Arc Recognition Awards
Below is a list of awards that were given at our recent membership meeting and awards dinner.
We would like to thank them again for the support and dedication they have towards families and individuals with developmental disabilities. You can also view an article in the Everett Herald.
Cynthia Allen-Weissinger as Parent Leader of the Year
Jeff Atkins as Parent Volunteer of the Year
Amy Patterson as Parent Advocate of the Year
Maryann Matuska as Self Advocate of the Year
The Everett Firefighters Hall as Community Supporter of the Year
Clinton Brock, manager of James Village Albertson's, as Employer of The Year
Courtney Holland, Harbour Pointe Montessori School, as Teacher of the Year
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
2009 Disability Policy Seminar
The Arc of United States Disability Policy Seminar information, the Federal Legislation, Fact sheets, etc. are available Here
Take a Look!
Take a Look!
State's schools get $400 million federal windfall
OLYMPIA — Washington schools will get an unprecedented federal windfall over the next two years — up to $400 million for special-education and low-income students.
The temporary influx of money is certainly welcome. School officials have long complained that the federal government doesn't give them what they need.
But the federal cash has also put some school officials in an awkward spot. The state budget crisis has forced schools to cut training and class offerings and lay off hundreds of teachers. The Legislature slashed $600 million from Initiative 728 funding, approved by the voters in 2000, to hire teachers and reduce class sizes.
So due to limits on how the new federal stimulus money can be spent, the additional money means many districts may wind up maintaining or improving services for some students while cutting programs for others.
In Federal Way, for example, Superintendent Thomas Murphy is trying to figure out how to spend the special-education money while also planning to lay off 10 teachers.
"If that money came with no strings, that would be an option to say, 'OK, we don't have to lay these 10 teachers off,' " he said.
The Lake Washington School District has avoided laying off teachers but plans to cut back some math and science teacher-training programs while it expands teacher training for special-needs students.
"It certainly poses a dilemma for us," said Chip Kimball, Lake Washington superintendent. "If we had those same dollars unrestricted, we would have spent them differently, I imagine."
Kimball said the message being sent by government is that low-income and special-education programs "are more important than math and science. Well, our local community may say math and science are equally important programs."
In Seattle, however, the head of the School Board sees little downside to the federal money, a portion of which can be used to patch budget holes. "It's a pretty good fit for us right now," said Michael DeBell, the board president.
Christie Perkins, the public-policy chair for the Washington State Special Education Coalition, said school administrators have a right to complain about the way Congress handed out the stimulus money.
But she's worried about special education being put "in this difficult position of being blamed by everybody. It's always been an issue from the beginning of time. Whenever you have a large chunk of money that's going to one particular population, it's going to be seen by others as an unfair scenario."
Federal stimulus
The extra money for schools is part of a federal stimulus package aimed at helping states get out of the recession.
In this state, lawmakers faced a $9 billion shortfall in the fiscal 2009-2011 budget earlier this year because of a staggering drop in tax collections.
Congress helped by giving the state around $3 billion that could be spent on anything. It helped limit the damage to the state budget and kept a bad situation for public schools from getting much worse.
But lawmakers still had to hack billions out of the state budget. Cuts included most of the state funding for Initiative 728, which could be used by school districts for a variety of purposes, including reducing class sizes.
While lawmakers were taking that money away, they were also adding in federal money with strings attached. Specifically, the money for special education and Title I funds, which are aimed at helping low-income students.
In other words, the Legislature slashed state funding for public schools that could be used broadly, and partially replaced it with one-time stimulus dollars from the federal government with a more narrow purpose.
The federal government did provide some flexibility.
School districts are getting a total of about $220 million in federal special-education money. They can use up to half of that amount to backfill cuts elsewhere in their budgets. Essentially, the new money allows districts to use some of the local money they now spend on special education for other purposes.
Even so, Paul Rosier, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, says "There is going to be nothing easy about using this money ... It's just that there are a lot of rules. The problem is, the more rules there are, the easier it is to step on the line somewhere and be out of compliance."
State Superintendent Randy Dorn said school officials "need to think more creatively about these dollars instead of, 'We can only spend it this way.' "
The federal government, he said, is essentially telling districts, "We're giving you resources to change what you do so that it works better for kids."
In two years, it's gone
The biggest issue with the federal money, aside from the restrictions on use, is that it's temporary.
If districts use it to hire new teachers, for example, what will they do in two years when the funding is due to dry up?
"All of that has to be weighed," Rosier said. "There are lots of complications for districts. How do you use the money in an effective way that doesn't set you up for real problems down the road?"
Some school districts are using their Title I money for preschool and kindergarten programs that benefit low-income students.
When it comes to special-education dollars, many districts are considering using the money for one-time purposes such as buying new books and training all their teachers to work with special-education students.
Seattle Public Schools also is looking at using some of the money to create a new system that, instead of teaching special-education students separately, brings them into the general classroom population, depending on their needs.
And Seattle is using half of its federal special-education money to help retain teachers who otherwise would be laid off. The district had planned to lay off 160 teachers but was able to save 57 jobs using the federal money combined with other funds.
DeBell, the board president, said he's not too worried about the federal money disappearing because Seattle's enrollment appears to be increasing, and that will bring in more state money.
"The federal money is working like a bridge for us to allow us to carry employees we're pretty sure we're going to need because of enrollment trends," he said.
Andrew Garber: 360-236-8266 or agarber@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009364761_special21m.html
OLYMPIA — Washington schools will get an unprecedented federal windfall over the next two years — up to $400 million for special-education and low-income students.
The temporary influx of money is certainly welcome. School officials have long complained that the federal government doesn't give them what they need.
But the federal cash has also put some school officials in an awkward spot. The state budget crisis has forced schools to cut training and class offerings and lay off hundreds of teachers. The Legislature slashed $600 million from Initiative 728 funding, approved by the voters in 2000, to hire teachers and reduce class sizes.
So due to limits on how the new federal stimulus money can be spent, the additional money means many districts may wind up maintaining or improving services for some students while cutting programs for others.
In Federal Way, for example, Superintendent Thomas Murphy is trying to figure out how to spend the special-education money while also planning to lay off 10 teachers.
"If that money came with no strings, that would be an option to say, 'OK, we don't have to lay these 10 teachers off,' " he said.
The Lake Washington School District has avoided laying off teachers but plans to cut back some math and science teacher-training programs while it expands teacher training for special-needs students.
"It certainly poses a dilemma for us," said Chip Kimball, Lake Washington superintendent. "If we had those same dollars unrestricted, we would have spent them differently, I imagine."
Kimball said the message being sent by government is that low-income and special-education programs "are more important than math and science. Well, our local community may say math and science are equally important programs."
In Seattle, however, the head of the School Board sees little downside to the federal money, a portion of which can be used to patch budget holes. "It's a pretty good fit for us right now," said Michael DeBell, the board president.
Christie Perkins, the public-policy chair for the Washington State Special Education Coalition, said school administrators have a right to complain about the way Congress handed out the stimulus money.
But she's worried about special education being put "in this difficult position of being blamed by everybody. It's always been an issue from the beginning of time. Whenever you have a large chunk of money that's going to one particular population, it's going to be seen by others as an unfair scenario."
Federal stimulus
The extra money for schools is part of a federal stimulus package aimed at helping states get out of the recession.
In this state, lawmakers faced a $9 billion shortfall in the fiscal 2009-2011 budget earlier this year because of a staggering drop in tax collections.
Congress helped by giving the state around $3 billion that could be spent on anything. It helped limit the damage to the state budget and kept a bad situation for public schools from getting much worse.
But lawmakers still had to hack billions out of the state budget. Cuts included most of the state funding for Initiative 728, which could be used by school districts for a variety of purposes, including reducing class sizes.
While lawmakers were taking that money away, they were also adding in federal money with strings attached. Specifically, the money for special education and Title I funds, which are aimed at helping low-income students.
In other words, the Legislature slashed state funding for public schools that could be used broadly, and partially replaced it with one-time stimulus dollars from the federal government with a more narrow purpose.
The federal government did provide some flexibility.
School districts are getting a total of about $220 million in federal special-education money. They can use up to half of that amount to backfill cuts elsewhere in their budgets. Essentially, the new money allows districts to use some of the local money they now spend on special education for other purposes.
Even so, Paul Rosier, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, says "There is going to be nothing easy about using this money ... It's just that there are a lot of rules. The problem is, the more rules there are, the easier it is to step on the line somewhere and be out of compliance."
State Superintendent Randy Dorn said school officials "need to think more creatively about these dollars instead of, 'We can only spend it this way.' "
The federal government, he said, is essentially telling districts, "We're giving you resources to change what you do so that it works better for kids."
In two years, it's gone
The biggest issue with the federal money, aside from the restrictions on use, is that it's temporary.
If districts use it to hire new teachers, for example, what will they do in two years when the funding is due to dry up?
"All of that has to be weighed," Rosier said. "There are lots of complications for districts. How do you use the money in an effective way that doesn't set you up for real problems down the road?"
Some school districts are using their Title I money for preschool and kindergarten programs that benefit low-income students.
When it comes to special-education dollars, many districts are considering using the money for one-time purposes such as buying new books and training all their teachers to work with special-education students.
Seattle Public Schools also is looking at using some of the money to create a new system that, instead of teaching special-education students separately, brings them into the general classroom population, depending on their needs.
And Seattle is using half of its federal special-education money to help retain teachers who otherwise would be laid off. The district had planned to lay off 160 teachers but was able to save 57 jobs using the federal money combined with other funds.
DeBell, the board president, said he's not too worried about the federal money disappearing because Seattle's enrollment appears to be increasing, and that will bring in more state money.
"The federal money is working like a bridge for us to allow us to carry employees we're pretty sure we're going to need because of enrollment trends," he said.
Andrew Garber: 360-236-8266 or agarber@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009364761_special21m.html
The temporary influx of money is certainly welcome. School officials have long complained that the federal government doesn't give them what they need.
But the federal cash has also put some school officials in an awkward spot. The state budget crisis has forced schools to cut training and class offerings and lay off hundreds of teachers. The Legislature slashed $600 million from Initiative 728 funding, approved by the voters in 2000, to hire teachers and reduce class sizes.
So due to limits on how the new federal stimulus money can be spent, the additional money means many districts may wind up maintaining or improving services for some students while cutting programs for others.
In Federal Way, for example, Superintendent Thomas Murphy is trying to figure out how to spend the special-education money while also planning to lay off 10 teachers.
"If that money came with no strings, that would be an option to say, 'OK, we don't have to lay these 10 teachers off,' " he said.
The Lake Washington School District has avoided laying off teachers but plans to cut back some math and science teacher-training programs while it expands teacher training for special-needs students.
"It certainly poses a dilemma for us," said Chip Kimball, Lake Washington superintendent. "If we had those same dollars unrestricted, we would have spent them differently, I imagine."
Kimball said the message being sent by government is that low-income and special-education programs "are more important than math and science. Well, our local community may say math and science are equally important programs."
In Seattle, however, the head of the School Board sees little downside to the federal money, a portion of which can be used to patch budget holes. "It's a pretty good fit for us right now," said Michael DeBell, the board president.
Christie Perkins, the public-policy chair for the Washington State Special Education Coalition, said school administrators have a right to complain about the way Congress handed out the stimulus money.
But she's worried about special education being put "in this difficult position of being blamed by everybody. It's always been an issue from the beginning of time. Whenever you have a large chunk of money that's going to one particular population, it's going to be seen by others as an unfair scenario."
Federal stimulus
The extra money for schools is part of a federal stimulus package aimed at helping states get out of the recession.
In this state, lawmakers faced a $9 billion shortfall in the fiscal 2009-2011 budget earlier this year because of a staggering drop in tax collections.
Congress helped by giving the state around $3 billion that could be spent on anything. It helped limit the damage to the state budget and kept a bad situation for public schools from getting much worse.
But lawmakers still had to hack billions out of the state budget. Cuts included most of the state funding for Initiative 728, which could be used by school districts for a variety of purposes, including reducing class sizes.
While lawmakers were taking that money away, they were also adding in federal money with strings attached. Specifically, the money for special education and Title I funds, which are aimed at helping low-income students.
In other words, the Legislature slashed state funding for public schools that could be used broadly, and partially replaced it with one-time stimulus dollars from the federal government with a more narrow purpose.
The federal government did provide some flexibility.
School districts are getting a total of about $220 million in federal special-education money. They can use up to half of that amount to backfill cuts elsewhere in their budgets. Essentially, the new money allows districts to use some of the local money they now spend on special education for other purposes.
Even so, Paul Rosier, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, says "There is going to be nothing easy about using this money ... It's just that there are a lot of rules. The problem is, the more rules there are, the easier it is to step on the line somewhere and be out of compliance."
State Superintendent Randy Dorn said school officials "need to think more creatively about these dollars instead of, 'We can only spend it this way.' "
The federal government, he said, is essentially telling districts, "We're giving you resources to change what you do so that it works better for kids."
In two years, it's gone
The biggest issue with the federal money, aside from the restrictions on use, is that it's temporary.
If districts use it to hire new teachers, for example, what will they do in two years when the funding is due to dry up?
"All of that has to be weighed," Rosier said. "There are lots of complications for districts. How do you use the money in an effective way that doesn't set you up for real problems down the road?"
Some school districts are using their Title I money for preschool and kindergarten programs that benefit low-income students.
When it comes to special-education dollars, many districts are considering using the money for one-time purposes such as buying new books and training all their teachers to work with special-education students.
Seattle Public Schools also is looking at using some of the money to create a new system that, instead of teaching special-education students separately, brings them into the general classroom population, depending on their needs.
And Seattle is using half of its federal special-education money to help retain teachers who otherwise would be laid off. The district had planned to lay off 160 teachers but was able to save 57 jobs using the federal money combined with other funds.
DeBell, the board president, said he's not too worried about the federal money disappearing because Seattle's enrollment appears to be increasing, and that will bring in more state money.
"The federal money is working like a bridge for us to allow us to carry employees we're pretty sure we're going to need because of enrollment trends," he said.
Andrew Garber: 360-236-8266 or agarber@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009364761_special21m.html
OLYMPIA — Washington schools will get an unprecedented federal windfall over the next two years — up to $400 million for special-education and low-income students.
The temporary influx of money is certainly welcome. School officials have long complained that the federal government doesn't give them what they need.
But the federal cash has also put some school officials in an awkward spot. The state budget crisis has forced schools to cut training and class offerings and lay off hundreds of teachers. The Legislature slashed $600 million from Initiative 728 funding, approved by the voters in 2000, to hire teachers and reduce class sizes.
So due to limits on how the new federal stimulus money can be spent, the additional money means many districts may wind up maintaining or improving services for some students while cutting programs for others.
In Federal Way, for example, Superintendent Thomas Murphy is trying to figure out how to spend the special-education money while also planning to lay off 10 teachers.
"If that money came with no strings, that would be an option to say, 'OK, we don't have to lay these 10 teachers off,' " he said.
The Lake Washington School District has avoided laying off teachers but plans to cut back some math and science teacher-training programs while it expands teacher training for special-needs students.
"It certainly poses a dilemma for us," said Chip Kimball, Lake Washington superintendent. "If we had those same dollars unrestricted, we would have spent them differently, I imagine."
Kimball said the message being sent by government is that low-income and special-education programs "are more important than math and science. Well, our local community may say math and science are equally important programs."
In Seattle, however, the head of the School Board sees little downside to the federal money, a portion of which can be used to patch budget holes. "It's a pretty good fit for us right now," said Michael DeBell, the board president.
Christie Perkins, the public-policy chair for the Washington State Special Education Coalition, said school administrators have a right to complain about the way Congress handed out the stimulus money.
But she's worried about special education being put "in this difficult position of being blamed by everybody. It's always been an issue from the beginning of time. Whenever you have a large chunk of money that's going to one particular population, it's going to be seen by others as an unfair scenario."
Federal stimulus
The extra money for schools is part of a federal stimulus package aimed at helping states get out of the recession.
In this state, lawmakers faced a $9 billion shortfall in the fiscal 2009-2011 budget earlier this year because of a staggering drop in tax collections.
Congress helped by giving the state around $3 billion that could be spent on anything. It helped limit the damage to the state budget and kept a bad situation for public schools from getting much worse.
But lawmakers still had to hack billions out of the state budget. Cuts included most of the state funding for Initiative 728, which could be used by school districts for a variety of purposes, including reducing class sizes.
While lawmakers were taking that money away, they were also adding in federal money with strings attached. Specifically, the money for special education and Title I funds, which are aimed at helping low-income students.
In other words, the Legislature slashed state funding for public schools that could be used broadly, and partially replaced it with one-time stimulus dollars from the federal government with a more narrow purpose.
The federal government did provide some flexibility.
School districts are getting a total of about $220 million in federal special-education money. They can use up to half of that amount to backfill cuts elsewhere in their budgets. Essentially, the new money allows districts to use some of the local money they now spend on special education for other purposes.
Even so, Paul Rosier, executive director of the Washington Association of School Administrators, says "There is going to be nothing easy about using this money ... It's just that there are a lot of rules. The problem is, the more rules there are, the easier it is to step on the line somewhere and be out of compliance."
State Superintendent Randy Dorn said school officials "need to think more creatively about these dollars instead of, 'We can only spend it this way.' "
The federal government, he said, is essentially telling districts, "We're giving you resources to change what you do so that it works better for kids."
In two years, it's gone
The biggest issue with the federal money, aside from the restrictions on use, is that it's temporary.
If districts use it to hire new teachers, for example, what will they do in two years when the funding is due to dry up?
"All of that has to be weighed," Rosier said. "There are lots of complications for districts. How do you use the money in an effective way that doesn't set you up for real problems down the road?"
Some school districts are using their Title I money for preschool and kindergarten programs that benefit low-income students.
When it comes to special-education dollars, many districts are considering using the money for one-time purposes such as buying new books and training all their teachers to work with special-education students.
Seattle Public Schools also is looking at using some of the money to create a new system that, instead of teaching special-education students separately, brings them into the general classroom population, depending on their needs.
And Seattle is using half of its federal special-education money to help retain teachers who otherwise would be laid off. The district had planned to lay off 160 teachers but was able to save 57 jobs using the federal money combined with other funds.
DeBell, the board president, said he's not too worried about the federal money disappearing because Seattle's enrollment appears to be increasing, and that will bring in more state money.
"The federal money is working like a bridge for us to allow us to carry employees we're pretty sure we're going to need because of enrollment trends," he said.
Andrew Garber: 360-236-8266 or agarber@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009364761_special21m.html
A Guide to Social Security Benefits
The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) has released a booklet entitled Going to Work: A Guide to Social Security Benefits and Employment for Young People with Disabilities. The purpose of this booklet is to give young people with developmental disabilities, their families and the professionals working with them some practical, hands-on information about work incentives. The booklet includes chapters on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), how the two programs are impacted by earned income, the Ticket to Work, and other guidance for young people managing Social Security benefits.
FMI: The booklet is available at http://www.communityinclusion.org/article.php?article_id=211.
Changes Proposed For Medicaid Waiver
By Shaun Heasley
June 22, 2009
Public comment is now being sought on proposed changes to the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver.
The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services is proposing two regulatory changes to the way the waiver program is administered. The public has until August 21 to submit comment on the issue.
The waiver is the major vehicle by which people with disabilities receive funding for support services to live within the community. The proposed changes would impact the way people are identified as qualifying for waiver services and where they are allowed to live while receiving waiver money.
The proposal comes following the launch of President Barack Obama’s initiative, “The Year of Community Living,” earlier Monday in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case Olmstead v. LC and EW. In that decision, the court determined that states have an obligation to provide community-based living options for people with disabilities.
Information about the proposed changes and instructions for commenting on them can be found by clicking here.
Copyright © 2009 Disability Scoop, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For reprints and permissions click here.
http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2009/06/22/waiver-changes/3810/
Monday, June 22, 2009
Olmsted Anniversary
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009
President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities
On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that anniversary and launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.
Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will announce several new initiatives including details about increased numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President's pledge to be as open and transparent as possible.
“The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently,” said President Obama. “I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation.”
In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that time, progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them.
To help remedy that problem, the Obama Administration provided over $140 million in the Recovery Act funding for independent living centers across the country. The Administration acknowledges that strides have been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.
The President noted that his Administration looks forward to continued engagement with the disability community to achieve these goals.
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2009
President Obama Commemorates Anniversary of Olmstead and Announces New Initiatives to Assist Americans with Disabilities
On the 10th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision in the case of Olmstead v. L.C., President Barack Obama today celebrated that anniversary and launched "The Year of Community Living," a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities.
Specifically, the President has directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. As part of this effort, later today, Secretaries Sebelius and Donovan will announce several new initiatives including details about increased numbers of Section 8 vouchers and enhanced interagency coordination to address this critical civil rights issue. The initiative also will include listening sessions conducted by HHS across the country to hear the voices and stories of Americans and to keep the President's pledge to be as open and transparent as possible.
“The Olmstead ruling was a critical step forward for our nation, articulating one of the most fundamental rights of Americans with disabilities: Having the choice to live independently,” said President Obama. “I am proud to launch this initiative to reaffirm my Administration's commitment to vigorous enforcement of civil rights for Americans with disabilities and to ensuring the fullest inclusion of all people in the life of our nation.”
In the Olmstead case, the Court held that the unjustified institutional isolation of people with disabilities is a form of unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since that time, progress has been made. Many individuals have successfully transitioned to community settings, but waiting lists for community services have grown considerably and many individuals who would like to receive community services are not able to obtain them.
To help remedy that problem, the Obama Administration provided over $140 million in the Recovery Act funding for independent living centers across the country. The Administration acknowledges that strides have been made, and knows and accepts that there is much work to do in order to maximize the choices and opportunities for individuals to receive long-term services and supports in institutional and community settings.
The President noted that his Administration looks forward to continued engagement with the disability community to achieve these goals.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Session Wrap Up
The session has finally ended. or has it?
Although the 2009 legislative session wrapped up on time on Sunday,
April 26th, it was a contentious ending that saw them leave without
passing some controversial bills that are deemed "Necessary To Implement
the Budget". One bill on deporting immigrant criminal offenders could
save $8 million a year and a bill on school levies is also considered
very important. This means the legislature will likely be called back
for a special session at a cost of about $20,000 a day to tax payers.
Though legislators were budget focused, some important bills made it
through.
The bills that made it through the session have now been delivered to
the Governor. The Children's Intensive In-home Behavior Supports bill
has already been signed into law. Go to
http://capwiz.
<http://capwiz.
For such a difficult budget session, this many bills being passed for
those with developmental disabilities was really quite an
accomplishment. Thank you to everyone who made phone calls, wrote
letters and emails and visited legislators and their staff to help get
these bills passed.
So what's in the budget. or not in it??
A good thing that the legislature did was provide residential supports
services for 60 clients who are at risk of institutionalizatio
would be slots on the CORE Waiver. Another 32 new slots were provided in
the Community Protection Waiver. This was about the only good news for
residential services for people with developmental disabilities, as
residential services took the worst cuts. When a client leaves a
community residential slot, it must be kept vacant. Vendor rates for
supported living, group homes and adult family homes were all cut by
about 3%. Adult day health services will no longer be provided for those
in residential supports, only for in-home clients. The state does not
consider community residential placements as the person's "home".
For clients living in-home they will see a reduction in Medicaid
Personal Care hours, which will be based on acuity levels. Although
Medicare Part D had been targeted in an earlier budget proposal, no cuts
were made in the final budget. Vision and hearing services escaped the
chopping block, but according to the Agency Detail budget book, dental
provider rates get rolled back to the 2007 rates (we think). The actual
bill language says to provide an adult dental benefit that is at least
equivalent to the benefit provided in the 2003-05 biennium. We will have
to see where that ends up.
About three years ago the state got a "New Freedom" demonstration
waiver. It is only available for King County residents age 65 and older
or residents age 18 and older with a physical disability. The menu of
services is narrower than on DD waivers, but it allows clients more
freedom on how the funds are spent. It would only apply to a handful of
individuals with developmental disabilities and would not be the best
choice for most. It somehow ended up in the DD budget, though no one is
sure why, and it has caused confusion to clients and providers, as well
as the DDD administration.
Employment fared well, in that those currently receiving state only
employment services will be transferred to a waiver and get to continue
their services. There is no additional funding for about 1,400 graduates
this biennium though. There is a cut to employment services, but
counties are to do this through vendor rates and overhead reductions.
There will be a JLARC (Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee)
study on county administered services such as employment day and child
development services. The report, due September 1, 2010, must provide a
description of how funds are used and the rates paid to vendors, and a
recommendation on best practices the agency may use for the development
of a consistent, outcome-based contract for services provided under
contract with the counties. DDD must develop and implement the use of a
consistent, statewide outcome-based vendor contracts for employment and
day services by April 1, 2011. The rates paid to vendors under this
contract must also be made consistent.
Though advocates tried hard to educate legislators about the inequity of
cutting services in the community, but not in state DD institutions, by
asking them to close Yakima Valley RHC, that did not happen in the final
budget. Instead, legislators directed the Office of Financial Management
to do a study of closing RHCs by contracting with consultants with
expertise in this area. They need to consider alternate facilities, the
cost of operating the facility, impact of the facility on the local
economy and alternative uses for a facility recommended for closure.
They will also look at the impact on clients in the facility and their
families. OFM has to submit a final report by November 1, 2009. The
report must provide a recommendation and a plan to eliminate 250 funded
beds in the residential habilitation centers through closure or
consolidation of facilities.
There was a DD set-aside for the Housing Trust Fund of $3 million. This
will be helpful to individuals wanting to live in the community. HB
1373, the Children's Mental Health bill was funded, as was HB 2078 that
creates a screening tool for DD in jails and correctional facilities.
Overall, it looks like DD community services took a cut between 3-4%,
less than what some other agencies got hit with. There are still many
questions of how some of these cuts will impact services, but your
advocacy made the difference. Without your calls, emails and visits, the
outcome for DD community services could have been much more painful.
The Olympia Insider video podcast is a concise preview and review of
what's happening with developmental disability advocacy in Washington's
capitol city. Go to http://www.arcwapod
episode. In Episode 9, the final episode for this legislative session,
Olympia Insiders Sue Elliott and Ed Holen revisit the wins and losses of
the 2009 Legislative Session with clips from the advocates who fought
the good fight. And there is still more to do! Check www.arcwa.org for
updates.
Only eight months until the next legislative session. Thank you so much
for all your efforts this year. Next year will also be a challenge and
we will do lots of work during the interim to prepare. Remember, change
was made by you because you showed up!
Diana Stadden
Arc of Washington State
Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
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