Recent News & Views
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June 21, 2009 
Conference Committee Budget Discussion
A Summary of the line items is attached. The complete spreadsheet showing the changes from FY09 through the Conference budget is available for the DPC web site, Legislation & Budget.
The big issues for many advocates has been Community First. The governor proposed $21 million, the House awarded $16, and the Senate recommended Zero. The Conference Committee took the Senate’s opinion of Zero. In fact, one advocate reported that Senate President Therese Murray’s staff did have a clue when asked about Community First.
This prompts many of us to wonder how the administration will respond. Community First, the main response under the Olmstead Plan was the Governor’s Top Priority during the FY09 House Budget amendment process last year. Since then it has received less and less attention. In fact, funding to pay for Health Care Reform and Connector Board programs, managed care and a new PCC venture, show as the real EOHHS priorities. The September move of Laurie Burgess from EOHHS Community First to DMH announced last week may have signaled a continue reluctance to proceed down the 1115 Waiver and similar paths discussed recently.
The disaster for the disability agencies everyone expected did not seem too apparent in the Conference Committee Budget IF one had adjusted to the numbers in the Senate Budget!. For the most part, the Conference Committee took the Senate recommendations. Those number, however, when compared to FY09 budget AFTER the 9c cuts still reflect a serious setback in funding:
Mass. Commission for the Blind - .3 million
Mass. Rehab Commission - 3.6 million
Mass. Com. Deaf & HoH - .5 million
Mass. Office on Disability - .2 million
Dept Mental Health - 2.9 million
Dept Developmental Services -11.3 million
The Conference restored funding for MCDHH to be able to continue emergency hotline interpreter referral services. We can attribute that restoration to the good advocacy organized by the DPC’s Nini Silver and the turnout of the Deaf community at the public hearing in March. Rep. Barbara L’Italien, Vice-Chair of House Ways and Means carried that issue through the House and Conference Committee. Showing up at public hearing does work!
MCB’s Community Services is off the FY09 9c level by $300,000 and the Medical Assistance line remains cut completely. Small changes elsewhere most likely reflect a reassessment of Turning 22 costs.
MRC’s Employment Assistance line took the brunt of the cuts. The cuts to sheltered work underscore a controversy over the definition of work versus the need for day activities for many people currently served by these funds. There were some increases to the IL, Brain Injury and T-22 accounts and reduction in Home Care services.
The following analysis is from DMH Commissioner Leadholm:
· Recommends $2.5M above the House 1 Revised Budget in the Child/Adolescent mental health Services 5042-5000 account. This increase in funding will lessen the service reductions required to balance this account.
· Recommends $12.7M above the House 1 Revised Budget in line item 5046-0000 Mental Health Services. This funding will maintain existing levels of service to help mitigate the impact of the $12M reduction to the Inpatient System in FY10.
· Recommends maintenance level of funding of $4,000,000 for DMH rental subsidy line item 7004-9033, which is consistent with House 1 revised.
The Department of Developmental Services sustained continued cuts to Day and Transportation Services, T-22 and Family Supports. The language that would restrict closing Fernald and other institutions has been removed.
The Arc of Massachusetts is talking about a deficiency budget to restore these cuts. However, other analysts are predicting more 9c cuts as early as September in all likelihood.
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