A Q&A with Aaron Borchert, Director, Marketing and
Communications, InVision Human Services
Founded in 1992, InVision
Human Services builds person driven
services for people
with disabilities. They accomplish their
mission by helping people create a level of
independence they never thought possible.
Founder and President/CEO Ruth Siegfried
recognized that people whose disabilities and
circumstances made it nearly impossible for
them to be served by traditional approaches
and methods deserved the opportunity to
identify and live their vision of a meaningful
life. InVision serves people who have
complex diagnoses that others often deem
too complex to support, including multiple
intellectual and developmental disabilities
such as autism spectrum disorders,
cognitive and psychiatric disorders, as well
as neurological, physical, and environmental
disabilities.
Kocan. Please give us a little background in
InVision Human Services.
Borchert. InVision was founded on a
single truth: Every person has a voice.
Our customized support is based on an
understanding of the importance and
power of mutual relationships. We honor the
strengths, hopes, and dreams of each person
we support, and their unique needs drive
everything we do.
A home of their own in a supportive
community and the freedom to make
decisions on where and how they want to
live are things people without disabilities
often take for granted. In the past, people
with disabilities struggled to flourish in more
restrictive environments where they had
little autonomy or decision-making ability in
everyday situations. Irritability, instability, and
insecurity followed because their feelings
were disregarded without any concern for
their preferences or well-being. In addition,
large institutional settings removed them
from communities making it difficult to
participate in or interact with the world
around them.
InVision believes individuals with disabilities
deserve an independent life, which to us
has always meant an independent living
situation. The people we support live in
their own homes, in their own communities,
accomplishing goals they set for themselves.
Kocan. That’s a wonderful mission and
one you surely can be proud of serving.
Clearly, as a human services and support
organization, your people are an essential
asset. What efforts do you take to attract,
retain, and grow your people? Have
you changed your approach due to the
pandemic?
Borchert. Recruiting and retaining Direct Support
Professionals (DSPs), the staff that works directly
to provide services to people with disabilities, are
critical to our success, as well as the success of the
people we serve. This has long been a challenge for
intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) providers for
a number of reasons, most notably that the state
of Pennsylvania sets the rates for DSP wages. On
average, a DSP makes $13.38 per hour. The pandemic
added to the challenges we face with more and more
businesses relying on hourly employees offering
higher wages and, in some cases, starting bonuses.
To remain competitive in this new environment,
InVision provided a temporary increase of $2 per
hour for all DSPs at the beginning of the pandemic.
That transitioned to a $150 bonus per pay for full-time
DSPs and $75 per pay for part-time.
Kocan. I understand that InVision relies heavily on
the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Office of Developmental Programs to set rates for
your services. What efforts does the organization
take to stay apprised of and impact the political
landscape?
Borchert. We have an office in Harrisburg, the
Pennsylvania state capitol, and a vice president of
government relations and advocacy who works with
the governor’s office and the state’s General Assembly
to bring attention to issues that ID/A providers face,
especially the rates for our services which include
DSP wages. We also are active with state and national
advocacy organizations such as Pennsylvania Advocacy
Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability (PAR)
and American Network of Community Options and
Resources (ANCOR) to further our lobbying and
advocacy efforts on behalf of people with disabilities as
well as Direct Support Professionals.
Kocan. Due to pandemic-related funding, you are
now subject to additional compliance requirements,
including a Uniform Guidance Single Audit. What
additional processes have you implemented to prepare
for this? Has your response been limited to operations
and the executive level, or have you involved your board
as well?
Borchert . Our Vice President of Finance, Shawn Ryan,
maintains an active CPA license. As such, he utilizes all
available resources such as the AICPA, PICPA, provider
organizations such as PAR and The Provider Alliance (TPA),
as well as webinars from HBK. He has maintained an open
line of communication with our HBK team on this ever and
rapidly changing funding and compliance environment.
Shawn’s role has also been to update our officers and board
on a regular basis regarding these matters.
Kocan. HBK has proudly worked alongside InVision
since 2017, providing audit and tax services, education
opportunities to your team, and periodic consulting on
matters such as pandemic-related funding compliance,
compensation plans, and financing matters. How
does InVision perceive the role and importance of a
CPA partner?
Borchert . We expect our CPA partner to be competent,
professional, and responsive and to continue to look for
ways to add value. HBK continues to play an important role
as a trusted advisor.
