Here is a letter to the editor regarding budget cuts to DD services which was published in the Johnson County Sun newspaper on 2.24.10.
No more cuts
The state of Kansas has made severe cutbacks on the order of $1 billion to services and agencies. Cuts to services are landing heavily on the backs of people with disabilities. At The Whole Person, a non-residential Center for Independent Living serving Kansans with disabilities, we have grave concerns for the ability of Kansans with disabilities to live with dignity and safety in the community, and avoid nursing home placement.
These cuts will reduce employment and valuable services that Kansans need. Staff reductions, Medicaid reimbursement cuts, and reduced funding for home- and community-based care are creating longer and longer waiting lists for 3,600 people with disabilities. Many people can’t afford the wait. People are literally dying while waiting for services.
In addition, durable medical equipment suppliers are curtailing services for delivering/servicing complex rehabilitation equipment such as wheelchairs and other services. People are being forced to live without critical equipment that keeps them safe and independent.
The irony in all this is that nursing home care is much more expensive to taxpayers.
If your family encounters tight times, do you stop buying food and medicine for your most vulnerable members? Or do you find a way to increase your income?
Legislators, you have to find the revenue to balance the budget and keep Kansans safe and healthy. We cannot live with more cuts.
Barney Mayse
Independent Living Specialist, The Whole Person
Prairie Village
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday Morning Update
Good Monday morning to all!
· Thursday, the Senate debated the Rescission Bill and after little discussion, voted to approve it. The final vote was 33-6. The bill went to the House later that afternoon and passed 114-5. The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature. We have every indication that the Governor will sign the bill!
· Thank you all for your notes, letters, emails, and calls to legislators. This is YOUR win!
· Folks have been wondering what the reimbursement process will look like once the SGF/Medicaid swap is reinstated. As you know, providers have been paid 10% less for Medicaid-eligible services provided after January 1st 2010. According to the Rescission Bill, the swap is retroactive so folks should be reimbursed for the 10% hit they took during their January and February billing. S.R.S. has not shared how they will do the “pay-back”. Look for information in a future update. Any billing after the bill is signed into law will be paid at the original rate.
· Remember, this swap is only for the Home and Community Based DD waiver. There are other waivers that are not impacted by this swap.
· One more thing to remember is that the reinstatement of the Medicaid cut only applies to the 2010 budget which ends June 30th. The Legislature now has the perilous task of hammering out the 2011 budget which starts July 1st of this year. Unless the legislature finds a way to increase revenue, the 10% cut may be reinstated. Don’t rest easily yet, we have much work to do during the next few months.
· I’ve attached an article which was posted in the KC Star about the budget and the potentially devastating effects on folks with disabilities.
Your To Do list for next week:
1. I’m still waiting to see your Letter to the Editor….did I have any takers?
2. Almost all Legislators do a weekly/monthly email newsletter that goes out to constituents during the legislative session. Email your legislators and request to be put on this email list. These newsletters will help you know a little more about your legislator, what is important to them as well as their stance on specific issues.
3. Many Legislators want to know what is important to their constituents and hold forums in their district. Find out if your legislators hosts these events. If so, plan to go. Ask questions about DD funding.
Thank you for your advocacy the past month. With the passage of the Rescission Bill, we have won the battle, but are far from winning the war! Your ideas, thoughts, and strategies are welcome. Be sure to visit www.invisiblekansans.org!
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
· Thursday, the Senate debated the Rescission Bill and after little discussion, voted to approve it. The final vote was 33-6. The bill went to the House later that afternoon and passed 114-5. The bill now goes to the Governor’s desk for his signature. We have every indication that the Governor will sign the bill!
· Thank you all for your notes, letters, emails, and calls to legislators. This is YOUR win!
· Folks have been wondering what the reimbursement process will look like once the SGF/Medicaid swap is reinstated. As you know, providers have been paid 10% less for Medicaid-eligible services provided after January 1st 2010. According to the Rescission Bill, the swap is retroactive so folks should be reimbursed for the 10% hit they took during their January and February billing. S.R.S. has not shared how they will do the “pay-back”. Look for information in a future update. Any billing after the bill is signed into law will be paid at the original rate.
· Remember, this swap is only for the Home and Community Based DD waiver. There are other waivers that are not impacted by this swap.
· One more thing to remember is that the reinstatement of the Medicaid cut only applies to the 2010 budget which ends June 30th. The Legislature now has the perilous task of hammering out the 2011 budget which starts July 1st of this year. Unless the legislature finds a way to increase revenue, the 10% cut may be reinstated. Don’t rest easily yet, we have much work to do during the next few months.
· I’ve attached an article which was posted in the KC Star about the budget and the potentially devastating effects on folks with disabilities.
Your To Do list for next week:
1. I’m still waiting to see your Letter to the Editor….did I have any takers?
2. Almost all Legislators do a weekly/monthly email newsletter that goes out to constituents during the legislative session. Email your legislators and request to be put on this email list. These newsletters will help you know a little more about your legislator, what is important to them as well as their stance on specific issues.
3. Many Legislators want to know what is important to their constituents and hold forums in their district. Find out if your legislators hosts these events. If so, plan to go. Ask questions about DD funding.
Thank you for your advocacy the past month. With the passage of the Rescission Bill, we have won the battle, but are far from winning the war! Your ideas, thoughts, and strategies are welcome. Be sure to visit www.invisiblekansans.org!
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Global Warming: Message from Friends of JCDS chairman, John Holt
Friends of JCDS chairman John Holt graciously accepts money raised by JCDS consumers during a Valentine's Day carnation sale. All proceeds go to Friends of JCDS! Let the debate on global warming rage on. On this there is no debate: your Friends of JCDS Board is "heating" things up as the young year tries desperately to get through winter!
We have four committees that meet in the board's off months: The Projects and Programs Committee, which oversees our housing project among other things; The Fundraising and Communications Committee, very busy right now preparing for Restyle Runway in May; The People Committee, charged with recruiting and maintaining solid board membership; and our newest committee, Advocacy, which will, as its name implies, advocate for people with disabilities and educate the public.
It's a real team effort, with each board member selecting a committee or two that best fits their skills and interests! Outside ideas are always welcome....so let us know if you have any thoughts and we'll put you in touch with our committee chairs.
It's a labor of love for all of our board members, and I thank them for "heating" things up, even in the dead of winter!
Meantime, I'll talk to our Fox 4 weather team about speeding up spring!
KC Star article about state budget woes affecting people with disabilities
Click HERE to read the article, published on February 16, 2010.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday Morning Update
This year’s Legislative session reminds me of the Winter Olympics:
1- Competition is tough with many vying for the top prize.
2- Winning isn’t based on who you know, rather how forcefully you compete.
3- You never know how it’s going to end up until someone crosses the finish line.
4- Spandex only looks good on athletes.
Here is a summary of last week’s action:
· HB 2533, the newly amended version of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, passed out of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. This bill aligns the State of Kansas with the Federal 2008 ADA Amendments Act. The bill will now go to the Senate for approval. It is expected to pass.
· You deserve credit for one of the most important wins of the week! On Wednesday, Jo Co Rep. Pat Colloton, introduced an amendment to the House Rescission bill that would eliminate the 10% cut in the Medicaid DD waiver by swapping with State General Funds. The amendment passed! There was only a voice vote (meaning it was obvious that there was a “winner”) with only a few quiet “no’s” being heard. Great job to all of you for contacting your Representatives!
· The new and amended House Rescission bill went up for “final action” (the official vote) on Thursday and passed 113- 7.
· Speaking of the SGF/Medicaid swap, we’re close to the finish line, but the race isn’t won yet. Since the Senate and the House each have their own version of a Rescission Bill, the negotiation moves to a “joint committee”. This committee is made up of three Senators and three Representatives, both Republican and Democrat. Two scenarios are possible:
1)The committee agrees on either the House or Senate version of the bill. If that happens, it’s a done deal.
2) If the committee comes up with a newly negotiated version, the new version will need to go back to both the Senate and the House for another vote.
Keep your fingers crossed that the Committee agrees upon the House version which includes our amendment. I’m not so sure this will happen, as the Senate likes to have the last say! The good news is that the legislature has an incentive to get this bill out of the way so they can begin working on the budget for 2011. They should move quickly.
· I had replies from many of you about HB 2593 ( the alcohol/malt beverage tax bill). Folks said that if this bill passes, they promise to drink more! What a great example of team support!
Your To Do List for next week:
1) Since “variety is the spice of life”, I’m not going to ask you to send a letter to your legislators. Instead, write a Letter to the Editor of the KC Star. Don’t shake your head and think “there’s no way”. This is not as difficult as you think. The Star has been very supportive of developmental disability issues and welcomes your letters!
a) In an email, tell your story in 150 words or less.
b) Don’t use an attachment, just put your message in the body of your email.
c) Add your name, city and phone number.
d) Send it to: letters@kcstar.com.
e) The Star will call to verify that you are the author. It may take several weeks to be printed so don’t get discouraged. If you don’t take the paper, Letters to the Editor are also on the web version.
2) Pat yourself on the back. You did a great job contacting your Representatives about the SGF/Medicaid swap. You are my heroes!
We’ve passed the starting gate and are fighting to get to the finish line first. Persistence is the key. We need to keep our eye on the goal and continue to work hard. You are fierce competitors! Until next week…
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
1- Competition is tough with many vying for the top prize.
2- Winning isn’t based on who you know, rather how forcefully you compete.
3- You never know how it’s going to end up until someone crosses the finish line.
4- Spandex only looks good on athletes.
Here is a summary of last week’s action:
· HB 2533, the newly amended version of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, passed out of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee. This bill aligns the State of Kansas with the Federal 2008 ADA Amendments Act. The bill will now go to the Senate for approval. It is expected to pass.
· You deserve credit for one of the most important wins of the week! On Wednesday, Jo Co Rep. Pat Colloton, introduced an amendment to the House Rescission bill that would eliminate the 10% cut in the Medicaid DD waiver by swapping with State General Funds. The amendment passed! There was only a voice vote (meaning it was obvious that there was a “winner”) with only a few quiet “no’s” being heard. Great job to all of you for contacting your Representatives!
· The new and amended House Rescission bill went up for “final action” (the official vote) on Thursday and passed 113- 7.
· Speaking of the SGF/Medicaid swap, we’re close to the finish line, but the race isn’t won yet. Since the Senate and the House each have their own version of a Rescission Bill, the negotiation moves to a “joint committee”. This committee is made up of three Senators and three Representatives, both Republican and Democrat. Two scenarios are possible:
1)The committee agrees on either the House or Senate version of the bill. If that happens, it’s a done deal.
2) If the committee comes up with a newly negotiated version, the new version will need to go back to both the Senate and the House for another vote.
Keep your fingers crossed that the Committee agrees upon the House version which includes our amendment. I’m not so sure this will happen, as the Senate likes to have the last say! The good news is that the legislature has an incentive to get this bill out of the way so they can begin working on the budget for 2011. They should move quickly.
· I had replies from many of you about HB 2593 ( the alcohol/malt beverage tax bill). Folks said that if this bill passes, they promise to drink more! What a great example of team support!
Your To Do List for next week:
1) Since “variety is the spice of life”, I’m not going to ask you to send a letter to your legislators. Instead, write a Letter to the Editor of the KC Star. Don’t shake your head and think “there’s no way”. This is not as difficult as you think. The Star has been very supportive of developmental disability issues and welcomes your letters!
a) In an email, tell your story in 150 words or less.
b) Don’t use an attachment, just put your message in the body of your email.
c) Add your name, city and phone number.
d) Send it to: letters@kcstar.com.
e) The Star will call to verify that you are the author. It may take several weeks to be printed so don’t get discouraged. If you don’t take the paper, Letters to the Editor are also on the web version.
2) Pat yourself on the back. You did a great job contacting your Representatives about the SGF/Medicaid swap. You are my heroes!
We’ve passed the starting gate and are fighting to get to the finish line first. Persistence is the key. We need to keep our eye on the goal and continue to work hard. You are fierce competitors! Until next week…
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
Monday, February 8, 2010
CNN story on the "R-word"
Click on the link to check out CNN's story about the use of the "R-word"
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/02/08/costello.dnt.r.word.cnn?hpt=C2
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/02/08/costello.dnt.r.word.cnn?hpt=C2
Monday Morning Update
1) Things are starting to shake, rattle and roll in Topeka!
· Shake - State revenue deficit continues to grow while confidence decreases.
· Rattle - Legislators continue to upset the applecart by proposing new cuts and changes to State Agencies in order to save money.
· Roll – Friday is the last day to introduce bills (with the exception of a few committees) so legislators are rushing to meet the deadline.
2) Talking about bills - an important bill (HB2593) was introduced last week in the Tax Committee by Representative Pat Colloton. This bill would increase the tax rate on some alcoholic liquor and cereal malt beverages. It will have a hearing in the committee during the next 60 days. Hopefully it will pass out of committee and then go to the House floor for debate. If passed, this tax is estimated to bring in an additional $22 million. The beauty of this bill is that it designates that half of the revenues received goes into funding the DD waiting list and the other half goes to fund community mental health programs. This alcohol tax is above and beyond the current tax and won’t affect revenue currently received by cities.
This is definitely a bill to watch! I’ll keep you updated about its progress.
3) Many legislators are talking about taxes as a way to increase the State’s revenue. Some legislators want to do this by eliminating certain taxes and others want to increase taxes. Other legislators want to leave taxes just the way they are and cut programs. An important thing to remember is that Kansas relies on taxes to provide the basic services of government. Ask yourself whether serving vulnerable Kansans is one of those basic services of government. I know my answer, what about yours?
4) The House Appropriations Committee completed hearings on their Rescission Bill (HB2222). This bill made it out of committee (meaning that it was approved by the committee and now can go to the House floor to be “worked”). This is slated to happen this week. If you remember prior Monday Morning Updates, I’ve shared information about the State General Fund (SGF)/Medicaid swap. Our hope is that this “swap” will be introduced as an amendment during bill discussion. If the amendment is approved by the House, we’ll still have the hurdle of having it pass the Senate. If the swap is not approved, the 10% cut to Medicaid remains in place and businesses, providers and consumers will see disastrous results!
5) What do I mean by disastrous results?
· I’m aware of one JoCo Urgent Care provider that is no longer accepting Medicaid.
· Some Medical equipment providers are turning away customers whose primary payment source is Medicaid.
· A provider of DD services in a bordering county has eliminated their community employment and life enrichment programs limiting consumer options.
· And…it’s still early.
Your To Do List for the week:
1) Call your Representative (Senator - not necessary this week) and ask them to support the “SGF/Medicaid Swap”. For many of you, making this phone call will mean getting out of your comfort zone. Remember that drastic times call for drastic measures!
· It is very important to call Monday or Tuesday.
· Call their Topeka office (their number is listed in the chart I sent you last week).
· If you are fortunate enough to speak to your Representative, introduce yourself as a constituent, a person who cares about individuals with developmental disabilities and ask them to support using DD State General Funds in place of the 10% cut to Medicaid.
· If your Representative is not available (very probable) leave the same message with the assistant. She/he will pass on your message.
· This won’t take more than 5 minutes of your time, but is a huge issue that must be addressed this week! If this swap doesn’t get approved, the cuts to Medicaid will continue, allowing further damage.
2) Get our your calendar, find March 3rd and write “InterHab Day at the Capitol”. I’ll provide more information later about this event.
As usual, thanks so much for your attention and devotion to our cause. Remember to visit www.invisiblekansans.org for additional updates.
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
· Shake - State revenue deficit continues to grow while confidence decreases.
· Rattle - Legislators continue to upset the applecart by proposing new cuts and changes to State Agencies in order to save money.
· Roll – Friday is the last day to introduce bills (with the exception of a few committees) so legislators are rushing to meet the deadline.
2) Talking about bills - an important bill (HB2593) was introduced last week in the Tax Committee by Representative Pat Colloton. This bill would increase the tax rate on some alcoholic liquor and cereal malt beverages. It will have a hearing in the committee during the next 60 days. Hopefully it will pass out of committee and then go to the House floor for debate. If passed, this tax is estimated to bring in an additional $22 million. The beauty of this bill is that it designates that half of the revenues received goes into funding the DD waiting list and the other half goes to fund community mental health programs. This alcohol tax is above and beyond the current tax and won’t affect revenue currently received by cities.
This is definitely a bill to watch! I’ll keep you updated about its progress.
3) Many legislators are talking about taxes as a way to increase the State’s revenue. Some legislators want to do this by eliminating certain taxes and others want to increase taxes. Other legislators want to leave taxes just the way they are and cut programs. An important thing to remember is that Kansas relies on taxes to provide the basic services of government. Ask yourself whether serving vulnerable Kansans is one of those basic services of government. I know my answer, what about yours?
4) The House Appropriations Committee completed hearings on their Rescission Bill (HB2222). This bill made it out of committee (meaning that it was approved by the committee and now can go to the House floor to be “worked”). This is slated to happen this week. If you remember prior Monday Morning Updates, I’ve shared information about the State General Fund (SGF)/Medicaid swap. Our hope is that this “swap” will be introduced as an amendment during bill discussion. If the amendment is approved by the House, we’ll still have the hurdle of having it pass the Senate. If the swap is not approved, the 10% cut to Medicaid remains in place and businesses, providers and consumers will see disastrous results!
5) What do I mean by disastrous results?
· I’m aware of one JoCo Urgent Care provider that is no longer accepting Medicaid.
· Some Medical equipment providers are turning away customers whose primary payment source is Medicaid.
· A provider of DD services in a bordering county has eliminated their community employment and life enrichment programs limiting consumer options.
· And…it’s still early.
Your To Do List for the week:
1) Call your Representative (Senator - not necessary this week) and ask them to support the “SGF/Medicaid Swap”. For many of you, making this phone call will mean getting out of your comfort zone. Remember that drastic times call for drastic measures!
· It is very important to call Monday or Tuesday.
· Call their Topeka office (their number is listed in the chart I sent you last week).
· If you are fortunate enough to speak to your Representative, introduce yourself as a constituent, a person who cares about individuals with developmental disabilities and ask them to support using DD State General Funds in place of the 10% cut to Medicaid.
· If your Representative is not available (very probable) leave the same message with the assistant. She/he will pass on your message.
· This won’t take more than 5 minutes of your time, but is a huge issue that must be addressed this week! If this swap doesn’t get approved, the cuts to Medicaid will continue, allowing further damage.
2) Get our your calendar, find March 3rd and write “InterHab Day at the Capitol”. I’ll provide more information later about this event.
As usual, thanks so much for your attention and devotion to our cause. Remember to visit www.invisiblekansans.org for additional updates.
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Monday Legislative Update
Greetings! Another week…another update!
1- The House Tax committee debated the Governor’s sales tax bill last week. Many legislators have taken a pledge not to raise taxes and stood by their vow. The bill failed in committee but rather than being termed “dead”, has been put in the bottom drawer to be pulled out again later in the session if needed.
2- The Senate debated their rescission bill last week. A rescission bill cancels previously approved but unspent funds and allows a new bill to identify future spending. Since there is less money coming into Kansas than what was anticipated, the State has to amend their budget by submitting a rescission bill. Both Senate and House have their own versions of this bill. Once passed in each respective chamber, legislators must work together to agree on one final bill.
3- Our own JoCo Senator, Jeff Colyer offered an amendment to the Senate’s rescission bill which would have restored the 10% cut to Medicaid. This would have been done by borrowing money from the 2011 budget. Many legislators felt it was not a good idea to “rob Peter to pay Paul”. The amendment failed but the Senate’s rescission bill did pass 36 – 4. The 10% cut to Medicaid was not restored.
4- Friday, the State received their latest tax revenue figures. Bad news prevailed as revenues were almost $34 million below where they were projected to be. The House Appropriation committee will be working on their rescission bill in the next week. They will have to take into account this additional shortfall.
5- A committee had the charge to look at the potential closure of one or both of the State’s two DD hospitals. The committee’s final report recommended closure of KNI in Topeka with claims that this would save the State money by serving folks in a less costly community setting. In addition, the committee recommended that money saved by closure should be used to take folks off the DD waiting list. After thoughtful deliberation, Governor Parkinson decided that the State should work towards “downsizing” our two DD hospitals and “work towards” closure. So much for a new funding source to eliminate the waiting list.
6- Many of you have forwarded me your legislators responses to your very personal emails. It gives me hope that legislators are hearing you, tells me which legislators need a little more work, and gives me an idea as to what legislators are thinking. Keep those valuable relationships growing. Thank you so much for sharing, but more importantly, thank you for taking action!
Your TO DO list for next week:
1- Send an email to your Representative and ask them to restore the 10% cut to Medicaid by adopting the State General Fund swap for DD. As I said earlier, Legislators will be working and voting on this within the next week or two. Time is of the essence.
2- Visit www.invisiblekansans.org and send your weekly email.
3- Share the above site with two new people.
4- If you would be willing to tell your story and be video-taped, please let me know. We are trying to strengthen the Invisible Kansans website and no one tells your story better than you!
Remember…be the flea!
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
1- The House Tax committee debated the Governor’s sales tax bill last week. Many legislators have taken a pledge not to raise taxes and stood by their vow. The bill failed in committee but rather than being termed “dead”, has been put in the bottom drawer to be pulled out again later in the session if needed.
2- The Senate debated their rescission bill last week. A rescission bill cancels previously approved but unspent funds and allows a new bill to identify future spending. Since there is less money coming into Kansas than what was anticipated, the State has to amend their budget by submitting a rescission bill. Both Senate and House have their own versions of this bill. Once passed in each respective chamber, legislators must work together to agree on one final bill.
3- Our own JoCo Senator, Jeff Colyer offered an amendment to the Senate’s rescission bill which would have restored the 10% cut to Medicaid. This would have been done by borrowing money from the 2011 budget. Many legislators felt it was not a good idea to “rob Peter to pay Paul”. The amendment failed but the Senate’s rescission bill did pass 36 – 4. The 10% cut to Medicaid was not restored.
4- Friday, the State received their latest tax revenue figures. Bad news prevailed as revenues were almost $34 million below where they were projected to be. The House Appropriation committee will be working on their rescission bill in the next week. They will have to take into account this additional shortfall.
5- A committee had the charge to look at the potential closure of one or both of the State’s two DD hospitals. The committee’s final report recommended closure of KNI in Topeka with claims that this would save the State money by serving folks in a less costly community setting. In addition, the committee recommended that money saved by closure should be used to take folks off the DD waiting list. After thoughtful deliberation, Governor Parkinson decided that the State should work towards “downsizing” our two DD hospitals and “work towards” closure. So much for a new funding source to eliminate the waiting list.
6- Many of you have forwarded me your legislators responses to your very personal emails. It gives me hope that legislators are hearing you, tells me which legislators need a little more work, and gives me an idea as to what legislators are thinking. Keep those valuable relationships growing. Thank you so much for sharing, but more importantly, thank you for taking action!
Your TO DO list for next week:
1- Send an email to your Representative and ask them to restore the 10% cut to Medicaid by adopting the State General Fund swap for DD. As I said earlier, Legislators will be working and voting on this within the next week or two. Time is of the essence.
2- Visit www.invisiblekansans.org and send your weekly email.
3- Share the above site with two new people.
4- If you would be willing to tell your story and be video-taped, please let me know. We are trying to strengthen the Invisible Kansans website and no one tells your story better than you!
Remember…be the flea!
Warm Regards,
Lurena Mead
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