Fw: Save the Safety Net Cross-Disability Rally - Monday, May 16

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Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

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Save the Safety Net Cross-Disability Rally - Monday, May 16

Hello,

On Monday, May 16, the Community for All Coalition will be a holding a

cross-disability rally in Springfield to " Save the Safety Net " and stand up

against the proposed cuts to community-based services that keep people with

disabilities and seniors from being institutionalized. Help us stop the attacks

on community-based services and preserve community living for all people with

disabilities! Join us at the Capitol in Springfield as we rally to " Save the

Safety Net " on May 16, and please help spread the word about this rally.

The rally will be at 2:30pm in the Capitol Rotunda, but you should plan to

arrive in the morning or early afternoon so you can visit with your legislators

prior to the rally. We encourage you to make an appointment with your

legislators, or come prepared with notes to pull them off the chamber floors, as

they will most likely be in session that day. We have developed a fact sheet

for you to use during your legislative visits, with information about the

proposed FY2012 budget cuts to programs that serve people with physical and

developmental disabilities, people with mental illnesses, and seniors. We will

be distributing this handout and other information at the Capitol Building's

west side accessible entrance throughout the day.

We also ask that you bring posters with your message about how you would be

impacted by cuts to community-based services and how important those services

are to you . We will be collecting your posters at the west side accessible

entrance and will create a visual display during the rally as well as delivering

the posters to the Governor's office following the rally.

If you cannot attend the rally in person, send a poster with your message to the

Capitol with others from your area who are attending! And contact your

legislators with the message of " STOP THE ATTACKS ON COMMUNITY-BASED

SERVICES...SAVE THE SAFETY NET! "

See the attached flier and fact sheet for more information about the rally and

the Community for All Coalition. If you plan on attending, please let us know

how many people you anticipate bringing with you, by contact us at 217-493-5445

or at nick@....

Thank you.

--

Nick Quealy-Gainer

Organizer

Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois

44 E. Main, Suite 208

Champaign, IL 61820

217-493-5445

nick@...

www.realchoiceinillinois.orgAttachment #1Community for All Coalition FY2012

Budget Fact SheetSave the Safety Net: Preserve Community Living for all People

with Disabilities!Stop the Attacks on Community-Based Services! Stop Increasing

Funds for Institutions!When the state of Illinois experiences a budget crisis,

home and community-based services for seniors, peoplewith physical and

developmental disabilities, and people with mental illness are often the first

programs toexperience cuts in funding. With budget shortfalls and cuts to

community-based services the last several years,there is no more " fat " to trim

from these programs.The Governor's recently proposed budget will slash the

Safety Net and create gaping holes that put thousands ofseniors and people with

disabilities at risk of institutionalization when the state should be living up

to itscommitment to rebalance services and preserve independent living in the

most integrated setting. TheCommunity for All Coalition supports many of the

Governor's proposed outcomes that aim to improve andexpand community-based

services for seniors and people with disabilities, but is strongly opposed to

the cuts toservices that are in direct contradiction to the outcomes as well as

recent court settlements.The proposed FY2012 budget includes these program

outcomes:. Promote independence through employment support and community

integration of people withdisabilities and low-income people. Offer home-based

services, independent living placements andother opportunities to enable

individuals with physical, mental and developmental disabilities to

resideindependently or in cost-effective community settings and maximize their

ability to fully participate intheir own community.. Rebalance Service Options.

Implement a framework for a comprehensive person-centered servicedelivery

system, rooted in community-based structures, that meets the needs of people

with physical,mental and developmental disabilities with increased targets for

community based placements.. Maintain quality community supportive services.

Ensure access to home and community-basedservices, and client centered options,

to deflect and delay institutionalization of older adults throughcomprehensive

case management.The proposed Ligas v. Maram Consent Decree would require the

state to provide community-based services to1000 people with developmental

disabilities on the waiting list and living at home over the next two years.

Thedecree would also require the state to provide community-based services to

1/3 of all individuals living inICFs/DD who request to move out into the

community over the next two years.The v. Quinn Consent Decree requires

that 256 class members who have been assessed as appropriateand do not oppose

transition from Institutes for Mental Disease (IMD) must be offered placement in

aCommunity-Based setting by September, 2012. The Implementation Plan states

that, " all persons with SeriousMental Illness currently residing in IMDs in

Illinois have the right to choose to live in community-based settings,and the

State has an obligation to expand the current community-based service system to

support the needs ofthose individuals. " AND YET.The Governor proposes slashing

and in some cases eliminating critical programs that meet these goals

bysupporting seniors and people with disabilities living in the community. At

the same time, the proposed budgetwill increase funding to large congregate care

institutions that are isolated from the community, such as StateOperated

Developmental Centers and IMDs, even though these facilities will see a decrease

in population inFY2012 and cost the state three times as much as providing

services in the community.This is an attack on community-based services and the

Safety Net for seniors and people with disabilities thatprevent unnecessary,

harmful and costly institutionalization.STOP THE CUTS.SAVE THE SAFETY

NET!Rehabilitation Services. Require Medicaid eligibility for all new Home

Services consumers, meaning they could not haveassets of more than $2,000. This

would prevent those persons who might be able to work from doing sobecause they

would risk losing the services that allow them to live in the community..

Reduction of funding to Centers for Independent Living by $1.6 million, or 36% -

threateningprograms that assist people with disabilities to become

self-sufficient and live in their own homes.These programs save the state

millions of dollars annually.. Elimination of funding for the Community

Reintegration Program under which Centers forIndependent Living assist people

under the age of 60 in nursing homes, who do not need to be there,transition to

their own homes in the community.. Elimination of funding for Extended Supported

Employment for individuals who require ongoingsupports beyond the 18 month

federal limit.Developmental Disabilities Services. Elimination of grant funded

services, including the Family Assistance Program, in-home and grouprespite, all

dental and epilepsy grants, SIU Telemed, and the UIC Assistive Technology Unit

and FamilyClinic, all of which are critical services that support people living

in the community.. Reduction of the Children's and Adults Home-Based Services

monthly allotment by 10%.. Reduction of Medicaid rates for community services by

6%.. Funding to State Operated Developmental Centers will increase by $28

million, or 8.6%, where theaverage annual cost per resident in FY2012 is

expected to rise to $192,000. The average annual cost forpeople receiving

services in the community is $60,680, or 32% of the cost of serving them in an

SODC,which saves the state $200 million a year.Mental Health Services. Reduction

of Community Services funding by $33.5 million or 23%.. Reduction of Homeless

Services funding by $6.1 million or 52%.. Reduction of Addiction Treatment

funding by $52.9 million or 51%.. Elimination of the Children's Mental Health

Partnership. This vital program has supported thehealthy social and emotional

development of children through early intervention mental health servicesand

prevention of entry into the juvenile-justice system or institutionalization..

Reduction of funding for Psychotropic Medications by $2.6 million.. Reduction of

Supportive Housing funding by $5.4 million or 23%.. Reduction of funding for

Mental Health Transportation for committed patients by $1.2 million.Aging

Services. Require Medicaid eligibility for new consumers to the Community Care

Program. Non-Medicaidseniors are still very low-income and at risk of placement

in high-cost nursing homes and enrollment ontoMedicaid, limiting the chance of

returning to the community where the state could have provided care at afraction

of the cost. In 2008, Community Care Programs for Medicaid and non-Medicaid

seniors savedthe state $261 million by preventing costly institutionalization in

nursing homes.. Elimination of the Circuit Breaker Tax Grants and Pharmaceutical

Assistance, a $24 million cut infunding. Thousands of low-income seniors and

people with disabilities rely on assistance withprescription drug costs and

property tax relief tied to the cost of medications. Eliminating these

programswill force people to choose to go without prescription drugs, putting

them at increased risk of long-termhealth conditions and institutionalization..

Reduction of Older Americans Act programs, such as home delivered meals,

transportation and othersupports that help people remain in their

homes.Attachment #2SAVE THESAFETY NET!!!CROSS-DISABILITYAND SENIOR RALLYSTOP THE

ATTACKS ON COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES!!!Location: State Capitol Date: Monday, May

16Time: 11am-4pm; Rally at 2:30pm in Capitol RotundaCall your legislators to

make an appointment during your Capitolvisit-to find your legislator, visit

www.ilga.govBring posters with your message about how you would beimpacted by

cuts to community-based services and howimportant those services are to you. We

will collect them atthe Capitol's west side accessible entrance and create

amosaic of all of the posters for visual impact.For more information, contact

the Community for All Coalition at: 217-493-5445Organized by: Coalition of

Citizens with Disabilities in Illinois, Campaign for RealChoice in Illinois,

Access Living, Chicago ADAPT, Progress CIL, People First ofIllinois, Equip for

Equality, Springfield Area Disability Activists, FITE CIL,Institute on

Disability and Human Development