Who Can People With Developmental Disabilities In NYS Count On?

This post and the issues it deals with are very specific to the field I worked for many years, providing support to people with developmental disabilities. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his Commissioner of the NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, Courtney Burke, announced what amounts to a $240 million cut to private, non profit providers of supports, to one of the most vulnerable populations in NYS. That figure amounts to a 6% across the board cut to organizations who have sustained major cuts over the past 3 years.

All of this is due to a controversy that the state has been having with the federal government over a rate structure that allowed the state to receive $5000 per day for people residing in state institutions. Initially, the rate sounds deplorable and because few people have explained it, the figure stands out there looking awful. What isn't stated is that the rate was approved by the federal government many years ago. In addition, it was a known fact that NYS was using that rate, meant for institutional care, to help pay for the development of community and more individualized supports - the goal of the federal government. There has been tremendous scrutiny by Congress over this issue, especially in the highly charged environment of federal spending criticisms by various House Committees. 

NYS's Office for People with Developmental Disabilities share of the cuts totals $120 million but when you add the federal share it totals $240 million. The entire amount of these cuts will be to the non profit providers even though the state provides similar services. That's the 6% cut and it needs to go into effect by April 1, 2013. This is not only devastating, it's stupid and irresponsible. As Eriskine Bowles has pointed out relative to federal Sequester across the board cuts - no private business does across the board cuts. You don't take a meat cleaver approach to serious fiscal problems. Your cuts and adjustments need to be precise and effective. These cuts by the way, are coming at the same time that states may be faced with additional cuts forced by the Sequester mentioned above.

At the same time, providers are being asked to do much more relative to government expectations. Organizations are burdened and overwhelmed by regulations that in most cases have been put into place as over reactions to the state's own incompetence in operating supports for people with developmental disabilities. These cuts will have an impact on quality of supports, an economic impact relative to job reductions and much more.

The state then has the gall to ask private providers to stand with them in a partnership to develop more homes in the community while institutions are closed and to come to conferences on visioning and planning. Hopefully the field will be smart enough to boycott these requests and to let the state know that it has shown its true colors in not supporting people with developmental disabilities. Its a shameful action by NYS. Families, providers and people supported legitimately need to ask - who can we count on?