workers.
Health Care Authority Secretary Armijo already makes $231,750 a year – in July she will get a pay raise of $9,000, increasing her salary to almost a quarter of a million dollars ($241, 020) a year.
Medicaid Director Dana Flannery’s salary is currently $216,300. She will get a raise of $8,652 in July, raising her annual pay to $224,952.
Developmental Disabilities Supports Division Director Jennifer Rodriguez gets paid at an annual rate of $150,000, until July, when she will get a raise of $6,000, increasing her pay to $156,000.
These are the three people responsible for not getting the paperwork done for the the people working for less than a living wage to get a meager raise.
Whether it is incompetence, indifference, or defiance – the people who need to make a simple living in order to care for the most vulnerable are not going to get their raise as Secretary Armijo, and Directors Flannery and Rodriguez pad their paychecks.
The question today is: Are legislators – Democrats especially as they control the state government – going to abandon these workers and let the Governor’s appointees ignore the clear directive in the budget?
Here is a chart of the pay of Secretary Armijo, and Directors Flannery and Rodriguez:
| Employee | Hourly Rate | Current Annual Salary | July 1, 2025 4% Raise | New Annual Salary |
| Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo | $111.42 | $231,750 | $9,270 | $241,020 |
| Medicaid Director Dana Flannery | $103.99 | $216,300 | $8,652 | $224,952 |
| Developmental Disability Supports Division Director Jennifer | $72.12 | $150,000 | $6,000 | $156,000 |
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