Candidate Form

[Guest guest]

Greetings to all!

My neighbor is running for state sentate and sent me the information

below, asking what my take is on this. It is for a Candidate form and

I would like him to have some good input on this. Who he's running

against doesn't vote on A LOT of things and needs to be out of

office.

Thanks,

Michele

Disability Questions For Cobb Candidate Forum

1. Currently there are more than 5,180 Georgians who have disabilities

that have been placed on waiting lists for home and community-based

services. They are waiting for help that includes respite, supported

employment, housing supports, and family supports. How would you

support these 5,180 Georgians with disabilities who qualify for

Medicaid to be able to live safely in the community?

Georgians with significant disabilities need essential services to

remain with their families and in their communities. Services have not

been adequately funded by the state, and families are placed on

waiting lists. The Department of Human Resources and the Department of

Community Health keep lists with the names of those people who have

asked for help. They represent young children, young and middle aged

adults, and older people with mental retardation, severe physical

disabilities, and those who are medically fragile. These lists

continue to grow yearly with the addition of over 500 high school

students who transition out of the school system. The Unlock the

Waiting List campaign is a targeted effort by disability organizations

to educate the public and advocate for additional funding to make

services available to those most in need.

2. In addition to the 5,180 individuals in the community waiting for

help, there are currently over 5,000 individuals with disabilities

living in hospitals and nursing homes throughout Georgia. Given the

recent Olmstead Supreme Court case decision, what are some solutions

that you could bring to the General Assembly to support people's

ability to prevent unneeded institutionalization, but rather to

promote their choice to live in their own communities?

The United States Supreme Court issued the Olmstead v. L.C. decision

on June 22, 1999 holding that unnecessary segregation of individuals

in institutions may constitute discrimination based on disability.

The Olmstead v. L.C. case involved two Georgia citizens with

disabilities residing in a state institution, and it held that

" undue institutionalization qualifies as discrimination "

under the

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The decision suggested that a

state could establish compliance with ADA if it demonstrated that it

has a comprehensive, effectively working plan for placing eligible

persons with disabilities in less restrictive settings, and a waiting

list that moves at a reasonable pace given the resources available

and not controlled by trying to keep the State's institutions

fully

populated.

3. The most important paid staff in the lives of people with

disabilities are their direct support staff or personal assistants.

Personal assistance support people with their basic activities of

daily living and work responsibilities. Low wages for direct support

staff lead to high staff turnover, resulting in interruptions in

relationships and continuity of support, seriously impacting the

quality of life for the person with a disability and his or her

family. Developmental disability providers have not received a rate

increase in over a decade. How would you support an annual

cost-of-living increase to the provider rate?

Since the 1970's community-based providers in Georgia have

supported

people with developmental disabilities from residential to respite

and from job skills to competitive employment. In the late

1980's

Georgia implemented the Medicaid Waiver (MRWP – Mental

Retardation

Waiver Program) to serve individuals and in the late 1990's added

the CHSS or Community Habilitation and Support Services Waiver. Both

waivers have had only one rate increase (4% in FY 2002) over the last

12 years. For the past decade NO other industry (public, private,

state or local government) has gone without rate or price increase.

4. The Department of Community Health has proposed making cuts to the

Beckett Waiver program by adding a premium for families to

access these supports. How do you feel this change will impact the

special needs children using this program, and what priority should

they be given in the state's budget due to their age and medical

need

for service?

Families who are eligible for the Beckett Waiver have a child

or children who qualify for institutional level of care due to

complex medical needs or disability. Their income is too high for

them to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Therefore,

they make too much money to qualify for Medicaid coverage, but not

enough to cover the extraordinary expenses that result from having a

special needs child. The Beckett Waiver covers services and

supports that are not covered by private insurance, and enables

families to receive this coverage without reducing their income to a

point where it is impossible to provide for other children, or for

their own support.