CDCAN
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY
COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
DISABILITY RIGHTS
NEWS REPORT
#035-2006 April 3,
2006
Advocacy Without Borders:
Connecting people with disabilities & seniors to rights and unified
action
1225 8th
Street Suite 480 - Sacramento, CA 95814 916/446-0013 Fax:
916/446-0026
Marty Omoto - director email: martyomoto@rcip.com
website: www.cdcan.us
Breaking News - California State
Budget
* New Closure Date for Agnews Developmental Center June 30,
2008
* Dept of Developmental Services Expected To Make
Announcement Today
SACRAMENTO - The Department of Developmental Services, which
oversees the services for over 200,000 people with developmental disabilities in
programs funded by 21 non-profit regional centers and also about 3,000 people in
state operated and owned facilities, will announce this morning that the closure
date of Agnews Developmental Center will be pushed back one year, to June 30,
2008. The Department of Developmental Services is expected to make the announcement
during the hearing this morning before the Senate Budget
Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services.
The rescheduling of the
closure of Agnews - one of five remaining state owned and operated developmental
centers, formerly called state hospitals for people with developmental
disabilities, was expected. Schwarzenegger Administration officials said
during a CDCAN Townhall Telemeeting in late March that a delay in the closure
was likely to ensure that people are transitioned smoothly from the facility
into community settings - and if necessary, another facility such as Sonoma
Developmental Center. They mentioned then that the State wanted to avoid
relocating people more than once after they are moved from Agnews.
Currently, most people who are residents of Agnews, are projected to move into
community-based housing or facilities. Parent and family advocates
who have family members as residents of Agnews have raised concerns about the
transition regarding health and safety issues.
Agnews was
originally slated for closure on June 30, 2006, but that date was pushed back to
June 30, 2007 due to the need for more time on transition planning for people
residing there.
Advocates both for and against closure have
largely praised the Department of Developmental Services' transition planning
efforts that was developed in collaboration with the three regional centers in
the area (Golden Gate Regional Center, Regional Center of the East Bay and San
Andreas Regional Center), parent and family advocacy groups, community
organizations and other advocates. The transition planning is being
closely watched across the state and nation because of that collaboration.
Some advocates in favor of closing the remaining state institutions
however have raised concerns about what the impact of another delay will mean
regarding possible closures of another developmental
center.
Hearing on Developmental
Services This Morning
The Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and
Human Services, chaired by Sen. Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego) is scheduled to
meet Monday, April 3 at the new earlier time of 10:00 AM (changed from 1:30 PM),
at the State Capitol in Room 4203 to consider the Governor's budget proposals
impacting services and supports funded through community-based regional centers
and also services provided by the state owned and operated developmental
centers. [Note: See CDCAN Action Notice for more information on
logistics and details about this hearing]
When: April 3, 2006
- Monday morning at 10:00 AM (note time change from 1:30
PM)
Budget Issue: Regional
Centers and Developmental Centers (Dept of Developmental
Services)
Who: Senate Budget
Subcommittee #3 on Health & Human Services
Where: State Capitol -
Room 4203
Priority: VERY
HIGH
Alert Issued: YES
Should People Come To Hearing: YES - note time change from
1:30 PM to 10 AM!!!
Note: Due to construction on the Capitol grounds
and the building of a visitor's pavilion on the entrance facing L Street, the
only wheelchair accessible entrance is from the SOUTH entrance (facing N
Street).
Likely Major
Budget Issues That Subcommittee and Advocates Will Focus On
* 3%
One-Time Increase for Some Programs: The Governor's proposal to provide a
one-time 3% increase to several community-based organizations who provide
services, will be reviewed by the subcommittee.
* Funding for
Autism
* On-going Rate Freezes and Need for Rate Increases: Many
advocates, while praising the Schwarzenegger Administration for including the
one-time increase, are pushing for larger increases to help keep alive critical
programs, including employment, and to lift the on-going freeze in how much the
State pays community organizations for the cost of providing services.
* On-going Funding Reductions ("Cost Containment Measures") - Other
Issues of major concern that will likely be addressed are proposals by the
Schwarzenegger Administration to continue on-going funding reductions of many
community-based programs, - some which were first passed under Gov. Gray
Davis.
* New Proposal To Control Spending - The
subcommittee will consider a new proposal that seeks to place new contract
requirements between the State and the 21 non-profit regional centers that is
tied to specific funding reductions or cost savings in their budgets that fund
community based services (called "purchase of services" or "POS"). Many
advocates are opposed to that proposal because they say it will result in denial
or reduction of services for people who need them, and also more reductions in
funding.
* Update on Agnews Developmental Center Closure - The
subcommittee will also hear an update on the progress of the closure and
transition plan of Agnews Developmental Center.
* Other budget related issues
include status of the Department of Developmental Services' long delayed
computer system to track persons receiving services and other information,
impact of changes made at the federal level to Medicare and Medicaid (Medi-Cal)
to persons with developmental disabilities.
RELATED
ASSEMBLY BUDGET SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
When: April 24, 2006 - Monday late afternoon at 4:00
PM
Budget Issue: Regional
Centers and Developmental Centers under Dept of Developmental
Services
Who: Assembly Budget
Subcommittee #1 on Health & Human Services
Where: State Capitol -
Room 127
Priority: VERY
HIGH
Alert Issued: YES
Should People Come To Hearing:
YES
How To Receive CDCAN Capitol
News Reports and Alerts
The California Disability Community Action Network is a
non-partisan link to tens of thousands of Californians in every community,
including people of color, people of every type of disability, including people
with physical disabilities, people with developmental and other disabilities,
people with traumatic brain and other injures, people with mental health needs,
seniors, people with MS, Alzheimer's and others, and all of their families,
community organizations and providers, direct care and other workers, and other
advocates. These action alerts and news reports is for all of them.
If you would like to get on this distribution (and conversely, get off of
it) please send an email with that request to: martyomoto@rcip.com OR sign up via the NEW
CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us Sharing information is part of
our organizing effort. Please feel free to forward or copy this
(attribution is nice but not necessary). We're all in this together!
MANY
THANKS to Training Toward Self Reliance, UCP, California NAELA, The University
Affiliated Programs, CHANCE Inc, Parents Helping Parents, Arriba, Strategies
Toward Empowering People, Parents Helping Parents, Asian American parents
groups, Resources for Independent Living and many other Independent Living
Centers, several regional centers, People First chapters, IHSS workers, other
self advocacy and family support groups California Disability Rights Inc ,
developmental center families, and hundreds of individuals like Maureen
Fitzgerald, Terri Lantz, Christal Hopkins, Lisa Brown, Anna Wang, Dennis Dishaw,
Bob Benson, David Engberg, Connie Arnold, and so many others who through their
support and contributions, make the non-partisan CDCAN reports and townhall
telemeetings possible. Thanks also to partnerships and the good people
with the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and also the Department of
Health Services, the Department of Developmental Services, Department of Social
Services and the CA Health and Human Services Agency and other agencies, and the
State Legislature and staff, the Legislative Analyst Office. Good people
who do good things can make a difference together