Senate Ways & Means Budget to Be Out Wed, 5/18/11

May 17, 2011

Disability Line Item Hopes Focus on Restoration Efforts

  As the Wednesday, May 18th release of the Senate Ways and Means budget approaches, disability advocates are cautiously waiting to see if increasing state revenues will have any impact on the Senate’s efforts to fund state government and reduce the pain of deep cuts to the human services sector.

The FY 2012 budget initially built by Governor Deval Patirck, and further amended by the House, assumed a continuing, but slow economic recovery that required over $1.5 billion in spending cuts.   

Since the introduction of the House One budget, and the House passage of its budget, state revenues have continued to increase and exceed official revenue estimates.  In fact, April’s tax collections reflected a 43% increase over last year’s collections, suggesting that the state’s economic recovery may be continuing in earnest.

State leaders have been cautious, but hopeful, about the latest economic reports and many wonder if the Senate may feel confident to allow their appropriations reflect the recovering economy.

Key areas to watch in the Senate budget include:

• Family Support (5920-3000) has been cut to $41 million. To prevent 1500 to 2000 families from losing family support and respite services, it should be funded at the FY 2011 level of $46 million, requiring an additional $5 million. 
• Employment funding (5920-2025) for 2011 Turning 22 students requires an additional $1.7 million for $126 million total.
• Community Residential Supports (5920-2000) requires an additional $7.75 million for $759.55 million total.
• Day Habilitation services funded through MassHealth (4000-0700) are slated for a cut of $5 Million. We ask that $5 million be added for this service and an additional $5 Million maintain AFC or adult foster (family) care. Both programs are reimbursable with 50% in federal funds.
• Turning 22 (5920-5000) is funded at $5 million, but with 708 students, it requires $8 million total for 2012 and line item language for 2013 to annualize at $19.9 million
• Salary Reserve which has not been funded for three straight years.

Disability advocates are hopeful that the Senate will be responsive to the cost effective nature of Family Support Programs and understand the human toll that would be felt by the 1500 to 2000 people losing service who are already struggling in the economic recovery”.

Additionally advocates hope that Day Habilitation and Adult Foster Care programs receive continued support from members of the Senate.  Many Senators were eloquent during FY 2011 in urging the Administration to cancel the planned March 15, 2011 cut to these programs.  Unless these legislators step forward in the FY 12 budget, the cuts may take effect as early as July 1, 2011.  Hundreds of citizens attended public hearings in February to protest those cuts, warning officials that further cuts to these programs would cause health and safety risks for the state’s most vulnerable citizens.  Thus, if legislators were moved to block those cuts in March, the hope is that they will continue to block them from taking effect two months from now.

The State may also have a vested interest in seeing that the Senate Ways and Means budget addresses the Community Residential shortfall of $7.5 million.  This amount is pegged at allowing the state to complete its Rolland Settlement Court Ordered obligations, moving people from nursing homes into community settings.  Failure to do so may result in the State being held in contempt by the Court and subject to further Court penalties.

And direct support professionals are hoping that legislators understand the plight of human service workers facing a third year without a salary increase, and thus give support to funding the Human Service Salary Reserve.

ADDP Budget Priorities

1. Restore DDS Respite & Family Support   
2. Protect Day Habilitation & Adult Foster Care 
3. Protect DESE/DDS directing Education to spend the allocation 
4. Protect DDS Day & Employment Services 
5. Protect DDS Residential, fund Rolland Settlement 
6. Reinstate Salary Reserve     

Take Action: Ask the Senate to Support ADDP Budget Priorities.