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Disability Policy Consortium Weekly Update
Dear Bill,
This issues bring two entries on health care. One is my observations from personal visits. The other is a calendar entry on a event at Suffolk Law School on Patient Empowerment. Most of us feel very powerless when entering the medical system, but there is a movement afoot to transform that as we transform the system of care and the payment mechanisms. Check out the meeting this Friday if you can make an event starting at 8:30 AM.
The FY12 State Budget continues to bubble with news and information on important impacts on people. Elizabeth Toulan, Family Economic Initiative, has a briefing on impacts on TAFDC and EADC clients.
We're also reminded of the impact of a $7.5 million dollar cut in Early Intervention...what a great way to make sure there's a never ending supply of children and adults with severe disabilities than to cut EI services?
Someone said it snowed recently. I didn't notice it, but there are two articles on snow removal in Boston and on the T for those of you who did.
Join us on February 15 for a day of fun outdoors at the Kelly Rink in Jamaica Plain, courtesy of DCR's Universal Access Program. You can watch me skate and enter the "pool" gambling on how many times I'll fall down.
Bill Allan
Disability Policy Consortium
wfallan@dpcma.org| 617-542-3822
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Editorial: Cultural (In)Competence
I'm assembling this edition while Greenbay
continues to lead Pittsburgh in the second half. I'm watching the game, bur unfortunately, I've missed most of the commercials.
I spent time today visiting two friends with disabilities in different hospitals. One person is at major medical center that serves many people with disabilities. The other is at a regional hospital complex.
Both men have similar complaints about the lack of cultural competence. A bed on the wrong floor means staff are not prepared for a person with neurological disorders or know why a hands-free phone is necessary. A simple operation in the other hospital taught the surgeon and support staff that recovery is very different for a person with a disability.
These observations are particularly timely with the discussions going on in the health policy arena on "global payments". "Risk Adjustment", the ability to increase payments on the basis of real costs is what is expected to differentiate global payments from the old, maligned system of "capitation payments". My experience today says it will take more than changes in accounting spreadsheets to really transform the health care system.
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| Advocates Corner: Snow Boston Curb Cuts
Kristin McCosh, City of Boston Disability Commissioner wants assistance identifying priority curb cuts that need to be cleared of snow in the City of Boston.
Please send us addresses of intersections in your neighborhood or downtown that need to be shoveled. Please prioritize your list if you have more than a few sites.
As Kristen said in an email on Friday "You ... are my eyes and ears of the community... get a list that reflects real needs in neighborhoods as well as downtown. Consider safety, pedestrian traffic volume, and large volume of calls for a specific area as priorities".
This is the first step in establishing snow removal priorities, plans, and procedures in the City.
Email Snow Removal Requests Here
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Advocates Corner: MBTA Snow Removal
This winter MBTA customers can visit MBTA Bus Stops Snow Removal to find out who is responsible for snow clearance at any of the 8500 bus stops.
Or you can call MBTA's Customer Service Communications Department at (617) 222-3200 (voice) or TTY (617) 222-5146 to check the website for you, if you do not have access to a computer.
All accessibility-related MBTA information is now in one convenient location at Accessibility at the T webpage.
Check out the new MBTA Access Guide
which offers transit tips on how to best utilize the fixed route system.
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| FY12 Budget: Poor People's Issues
Elizabeth Toulan, Senior Attorney
Coordinator, Family Economic Initiative
The Governor's proposed budget for FY 2012 (House 1) was released last Wednesday and includes proposals harmful to families and individuals experiencing financial hardship in these very tough fiscal times. Below is a summary of budget items of interest to FEI folks, followed by an urgent action alert concerning the Emergency Assistance family shelter program. For a more detailed report on these and other items, please see the attached, excellent Budget Summary prepared by our friends at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. For additional information concerning the state's fiscal condition and House 1, please visit the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center website: http://www.massbudget.org/
TAFDC cash assistance (line item 4403-2000)- the Governor proposes funding the cash assistance line item at $312.8 million, which is $2.4 million less than the FY 2011 appropriation, and insufficient to meet the anticipated need for FY 2012.
Children's clothing allowance - the Governor proposes cutting the annual September $150 clothing allowance. The clothing allowance was granted first back in 1981 and increased to its present amount in 1987. The clothing allowance is critically important to children's dignity and success in school. The proposal to eliminate the clothing allowance reduces TAFDC benefits by about $12 million, an effective reduction of 4.5% in TAFDC grant payments, which have lost already nearly half their value to inflation since 1988.
EAEDC cash assistance (line item 4408-1000) - the Governor proposes level funding this account at $89 million, which will be insufficient unless there is a decline in the EAEDC caseload, an unlikely scenario.
Employment Services Program (ESP) (line item 4401-1000) - the Governor proposes eliminating this program entirely, effective July 1, 2011. The services to be cut include short term training programs for some TAFDC parents; the Young Parents Program (YPP), which helps TAFDC parents age 14-21 secure their GEDs; Learning Disability Assessments; GED testing services; and more, including transportation assistance of up to $80/month for parents in education, training or job search.
Emergency Assistance (EA) (7004-0101) for Homeless Families with Children - the Administration's proposal will leave many homeless families with nowhere to go. The EA program currently provides emergency shelter to families who are already homeless and who the Department of Children and Families has verified have no other place to stay. House 1 proposes to deny access to emergency shelter to most homeless families, offering some of these families instead a limited and declining short-term subsidy with which to look for housing. These housing vouchers, and related benefits associated with moving into new housing, would be funded through a new line item (7004-0108) called the Massachusetts Short Term Housing Transition Program.
New proposed restrictions on access to family shelter - only families 1) at risk of domestic violence in their current housing; 2) homeless as a result of natural disaster or fire; or 3) headed by a parent under age 21 would be allowed into shelter. All other families eligible for EA shelter under current rules but who are homeless due to job loss, illness, disability, foreclosure, being kicked out by those with whom they are doubled up, or due to previous domestic violence, would be denied emergency shelter even though by definition under EA rules these families have no safe place to stay.
No advance notice language- House 1 does not include language requiring the Governor to provide advance notice to the Legislature before cutting TAFDC, EAEDC or EA benefits or making eligibility changes for these programs. The Governor typically excludes this advance notice language and the Legislature restores it. Including this advance notice language in the TAFDC, EAEDC and EA line items has allowed the Legislature in the past to take action to prevent benefit harmful cuts or program eligibility changes when the Governor projects a deficit in one of these accounts.
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FY12 Budget: Early Intervention
Warning that a proposed 27 percent cut by Governor Deval Patrick would decimate programs for newborns and young children with disabilities, advocates for early intervention programs shored up support from prominent lawmakers yesterday.
"The governor's decision to cut [early intervention] to its lowest level in over 10 years is deeply disturbing,'' said Senate majority leader Frederick Berry. "In all my years in politics I've never seen such a shortsighted decision.''
Early intervention services include occupational, physical, and speech therapy for children from birth to 3 years old with developmental delays.
Children with autism and cerebral palsy are among those eligible for services, and backers say more than half of those admitted to early intervention avoid needing special education services when they reach school age.
Berry and other backers of early intervention say existing programs, funded by the state at $29.4 million this year, provide services for more than 30,000 children.
In the budget proposal unveiled last week, Patrick proposed cutting the early intervention budget to about $21.5 million, a cut supporters say would eliminate or reduce services for up to 15,000 children.
"Programs would close,'' said Mary Ann Mulligan, a consultant for the Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium. Backers say that without access to early intervention, parents will be forced to find costlier and less coordinated services that would drive up health care costs.
Administration officials say the number of children receiving early intervention services has increased steadily through the most recent recession.
"At the same time you have decreasing or perpetually problematic funds,'' said Lauren Smith, medical director of the state Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition. "It does create a pretty tricky situation. For a program like Massachusetts, which has been really at the forefront of expanding coverage . . . the idea of contracting the program is not something that is attractive or appealing.''
To absorb the cut in funding, the state Department of Public Health is looking into a tiered system of access to programs.
About 9,000 children with the most severe developmental delays would be entitled to federally funded services, said Ron Benham, director of DPH's bureau of family health and nutrition.
Those with lesser delays would participate in a state early intervention program as long as funds remain available.
"There is certainly the potential of a waiting list,'' Benham said. The proposal for that bifurcated system is pending before the federal Department of Education and Office of Special Education Programs.
Yesterday, the Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium convened a briefing at the State House and won support from key members of the Legislature. Among those in attendance included Representative Steven Walsh, Democrat of Lynn, named cochair of the Health Care Financing Committee Friday, and Representative Thomas Conroy, Democrat of Wayland.
Conroy, the health care committee's vice chair, described the governor's proposed cut as very dangerous and said it amounts to "shooting ourselves in the foot.'' Conroy said he was confident that the Legislature would reverse the governor's cut and restore funding to the "30 to 35 million dollar range.''
"We've got a great group of powerful legislators here,'' Conroy said.
A handful of Republicans were on hand as well, including Representatives Shaunna O'Connell of Taunton, Angelo D'Emilia of Bridgewater, Geoff Diehl of Whitman, and Kimberly Ferguson of Holden.
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On the Calendar: Patient Empowerment
The Massachusetts Campaign for Better Care and the Suffolk University Law School Health and Biomedical Law Concentration are hosting an event on Friday, February 11, 2011 from 8:30 to noon at Suffolk University Law School(120 Tremont St.). Our event will feature a keynote address by Dartmouth Medical School professor and health care innovator, Dr. John Wasson as well as a roundtable discussion with health care experts entitled:
"Patient Empowerment: More Than a Slogan"
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| On the Calendar: Tobii Eye Gaze
February 21 Monday,
Session 1 10:00 - 11:00 Session 2 11:00 - 2:00
Easter Seals - Boston Office 89 South St. Boston, MA 02111 All about Tobii Eye Gaze Systems and Introduction to Communicator 4
Presenter: Chris LeBlanc, Regional Sales Consultant, Tobii ATI
An overview and explanation of Tobii Eye Gaze hardware and software and how eye gaze, as an access method, has helped open up many individual lives. (Limited to 15 participants. Lunch porvided)
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On the Calendar: MassRelay Explained
February 23 Wednesday, 3:00-4:00 pm
Easter Seals - Boston Office 89 South St. Boston, MA 02111 MassRelay: What Is It and How Can It Help You?
Presenter: Moira Hennessey, CommunityManager, MassRelay
MassRelay will present information on services available state-wide. All are welcome! Mass Relay is a free, 24 hour service that allows people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, or have difficulty speaking to communicate over the telephone. Through the use of specialized equipment, relay users communicate freely with friends, family and businesses that use a standard telephone. New services such as Captioned Telephone and Mobile Captions Service are ideal for people with some degree of hearing loss. Speech to Speech service is available to help individuals who have difficulty speaking. Through this presentation, people will also be made aware of ways to obtain specialized telephone equipment through the Massachusetts Equipment Distribution Program, and which options would be best for them when using the telephone.
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On the Calendar: ArcMass Legislative Event
The Arc of Massachusetts annual Legislative Reception will be on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 at the Grand Staircase, 10:30 - Noon.
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News from the Net: End Family
Homelessness
Join the Advocacy Liaison Network
Before you read the rest of this email, think of a few resources you feel are needed to help end homelessness. Chances are you thought about affordable housing, education programs, and workforce training. In many cases, these programs are funded using money from the state budget, and we can protect or increase funding for these programs if we act as one voice.
Getting more money for our programs in the state budget is a numbers game; the more people who participate the better chance we have at getting what we need. As a result, Homes for Families has created the Advocacy Liaison Network, which is a statewide network of provider staff dedicated to ending family homelessness. Being part of this network will include:
- Receiving action alerts and updates about the state budget process and how it affects family homelessness.
- Receive timely information about updates and changes to the family shelter system, housing programs, and services provided by state agencies such as DTA, DCF, etc.
- Methods and materials for connecting your families to policy advocacy and help them to raise their voices.
- Learn about upcoming meetings, trainings, and events throughout the state.
To learn more or to join the network, reply to this email or contact Jeff Connor-Naylor at jnaylor@homesforfamilies.org or 617-227-4188.
Homes for Families
14 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108
ph (617) 227-4188 / info@homesforfamilies.org
www.homesforfamilies.org
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