Disability Thrive Initiative

One day after state lawmakers passed a budget that did not reflect agreement with Gov. Jerry Brown, legislative leaders on Tuesday abandoned significant parts of their proposal and announced a deal with the governor. The accord includes slightly more spending on education and social service programs than Brown originally proposed – but significantly less than Democratic lawmakers sought.

Reviewing the legislature’s budget for increased Medi-Cal funding, Scott Graves, director of research at the California Budget and Policy Center, a not-for-profit budget analyst, says the Legislature’s budget will “face a hostile reception” once it hits the governor’s desk. For information about proposed Medi-Cal changes, read more.

In January of 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (also called CMS) made new rules for Home and Community Based Services. These services help many people with disabilities live in their community. These rules are based on many of the things that self-advocates have been saying for years.
Leaders from across the nation shared their thoughts on the rules, and tips on how to track what’s going on in your state: Riot-2015IssueFINAL

After weeks of rallies, phone calls, letters, faxes, tweets and pressure from every angle, the legislative Budget Conference Committee has outlined its proposal for funding the Developmental Services system. Far short of the ‘10% across the board’ advocated for by the Lanterman Coalition, we still need Gov. Brown to hear us roar when it comes to signing off.

See below for funding proposals, and keep the pressure on this final week, including rallying at the Capitol Wednesday, June 17th.

Developmental Services Outcomes- Budget Conference

Scaled-Down Funding Hike

The California Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services heard testimony Monday, May 18th, on proposed changes to the methodology used to allocate 2011 Realignment Behavioral Health Growth funding to county mental health programs.

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is considering submitting a recommendation to the Department of Finance (DOF), the agency ultimately responsible for setting the methodology, to distribute growth funding based almost entirely on historical spending patterns. The Medi-Cal Early and Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) specialty mental health program, a core component of California’s public mental health system for children, took central focus at yesterday’s hearing. Read more.

By The Editorial Board, Long Beach Press Telegram

Sometimes, a glass half full doesn’t cut it. That’s the case for the state budget’s progress vis-a-vis the Lanterman Coalition’s call for a 10 percent hike in funding for services for those with developmental disabilities.
That quick funding boost, as we’ve detailed in previous editorials, is necessary to stabilize a system that — due to years of declining support — is “On the Brink of Collapse,” as a report from the Association of Regional Center Agencies is titled. Since mid-2011, 435 residential homes for adults with developmental disabilities have closed, a loss of nearly 2,300 beds. Read more.

The Conference Committee Cares about you… But will they choose targeted increases?
The Budget Conference Committee has been meeting to work out the differences between the Senate and Assembly’s Budgets. On Monday, they did their first review of Human Services, including funding for our system. Each Committee member has heard your voices, and knows developmental services needs and deserves support. Save the Date! Join us for a rally on Wednesday June 17th – more details to come!

We are now at the final stages of our advocacy campaign with the Legislature and the Governor. It is more important now than ever before that you to call those members and the Governor, send faxes, and get on social media. They will make a final decision in just the next few days, and unless you ask them to support the Assembly’s 10% funding starting July 1st, and the Senate’s proposed system reform now, providers will continue to go out of business, and regional centers will keep struggling under non-compliant caseloads.