A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report explored the current use of subminimum wage certificates across the country. The U.S. Department of Labor issues these certificates, known as 14(c) certificates, to employers so they may employ individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities for less than the minimum wage. Approximately 40,000 people were employed under these certificates in 2024.
However, 14(c) certificates are increasingly falling out of favor with states and the federal government as policymakers have placed greater emphasis on “competitive, integrated employment opportunities.” The new emphasis seeks to integrate people with disabilities into traditional work environments alongside employees without disabilities. Defending this vision, disability rights activists have also raised concerns about offering a subminimum wage, viewing it as discriminatory.
The latest GAO report looks at two states — Colorado and Oregon — that have abolished the 14(c) program. It includes the perspectives of people formerly employed under the certificates and what they are doing now in its stead.
The subminimum wage was introduced in 1938 as a way to employ individuals with disabilities, said Jody Boquist, an attorney at Littler in Chicago. “Historically, there certainly have been some horror stories,” she noted, with “a number of individuals who were being abused.” But in modern times, the employers that have 14(c) certificates are...
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