Families - Help Save the Waiver System!
Demand Support for the DD System Rescue Plan
The general assembly (your elected representatives) are meeting RIGHT NOW to finalize the state budget for the next two years with huge potential negative impacts to your family’s safety net. You have contacted them over the last 3 months stating the importance of funding your services.
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The bad news is that the result of these efforts is that currently the Senate and House have both made less than sufficient recommendations.
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The good news is that there is still a chance to influence the final outcome.
Maybe they didn’t hear you.
Maybe they didn’t understand.
Let them know.
The Whole Waiver System is in crisis!
Let your local PAPERS and TV and RADIO STATIONS know,
Get "7 On Your Side!"
Scream your personal statement from the rooftops! The real life impact of these seemingly minor details is what is going to move the needle on this issue and help your general assembly understand the decisions they make over the next few days are VITAL to your life.
- Write your personal statement
- Add the Background Information included below. (link)
- Get it out!
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Best = Share your story with your local traditional Media Outlets (TV, Newspaper, Radio) AND
- Contact The Conference Committee Members (noted below)
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AND your general assembly reps.
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AND join us at the General Assembly tomorrow at 10:30am on Bank Street (bring a sign).
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Better = Contact your local traditional Media Outlets
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Good = Post to your social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
Your Personal Statement Primer:
How does the DD System impact your family? How does the underfunding and lack of competitive and/or livable wages for providers affect you!
Background Information to Attach:
The DD Waiver system has been chronically underfunded in Virginia. This resulted in the State being investigated by the Federal Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2010. DOJ’s findings were that Virginia fails to provide services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs as required by the ADA and Olmstead. Virginia and the DOJ came to a settlement. The intent being that Virginia put into action initiatives that increased community based options and their utilization for people with disabilities. Well, Virginia closed most of its “Training Centers”, but is falling far short of actually supporting (ie. funding) community based options. Virginia agreed with the DOJ settlement and says that it supports people with disabilities, but saying it and funding it are two different things.
Underfunding community based services leads to an institutionalization bias. If private, community based providers cannot hire staff, they cannot actually offer the service that is supposed to be a benefit available to people with disabilities in the community. Chronic underfunding has led to the verge of a staffing crisis of these services. COVID has pushed these providers well over the edge into an extreme staffing crisis. This means the only true viable choice for people will be nursing homes/institutions.
Without Increased Rates, there will be further closing of providers, increasing the burden on families, less practicality of Consumer Direction, thousands of disabled Virginians will be pipelined into Nursing Homes.
