House Appropriations Sub Committee on

Social and Rehabilitation Services

Representative Brenda Landwehr, Chair

February 25th, 2003

 

 

Thank you for the opportunity to present to you today regarding the budget for Social and Rehabilitation Services.  I am Gina McDonald and I work for the Kansas Association of Centers for Independent Living (KACIL).  We are also members of the “Big Tent” Coalition and support their goals to increase revenue to adequately fund needed social services.

 

KACIL represents the 13 Centers for Independent Living (CIL’s) around the state.  Our mission is to coordinate efforts within Kansas, the United States, and internationally to the extent that these efforts will further independent living for all.  KACIL will advocate for the civil rights of Kansans with disabilities, regardless of age.

 

Of the 13 CIL’s in the state, the Centers in Kansas City, Lawrence, Topeka, and Hays receive funding from the Federal Government under a grant for the Department of Education of approximately $200,000.00.

 

The Center in Atchison also recently started receiving Federal Funding through a sub contract with the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center.

 

All the CIL’s receive state (SGF) funding to provide 5 core services. The total SGF for all 13 CIL's is less than two million dollars.  Some of the CIL’s have used part of that funding as a match for Title I grants, which are grants through Kansas SRS, Rehabilitation services to assist people with disabilities to find employment.

 

CIL’s and Home Health Agencies provide payroll agent services for people who choose to self direct their Personal Assistance Services on all waivers.  Both entities may also provide Independent Living Counseling for people on the Physical Disabilities Waiver.  Other waivers refer to this service as Case Management.

 

Some of the CIL’s have other funding sources through grants and private enterprises such as thrift stores,


KACIL supports the Governor’s proposed budget, which reinstates 2/3 of the cuts made to the budget starting in July.  We recognize the fiscal situation this state is in at this time and appreciate Governor Sebelius’ attempt to fund minimal programs. 

 

We ask that you recognize that even if that budget should be passed, the CIL’s had a rate reduction of 2.5% last year.  The waiting lists for Home and Community Based Services for people with physical disabilities are averaging nine months or higher and that is not considering the allotments put into place in January which virtually halted any access to the waiting list.

 

Because the allotments lowered the protected income level for people using waiver services, they will have to spend an additional $71.00 per month in order to maintain services.  That may not sound so terrible, but that leaves them with a whopping $645.00 per month for rent, utilities, food and transportation. I wonder if any of us could live on that. 

 

Please support the Governor’s budget including leaving level of care scores, or the score which makes you eligible for services at 26.  The more you raise those scores, the higher the cost will be to local communities because the needs will not go away, they will just have to go to emergency rooms and other local resources.  With the hit that cities and counties have taken in the budget already, I’m not sure they will be prepared to meet those added costs.

 

KACIL supports the goals of the Big Tent Coalition which suggests a revenue enhancing package that would fully fund all waiting lists for all HCBS Waivers and restore cuts made to other SRS programs, including but not limited to Children’s services, Pharmacy, Physician and Hospital reimbursement, and Employment and Child Care programs.

 

That means increasing revenue by $101 million dollars.  That would reinstate programs to where they were before all these allotments and reductions.  That is what we believe a majority of Kansans want and would accept if it were presented to them in a positive way.  Most legislators who voted for tax increases last year returned to the Legislature.  Most people can’t even remember which taxes were raised last year.  But people who continue to get basic services can remember.  People who are in crisis can recall that services were there.

 

I wonder when we accepted the idea that the only courageous behavior is to cut taxes.  When will we call it courageous to recognize the need to raise revenue to meet the basic needs of our most vulnerable citizens?  When will we be courageous enough to recognize that Government is here to provide services to the people of the state?  When will respect for life extend beyond the womb? 

 

When will we finally set public policy to ensure that people can live where they want, especially when it has been proven time and again that it is cheaper to get services in the community than it is to get them in facilities?

 

We realize that you have a very difficult job to do.  Because of the economy the money is tight and the needs are great.  There is no positive change in sight.

 

And so in these challenging times we can use the same old tactics.  We can engage in debates about what to fund and where to get the money.  We can assume that SRS has too many staff or takes too many trips.  We can point to providers and assume they get more money than they need.  We can point to consumers and determine that they are getting too much money, or too many services.  But we might as well try to squeeze blood from a stone.

 

Advocates can accuse legislators of letting people die and we can assume that SRS and DOA are uncaring manipulative organizations who exist to make our lives miserable. 

 

But we know full well that people die, not because they are on a waiting list, they die because of disability or illness. They could have a better quality of life with services, but you are not the reason they died. 

 

People who go to work for non profit providers and SRS and DOA generally are trying their best to maximize funding and resources.  We all have been cut to the bone.  Assuring the health and welfare of people is becoming more difficult.

 

We can continue with the same old unproductive behaviors or we can recognize that those behaviors have not resolved the problem over the years, if in fact, if they worked, we wouldn’t be here today.

 

Or we can courageously identify the need to protect our citizens, to provide services to those in real need and to ensure that all Kansans have the opportunity to succeed, in their communities.

 

KACIL has already outlined some of our ideas for how to improve the capacity for people to become less dependent on the system.  We are, and will continue to work with SRS to improve options for Medicaid Buy In, and for people getting HCBS Waiver services.

 

In addition to the need for funding to provide services for the waivers, we offer the following recommendations.

 

1. Encourage SRS to continue to look at the One Waiver Concept.

 

2. Close another institution for people with developmental disabilities.

 

Thank you for your time, I’d be happy to stand for questions.

 

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