Announcements
Sponsor the first ever Disabilities Gubernatorial Forum: DelARF has joined with a coalition of organizations of and for people with disabilities throughout the state to offer the “first ever” gubernatorial forum for all declared candidates for governor. The event will be held on July 17 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Terry Campus Conference Center in the Education and Technology building at Delaware Technical & Community College, Terry Campus, in Dover. To date, both John Carney and Jack Markell have confirmed their attendance. Information about the forum can be found on the DelARF website. To date, the following organizations have offered to be a sponsor: State Council for Persons with Disabilities, Delaware Association of Rehabilitation Facilities, AARP, Autism Society of Delaware, Center for Disabilities Studies, Disabilities Law Program – CLASI, Developmental Disabilities Council, Elwyn Delaware, Governor’s Advisory Council for Exceptional Citizens, League of Women Voters, Mental Health Association, National Alliance on Mental Illness in Delaware, State Rehabilitation Council, Statewide Independent Living Councils, The Arc of Delaware, United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, and parents, families & advocates. In order to be listed as a sponsor, we are asking for a minimum contribution of $200 (or $100 if you provide additional in-kind support.) Learn more and download the Save-the-Date to share with your constituents. Updates and information on how to register for the event will be posted on our website as they become available. Please put it on your calendar NOW!
Calendar of Events: Our meeting schedule for May and trainings offered by our members can be found in our Calendar section. We update this monthly on our website so feel free to check in often.
Commission Update: As a membership organization, much of our work and value comes from participation by members in our commission meetings. By attending, you will gain valuable information in a timely fashion AND will have an opportunity to share strategies with your colleagues. Now more than ever, this is important. For information about the role of each of our commissions, go to our Commission section.
News from the April Commission Meetings: A major topic of discussion at each of the April meetings was the state’s fiscal situation and its impact on the people we serve. Below you will find just some of the topics the groups discussed and their strategies going forward:
- Behavioral Health: The group engaged in a discussion regarding likely scenarios and the possible avenues that we as providers might take. They decided to become proactive and put forth cost neutral solutions that will demonstrate our good faith in working with the state and will ultimately result in the provision of quality services to our shared constituents. Members agreed that they would each come up with some suggestions for the state and send them to Connie. She will summarize them and send them back out to the group for their review.
- Business Services: Faced with the possibility of significant cuts in contract work through the state set-aside program, the group discussed the impact of such cuts on our employees with disabilities who work in these contracts. For many of them, these contracts are their first opportunity to work in a community setting. If they are laid off, they will need to return to day programs where the cost to the state will be much higher. DelARF has conveyed this message to state officials.
- Developmental Disabilities: Attendees identified a comprehensive list of actions they may have to take if further cuts are requested of them. These included such items as decreasing staff, hiring freezes, discharging consumers, asking families to pay for exceptional services, asking consumers to use DART instead of providing transportation, etc. All of these actions would have a negative impact on those we serve. If cuts must be made, the state should work with providers on the process so that the least amount of “damage” is done to consumers and their families.
- Government Relations: Members reviewed and discussed a grass roots advocacy campaign for members. They first reviewed a draft “Speaking Points” document that focused on the need to maintain appropriate levels of funding for providers. They next reviewed a spreadsheet matching DelARF members with JFC members and leaders in the state legislature. The group recommended that all DelARF members begin (or continue) to invite their legislators out to their sites to deliver our message. They discussed the process of inviting their legislator and recommended that legislators should first be invited to visit. If they cannot come, then the caller should ask to visit them at Leg Hall or at their local office. While there, the agency should select a date and time for their visit to their programs.
- Physical Disabilities: Members of the Commission met with DSAAPD Director, Guy Perrotti, and his staff to discuss the following: the current status of the ABI Waiver and MFP, the current demand for PAS, the impact of DelARF’s JFC Testimony, Federal Changes in Medicaid and their possible impact on services, and current funding priorities of the department as well as the state’s current fiscal situation. Each of these items was discussed in great detail and the department was very forthcoming in their information.
- Vocational Services: Maureen McGuire-Kuletz, Director/Associate Professor, George Washington University, Mid-Atlantic Regional RCEP, was a guest at the April meeting. Her purpose for attending was to seek input from rehabilitation providers in Delaware regarding their needs for Technical Assistance and Training. The Rehabilitation Services Administration is changing the way they fund the RCEPs and they have created a new entity known as TACE (Technical Assistance and Continuing Education) Centers. Both VCU and GW will be applying for the award for our region. The group learned about these changes and had an opportunity to discuss their staff’s needs for training.
May Commission Meetings of Note:
- Behavioral Health: Renata Henry, Director of DSAMH, will speak at the May Commission meeting to be held on May 14 at the Bear Library (note change from usual location). The meeting will begin at 10:00 and Ms. Henry will join us at 11:00. We will be sending her an agenda prior to the meeting. If you have an Agenda item, please send that to Connie to be added to the list.
- Vocational Services: At the next Vocational Service Commission meeting, the group will be starting a dialogue around work incentives and the DE Medicaid waiver. Guest speaker Michael Walling will explain specific Social Security incentives and how other providers or states have used IRWE (Impaired Work Related Expenses) and PASS (Plan to Achieve Self Supports) plans to supplement services. They will also look at states that have waivers similar to Delaware and those that allow them to be enhanced through these special programs. This is a new initiative for this Commission. We hope to research and recommend ways to support services for those who are working and need to subsidize their current funding levels. We want to ensure that they maintain their employment and other meaningful activities that may or may not be covered by the waiver and/or state plan. The next meeting will be on May 7, 2008 at the Bear Library at 1:00 p.m. (This is a change in date to accommodate our speaker!)
News from Dover
State Budget Predicament: All of us are waiting anxiously to know what the impact of the state’s budget situation will mean in terms of the services we will be able to provide in FY09. I spoke to a long time Delaware lobbyist who told me “we are in uncharted territory.” With that fact in mind, I will try to tell you what I know (and in some cases what I suspect.)
DEFAC Reports: The March 18 DEFAC (Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council) report showed a dramatic decrease in revenue for the state since their last estimate in December 2007. The April Report indicated an additional $12.7 million in projected revenues losses for FY 09. Revenues for the current year continue to slide. Budget Director JJ Davis indicated that “painful” cuts will need to be made between now and June 30. See the News Journal’s article here.
Current Situation: As of April 29, it has been reported that the state is looking at a deficit in the current year of $62.4 million. This is after the state has already cut out $74.7 million though spending reductions and shifting funds. In my conversations with state officials, they told me that the state is first looking for administrative cost cutting (like giving back positions that have not been filled) before it goes after any direct services. Each Division Director was asked to submit a budget for FY09 that reflected an 8% cut in spending. Those submissions went to the Secretary level for further decision making and then were passed on to the Budget Office. The Joint Finance Committee will go into their final “mark-up” starting on May 19 through the 29th. During that time, we will begin to see where further cuts will be made but we do not expect that this will be fully resolved until June 30.
What DelARF is Doing During This Crisis: First and foremost, we understand that our members have not had adequate increases for sometime and that this budget crisis may further erode your ability to meet our common missions: to serve the people with disabilities and provide them with quality care and supports. To that end, we have launched the following initiatives to date:
- I have contacted the division directors of each of the major divisions we work with to ask them to share their plans with us, to work with us in making any changes, and to tell us as soon as possible what we might expect in the way of changes in service delivery for our clients. Basically, they have told me that they do not know what cuts will be made and are awaiting word like we are. I did learn however, that the cuts, if any, will not necessarily be based on a percentage reduction to all programs. Some services/programs may be dropped entirely, some may be cut, others may remain untouched. For those that are cut or discontinued, I emphasized the need for us to have fair warning so that our consumers, their families and our staff are not suddenly left without programs or jobs.
- I have created a new “Speaking Points” document for all members to use when talking to policy makers about the valuable role that our members play in the system of care in Delaware. Download the document for talking about the role of providers.
- We have mapped out a “grassroots legislative campaign” that will ask each member agency to meet with specific legislators so that they can SEE and understand the importance of our work. We want legislators to see who you serve and the difference you make in their lives. We also want them to know about the pain that will result if these services are cut or eliminated. Thanks to those of you who have already begun meeting with your legislators. I will be contacting each of you in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you want to get started, I have some “boilerplate” emails and templates in place. Send me an email and we can begin.
- I am also meeting with key officials/legislators to let them know how important our work is to the quality of life in Delaware and what the implications of cuts might be not only for you but for your consumers, their families and the boarder community.
News from Washington
- Medicaid Update: Previous updates to our members have told you about the various changes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are trying to push through. All of these initiatives will shift costs to the states and some will disenfranchise significant numbers of individuals and families. Since 42% of all Medicaid funding supports people with disabilities, this is a funding source we will monitor for our members. For a full review of these regulations and how they may impact YOUR PROGRAMS, please see the March Monthly Mailing for more information. As noted last month, new legislation was introduced in the House to put a one year moratorium on the implementation of these regulations. Click this link to view this legislation. To see what Congress is doing about the regs and how they impact each state (including Delaware) go here.
- Current Situation on Passage of CMS Regulations: As indicated in a series of DelARF Alerts that went out in mid-April, the House overwhelmingly passed Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 with a veto-proof vote of 349-62. Congressman Castle did vote for it and I called and thanked his staff person. Now it heads to the Senate. It appears that a group of Republican Senators are planning to stop it from surfacing. Senate Republicans are circulating a letter to their colleagues urging them not to support this legislation. The letter indicates that CMS is essentially just trying to eliminate the “fraud and abuse” existing within Medicaid and cites reports from the OIG and GAO calling for reform. A rebuttal to that argument from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities can be found here. I am urging all of you to call our Senators (Biden at 202-224-5042 and Carper at 202-224-2441) and ask for Racquel Russell (Carper) or Patrick Johnston (Biden) and urge their support of the “Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (HR 5613).” Tell them if the Medicaid Rehab Option is changed, hundreds of adults with Developmental Disabilities living at home and attending day programs will no longer be funded by Medicaid for these programs. This would mean that the State of Delaware would have to pick up the entire cost of services. Thousands of individuals with mental illness, including those served in the CCCP program, would no longer be eligible to receive the Medicaid funded supportive services they require to live productive lives unless the State paid the full cost for their care. Delaware simply does not have the funds to pick up these costs, especially now.
- State Fiscal Crises Across the Nation: At least 25 states are now reporting a serious fiscal crisis according to a new study from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Delaware is listed among them. To see the report, go to this link.
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