Arc Parents, Board Meet with Legislators over Potential Cuts

Parents of people with developmental disabilities as well as Arc of Onondaga board members and staff, met with New York State legislators on Friday, March 13th.    Both family members and those involved at Arc are seriously concerned with potential plans to cut key Medicaid benefits and funding.  Arc of Onondaga serves over 3,000 people with developmental disabilities and family members and employs more than 500 Central New Yorkers.

While the state budget crisis is dire and Albany will need to review all of its spending, cuts to certain Medicaid funded services could put our community’s most vulnerable citizens at risk.  Programs and services which help people with developmental disabilities to remain contributing members of the community depend on Medicaid dollars to operate.  People with developmental disabilities who have made great strides in the last decade may find themselves without the necessary services or even without a supportive place to call home.  Basic necessities for our most vulnerable citizens must be a priority.

In February, President Barack Obama asked Congress for $87 billion in new Medicaid funding as part of a stimulus package to help states with budget shortfalls.  Congress approved the funds and New York is expected to receive $11 billion between now and the end of 2010. However, New York Governor David Paterson has indicated that he may not release that money for its intended purpose but use it to restore cuts to higher education and cancel planned tax hikes instead.

Supports for people with developmental disabilities are already running on tight budgets.  To add to the problems of existing funding constraints and the threat of losing the Medicaid stimulus money, these programs face even more cuts in the Executive Budget.  State employees who provide the same services as their not-for-profit counterparts have a 3% wage increase scheduled into the budget. The Executive Budget includes no such OMRDD trend factor for direct care workers employed by non-profits.  The Executive Budget also has a 4% cut in funding to day habilitation programs, which have been extremely successful helping over 36,000 New Yorkers with developmental disabilities to develop basic living and social skills.

Mary M. Salibrici, whose brother is served by Arc of Onondaga’s programs said, “Although we are aware of the economic crisis that New York State faces, society is judged by how it treats our most vulnerable.”  Mary, who also serves as President of Arc of Onondaga’s board of directors went with a group of other parents on Friday to meet with New York State Senator David Valesky and Colleen Hassett-Mastine, Senator John DeFrancisco’s Director of Constituent Services.  The concerned parents were joined by staff and other board members from both Arc of Onondaga, ENABLE and Arc of Madison-Cortland.  Parents voiced their concern that cutting funding to programs which are already financially stressed could end up breaking the system.  If Medicaid money is reduced to the point where it does not cover operating expenses, the non-profit agencies providing these services will have no choice but to turn people away or close their doors.  The Legislature’s budget proposal needs to restore the funding for Day Habilitation services, reject the proposed rate restructuring and ensure Medicaid stimulus dollars increase the funding for the programs for which they are intended.