Fwd: FCCF- report on House and Senate meetings 1-5-09

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The following email from Betty Kay

Clements, Chairperson, Family Care Council Florida provides a current and very bleak

picture of what lies ahead for all those many individuals who depend on us.

Bob Wessels

Parent

& Advocate

BobWessels@...

From: CBETTYKAY@...

Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009

11:15 PM

Subject: FCCF- report on House and

Senate meetings 1-5-09

Report on the House and Senate budget meeting 1-5-09

Yesterday (Jan. 5, 2009), Patty and I attended the House and

Senate budget committees. It is important to note that the House Human

Services Committee members this year are mostly newly elected Representatives.

They need to be educated on Developmental Disabilities and the

Family Care Council. If any of you are constituents it is important to

contact them and start educating them. See the members list and contact

information attached. I know I have one I need to connect with.

Patty did great as always speaking to the House Human Services

members, but I found her a hard act to follow. We both addressed the waitlist

and issues related to Tiers and Cost rebasing delays that have yet to indicate

the impact to individuals or the Agency. We also stressed the need for

alternative revenues and dedicated funding. However both the House and

Senate have refused to consider alternate revenues. There also seemed to be

indication from the Chairman of the Human Services committee, and the Senate

committee that the proposed cuts were firm.

Upon arrival to the Capitol, we learned that the House and Senate

had identical recommendations regarding APD that were presented as

proposals. The APD’s and Governor’s

recommendations for the APD budget were not considered at all in the

recommendations presented by the House and Senate.

The proposal description is the following for APD:

2008-9 reductions

-$550,408 Salaries & Benefits & 13.5 vacant

positions (4%)

-$41,438 Expenses (4%)

-$1,075 Operating Capital Outlay (4%)

-$55,920 G/A-Contracted services (4.4%)

Provider Rate Reduction

5% provider rate reduction effective 3/1/09; annualization

is $12.4 million GR

and $15.5 Trust Fund, for a total annual amount of $41.7

million

Program Mgt & Compliance

-$740,774 Salaries & Benefits & 15.5 vacant positions (4%)

-$57,241 Expenses (4%)

-$1.705 Operating Capital Outlay (4%)

-$281,308 Home & Community Services administration (4%)

Developmental Disabilities Public facilities

-$5,400,645 in Salaries $ Benefits & 146 vacant positions (4%)

-$180, 457 in Expenses (4%)

In addressing both the House and Senate committees

yesterday, Deborah Linton Director of Florida ARC compared the proposed

5% provider rate reduction to a train wreck. State and Federal minimum

wage requirements, state mandated staffing patterns and health and

safety are on a collision course with the proposed budget cuts.

The APD program is not the only agency receiving major cuts.

Nursing homes, Children Hospitals, pharmacist, hospices, community based care

for seniors are being cut also just to name a few of a long list of agencies

and programs receiving severe cuts. You name it and it is being cut and

some of it is very scary. It was a depressing event to say the

least. I hope to have a copy of all the cuts proposed in the Senate and

House that I can share with all of you shortly.

In a separate email I will give some suggestions as to what the

membership may choose to do. This is a really difficult special session

and we must try to present a united front in order to minimize the harm if

possible.

Betty Kay

FCCF Chairperson

cbettykay@...

Mission: The

mission of Family Care Council Florida

is to advocate,

educate, and empower individuals

with developmental

disabilities and their families,

partnering with the

Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD),

to bring quality

services to individuals for dignity and choice.