Contact: Tony Anderson,
(916) 552-6619
Developmental Disabilities Advocates
Express Disappointment Over Inaction
Sacramento—Advocacy
organizations for Californians with developmental and intellectual disabilities,
their families, and those that serve them are expressing strongly-worded
disappointment with the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown for their failure to
approve the critical funding needed to stabilize their system.
“Words can’t describe the disappointment
that our coalition feels toward the Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown for not
finding a solution to stabilize our system,” said Tony Anderson Chair of the
Lanterman Coalition, a group of organizations comprised of people with
developmental disabilities, families, organized labor, the state’s 21 Regional
Centers and community-based agencies that serve this population.
The Lanterman Coalition is
named after California’s “Lanterman Act,” legislation enacted over 40 years ago
that was designed to serve people with developmental disabilities in their
communities and help get them out of institutions. Gov. Brown announced earlier this year his
Administration’s intent to close the final three large institutions left
serving this population, but community-based programs serving this population
haven’t seen a rate increase since 2006.
“Nine straight years of
frozen rates for this group of Californians have pushed this system to failure
for some and the brink of failure for others,” added Anderson. “Gov.
Brown is worried about bullet trains, worldwide climate change, whether or not
to increase taxes, but what will be his legacy in caring for those people who
need the most help? Right now, that legacy is headed in the direction of
‘not good and just plain insensitive’.”
The Lanterman Coalition asked
the Legislature and Governor for a 10 percent increase to offset many years of
neglect and stabilize system-wide signs of failure. The Legislature passed a State Budget that
included an increase, but following a negotiating meeting with Gov. Brown,
Democratic Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and Senate President Pro
Tem Kevin de Leon removed the funding from the document that was ultimately
signed by the Governor.
The Governor opened a special
session of the Legislature, calling on legislators “to enact permanent and
sustainable funding” to stabilize the costs of Medi-Cal, restoration of In-Home
Supportive Service, and rate increases for providers of services to those with
developmental disabilities. Proposals in
the special session were many, but only proposals to tax managed care
organizations, tobacco and hard alcohol were heard, with all failing to secure passage.
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What Others Are Saying
Kim Leeseman, President of the Board, People First California
“It is really hard for people
to know what my life with a developmental disability is like. I didn’t do anything except be born a little
bit different. Aren’t we all just a little different? It’s that difference that makes us
unique! Many of us can’t do it all on
our own. All that people with
disabilities want is what you want---to be fulfilled. The Lanterman Act can help us live and work,
just like everyone else. But this isn’t
possible unless good programs and people are there to support us to live and
dream. Governor Brown is putting all of
this at risk by not funding what we need to live a full life.”
(People First of California is run BY and FOR people with developmental
disabilities. We are “People First;” our disabilities are second. We are a part
of a worldwide movement that empowers people to be valued members of their
community.)
Mark
Melanson, President of the California Supported Living Network (CSLN)
“280,000 people in jeopardy and zero
percent containment! California is in a
state-of-emergency, and the Governor and the entire State Legislature must act.
CSLN is outraged by the continued
neglect of the most vulnerable citizens of California. We call on the Governor to reconvene the
Special Session immediately, and for every elected official to come together,
put aside partisan politics and do the job of upholding the Lanterman Act in ensuring
that the health and safety of every person with an intellectual and
developmental disability is of the utmost priority. Stop the neglect and act now.”
(The mission of the California Supported Living
Network is to advocate for the systemic development
of quality community living services for Californians with developmental
disabilities. CSLN represents 54,000 Californians receiving Independent and Supported
Living Services and our membership consists of almost 100 provider agencies
across the state of California.)
Tony Anderson, Executive Director, the Arc of
California
“The Arc and United Cerebral
Palsy California Collaboration is completely dismayed that the powerful
California Legislature can’t use their power to fight for some of its most
vulnerable constituents, people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities (IDD). Families continue to
be left to fend for themselves.
Community disability services organizations are forced into impossible
service contracts, and people with IDD are left with a collapsed services
system best described as a public health crisis. The Conference Committee should convene immediately
and call the Legislature back to Sacramento to fix the problem now. The State’s revenue this fiscal year is
already $637.8 million above the projections made two months ago when Gov.
Brown signed the Budget. Just $308
million of that surplus would be enough to raise our funding by 10 percent now
and begin to stabilize the system.”
(The Arc of California is a nonprofit organization
representing the interests of people with developmental disabilities, their
families, and providers of services to this population. The organization has formed an advocacy-based
collaboration with United Cerebral Palsy California.)
Chris Rice, Executive Director, California Disability
Services Association (CDSA)
“CDSA must express our
profound disappointment with the failure of the Legislature to pass Senator
Hernandez’s Special Session bill, SB 2X 14 and other proposals to address this
crisis. In addition to addressing the
state’s need to properly redesign the Managed Care Provider tax, this bill
offered much needed financial help to the developmental disability service
system, which has not seen rate relief for more than a decade. We face many new federal requirements that
all cost us more money, and we cannot address staffing shortages, the cost of
doing business or all the service changes our consumers want for their lives
without real help from the Governor and Legislature. Without relief like that offered by Senator
Hernandez’s proposal and others, we now face even deeper deficits. The cost of
operating these services in California continues to go up and we will lose more
staff to higher paying jobs.”
(CDSA is a 44-year old, nonprofit organization of
approximately 100 community-based agencies serving people with developmental
disabilities and their families throughout California. Member services include housing and supported
living, day programs, employment and many others.)
Evelyn
Abouhassan, Senior Legislative Advocate, Disability Rights California (DRC)
“DRC is deeply disappointed that an
agreement could not be reached for adequate revenue to fund
community-based programs that were significantly cut during the
recession, including In-Homes Supportive Services, Medi-Cal and developmental
disabilities programs. Additional funding is key to preserving
these critical services and ensuring an adequate safety net so that individuals
with disabilities can remain, and appropriately transition, to community
living. Without adequate revenue, California risks losing over a billion
dollars in federal funds needed to ensure successful implementation of new
federal initiatives to remain eligible for Medicaid funding. We encourage
the Administration, the Legislature and community partners to work together to
find solutions that will ensure that Californians with disabilities have full
access to these community services.”
(Disability Rights California is the federally
mandated protection and advocacy system that works to advance the dignity,
equality, independence and freedom of Californians with disabilities.
Last year, we provided services to 23,034 individuals, including 10,010
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.)
Eileen Richey, Executive Director, Association of
Regional Center Agencies (ARCA)
“This crisis is a combination
of neglect and cuts inflicted on our system over many years. It’s pushed hundreds of service providers to
close their doors, puts unsustainable caseloads on regional center service
coordinators, and jeopardizes the health, well-being, and human dignity of over
280,000 Californians with developmental disabilities. ARCA is open to all options for a 10%
across-the-board funding increase and reform, in the regular or special
session, from legislators of both parties.
We need the Legislature to act and send a proposal to Governor Brown. Our crisis transcends ideologies, and a real
solution should too. People with developmental disabilities, and the services
and supports they both need and deserve to have full, integrated lives, are too
important for us to work towards anything less.”
(ARCA represents the
network of 21 non-profit regional centers that coordinate services for, and
advocate on behalf of, California’s over 280,000 people with developmental
disabilities.)
Barbara Maizie, Founding Member, The Alliance
“The Legislature recessed
their 2015 session and, as it has for 15 out of the last 16 years, left town
without addressing the urgent need for funding vital services for people with
autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and intellectual disabilities. The State of California made a commitment in
1977 to provide needed services to Californians with developmental
disabilities. The State Supreme Court
re-affirmed that commitment in 1985. The
importance of these services has a long history of bipartisan support. So why are these individuals being abandoned
now, when California’s Budget is stronger than it has been in many years? Both parties are playing political games with
the lives and well-being of 280,000 people with developmental disabilities, who
are not and should not be pawns. They
deserve better, and we are standing up to say so.”
(The Alliance Supporting People with Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities is a statewide coalition supporting the lives of
thousands of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities throughout
California in a wide variety of programs.)
