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Posted January 12th, 2010
Get out there and let your
legislators hear what you have to say! Tell your legislator about
your family member with a developmental disability and the services
he or she receives. Tell your legislator what life would be like
without these services. Then ask your legislator what he/she is
going to do for people with developmental disabilities! Other
sectors of the human services think that OMRDD got away easy in this
first of many rounds of budget cuts, but cutting services such as
ours -- services that bring federal dollars into the state as they
have for decades, protecting jobs and our most vulnerable citizens
-- is NOT smart government! Here is a recap of what has happened
since August….
New York State’s Budget Woes
Over the last twenty years there have been many
times of proposed and actual cutbacks in funding to our field as
well as new regulations and audits. But we have nevertheless
remained able to “grow” our menu of services and to increase the
number of people we serve. The current short-term and probably
long-term environment on a federal, state and city level is very
different.
Long before the November 2008 elections and the
financial crisis that enveloped the country and globe, the writing
was on the wall in regards to the economy and the threat to the
entitlement programs that fund services for individuals with
developmental disabilities. With soaring health care costs
challenging state governments across the country, it was clear that
huge budget deficits were looming and threatening to impact our
service delivery system.
In August of 2009, Governor Paterson indicated
that the situation was dire and that the New York State shortfalls
were in the billions of dollars and the budget would include “hard
and painful cuts” that would need to be dealt with for years to
come. It was clear that OMRDD and its provider agencies would
continue to be dealt our share of the budget cuts in addition to
those of the $86 million already absorbed over the last year, which
included, for the first time in 25 years, no trend factor
(or cost of living increase) for our field, essentially a 6% cut.
OMRDD’s 0% Trend Factor Hearings in
September
In August OMRDD announced its scheduled
hearings on this year’s 0% trend factor. These hearings are a
regulatory requirement and are usually pro-forma with little if any
attendance. NOT this year. In early September, families came out in
droves to testify and express their dismay at the fact that State
employees and other health care workers did receive an increase and
direct care staff in voluntary agencies such as AHRC did not. They
told their personal stories pointing out that the trend is critical
to: increase salaries and maintain benefits of the Direct Support
Professionals; the quality of care and safety of individuals served;
and our ability to recruit and retain trained staff for this
difficult, intense and low paid work that that is so essential for
our most vulnerable citizens. Additionally, in last year’s budget
OMRDD programs brought in millions in revenue for the State
but received millions less in funding.
It was felt to be essential that OMRDD hear our
concerns about this years “zero trend” in the hopes that they would
advocate on our behalf going forward.
Going Forward - Governor Paterson’s Deficit
Reduction Plan
In mid-September, Governor Paterson began
preparing his Budget for the year 2010-11 with a “call letter” to
agency commissioners. This letter additionally said that mid-year
spending reductions of 10% across the board would be necessary to
address the current-year deficit, the Governor’s budget would meet
the stringent requirements of his proposed spending cap, and
individual agencies would need to submit flat budget requests to
help achieve spending cap targets.
In mid October, Governor Paterson’s proposed
Deficit Reduction Plan (DRP) was released, containing the largest
cuts in the history of our field to OMRDD voluntary providers,
jeopardizing our programs, staff and the quality of life of the
people we support. The plan, as proposed, would minimally cut
supports by 10% (and if we address the true way they would have to
be implemented to generate the savings called for, would amount to
as much as 30% in cuts – since our field is almost wholly funded by
Medicaid, for every $0.39 that you save in State Dollars, you lose
$0.61 in Federal Medicaid dollars.)
The Governor needed Legislative approval to
implement his DRP. In response, families and developmental
disability voluntary providers began their efforts to protect
services by contacting State Senators and Assembly members to let
them know the full impact of the Governor’s cuts on people with
developmental disabilities and the people who deliver these
services, as well as alternative ways to achieve savings. The
Governor’s key staff was also time and again presented with
alternative ways to achieve the Governor’s proposed savings,
generate revenue, and lessen the cuts to the field of developmental
disabilities. They chose not to listen.
The Legislature, Both the Assembly and
Senate, Did Listen -- State Senate Finance Committee
Hearings
In an unprecedented action, the Legislature
decided to conduct a series of hearings to gather information before
determining the extent to which they would support the Governor’s
DRP. The Senate Finance Committee described their commitment to the
development of a fiscally prudent deficit reduction plan that
protects vital services without placing any additional burden on
taxpayers. On Monday October 26th the Senate Finance
Committee held one of two Downstate hearing in Manhattan. Many
providers and service recipients in the healthcare, education and
social service sectors provided testimony about the devastating
impact of the Governor’s proposed cuts on their respective sectors.
Arlene Pedone, AHRC’s President, was one of those testifying.
Excerpts from her testimony can be found in the archived list on
this page.
In a press release issued on November 9th
Senator Carl Kruger made it clear that he and his fellow
Senators had listened and heard what had been presented at the
hearings. The Senate was attempting to fashion an alternative
comprehensive deficit reduction plan. Although Assembly members also
met with disability advocates, they were far more inclined to
concede to Governor Paterson’s budget wishes.
Governor Paterson’s Revised Deficit
Reduction Plan (DRP)
In a special joint legislative session on
November 9th, Governor Paterson addressed the Legislature
underscoring the urgency of the State’s fiscal situation and
imploring them to make his proposed cuts. With little agreement
between the parties, just before Thanksgiving the Governor issued a
revised deficit reduction proposal. This revised plan offered
considerable relief for the health care and education sectors, but
maintained the same 10% across the board cut for services to
individuals with developmental disabilities. It was then up to the
Legislature.
December 2009…
On December 1st the Assembly passed their
Deficit Reduction Package with the Senate following the next
morning. The bill passed by both houses includes about $60 million
in cuts to OMRDD funded voluntary services, as compared to the
Governor’s originally proposed $160 million in cuts. The outcome
is better than it could have been, but not as good as we would have
hoped for. That being said, without the assistance of the State
Senate the outcome would have been far worse.
But this is only “round
one!” We are now preparing for the January release of the Governor’s
Executive Budget for Funding Year 2010-11. This will be the “main
event” as one Senator told us.
Get out there and let your legislators hear
what you have to say! |
