Guest guest Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Over 10,000 e-mails sent to lawmakers opposing managed care for the developmentally disabled! Yesterday's Senate HHS Meeting Report - FFDDnews.com Congratulations Advocates! Collectively, over 10,000 or your e-mails were sent to key legislators, Governor Crist and Lt. Governor Kottkamp. Each member received an average of 500 emails asking them to 'Keep HMO's out of APD!' The Governor and Lt. Governor received about 200 each. Thank you for taking action, YOUR VOICE WAS HEARD! If you want to be contacted for in the future to help make an impact by forwarding e-mails to lawmakers regarding decisions affecting the developmentally disabled, please click here: http://www.ffddnews.com/contact-your-legislator.php Yesterday, the Senate Health and Human Servcies Appropriations Committee met. The managed care proposal was not on the agenda, nor was it presented in public testimony. They heard testimony from the Agency for Persons with Disabilities regarding the wait list and crisis enrollees. APD Director Jane described the Agency’s approach to the wait list. She indicated that actual emergencies are served through General Revenue Funding until individuals can be enrolled on the wait list. reported that last year the Agency spent $5.3 million in General Revenue and has spent $2.2 million this year for individuals who are on the wait list and pending crisis enrollment. Other points included: Crisis enrollment is funded through attrition that occurs within the waivers. APD enrolled 298 approved crisis applicants last year and processes about 19 per month. The Agency has streamlined the financial eligibility and waiver application process. Individuals can be enrolled within 45 – 90 days. Individuals are being encouraged to enroll for Medicaid before they are assigned to the waiver to streamline approvals. APD is proposing to re-categorize the wait list based on the following criteria: Individuals in crisis; children in foster care; Brown v. Bush; and individuals with valid court orders. The Agency will also assess immediate service needs within 6 months. (Senator Gaetz is proposing a bill on this and Senator Storms is also working on a bill.) APD is considering the following options: Breaking the wait list up into categories such as services needed within 7-24 months; aging out of Medicaid State plan within 2 years; transitioning from school within 2 years; and anticipated loss of caregiver within 2 years. A planning list will be maintained that will identify services needed within the next 2-5 years. The Senate Committee encouraged the Agency to move quickly to address management of the wait list. The wait list is being purged when contact or follow up cannot be made with those on the list. During FY 06-07, 1,169 client files were closed. APD is working with the Family Care Council and the Developmental Disabilities Council to conduct phone surveys to determine immediacy of needs and core services required to allow individuals to remain with their families. By June 2008, a random sample of individuals on the wait list will be assessed using the new QSI tool. The Agency also gave an update on children in Community Based Care and how they are being served. APD has developed an operating procedure for the identification and enrollment of these children; developed a process for their priority consideration; and, shared information with DCF to monitor the status of these kids. As of December 2007, 529 Community Based Care (DCF/CBC) children are being served via the waivers. About 226 are waiting for services. About $12 million in waiver funding is being spent for these children with $9 million going towards residential habilitation. Director testified that the Agency intends to implement the tiered waivers. The Developmental Disabilities Council testified they wanted APD to remain as a stand-alone agency and that the system should not be turned over to managed care. The Family Care Council requested that all state agencies should be held accountable to serving individuals with developmental disabilities and that APD should not be the only agency funding services to individuals with developmental disabilities. Also, they requested that the Agency use General Revenue funding to provide all wait list individuals with $2,000 per person in services for next fiscal year. The Council also opposes any proposal that moves APD and the waiver services into a managed care program or to another state agency. Tom Buckley from UPARC spoke about the urgent need for service resources and ways to obtain information on individuals with developmental disabilities. He also encouraged that APD continue as a stand-alone agency and that the Agency not be moved to a managed care entity. Overall, the meeting was uneventful but it is clear that the Senate Committee wants to see immediate progress in the management of the wait list and the way the program operates. We will continue to our vigilance with respect to the managed care issue and thank you again for taking action! Goldstein ne Sewell contributed to this articleFFDDNews.com Date: January 25, 2008 Copyright © 2008 . All rights reserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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