058-2006 Breaking News - Budget Committee OKs Supported Employment Increase Restores SSI

CDCAN
CALIFORNIA DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
DISABILITY RIGHTS NEWS REPORT
#058-2006 June 10, 2006 - Saturday Afternoon
Advocacy Without Borders:
Connecting people with disabilities & seniors to rights and unified action
IN MEMORY OF WARREN A. MATTINGLY WHO PASSED AWAY MAY 24
1225 8th Street Suite 480 - Sacramento, CA 95814 916/446-0013 Fax: 916/446-0026
To Respond to THIS email report reply to: martyomoto@rcip.com
CDCAN website: www.cdcan.us

Breaking News
* BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TAKES ACTION IN FINAL MEETING
* APPROVES MAJOR INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT
* RESTORES SSI/SSP FEDERAL INCREASE FOR JAN-MAR 2007
* INCREASES FOR CERTAIN DAY & WORK ACTIVITY PROGRAMS

SACRAMENTO - The budget conference committee, in its final meeting today (June 10), took action on several issues that have major impact on people with disabilities and seniors. A full CDCAN report will be issued later today on all actions by the Budget Conference Committee impacting people with disabilities and seniors. Some of the major action impacting children and adults with disabilities and seniors included:

SSI/SSP (Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment
Voted 4-2 to repeal last year's budget action that would withhold the federal cost of living increase for three months in 2007 (January through March) that is due to SSI/SSP recipients. Restored the funding ($42,291,000) for this increase. Previously the both houses rejected the Governor's proposal to extend the withholding an additional 15 months beginning April 2007 - a proposal he subsequently withdrew.

Supported Employment Program Funding Increase
Voted 6-0 to approve a major increase in funding for supported employment programs of $23 million ($16.7 million of that State funds) far above what the Governor proposed in January and May to do the following:
* Job placement fee - provides for a doubling of the job placement fee (from $1,000 to $2,000)
* Increase by 26% the rates paid for job coaching for Supported Employment Programs within the Department of Rehabilitation
* Increase by 26% the rates paid in Supported Employment Programs within the Department of Developmental Services
* Budget related legislative (trailer bill) language that makes technical changes to existing law to allow for this increases.

Wages and Rates Increases for Some Regional Center Funded Programs
Voted 6-0 (part of the same package of issues that included supported employment program above) to adopt a compromise that called for a total increase of $30 million (all State funds) above the 3% the Governor proposed, and also new budget related legislative language. The $30 million includes $16.7 million in state funds for supported employment programs (see above) for the Department of Developmental Services to provide a rate increase for the purpose of increasing or "enhancing" wages for direct care staff in Day programs and Work Activity Programs that meet specific criteria as follows including:
* Day and Work Activity Programs that provides services and supports in a community integrated, non-site based setting
* Site-based Day Programs that are converting to a community integrated, non-site based setting and
* Work Activity Programs that are converting to a Supported Work Program.

The budget related legislative (trailer bill) language to implement the above increases and approved by the Budget Conference Committee is as follows:
Add Section 4691.8 to Welfare and Institutions Code as follows:
(a) Not withstanding any other provision of law or regulation, and to the extent funds are appropriated in the annual Budget Act, the department may provide a rate increase for the purpose of enhancing wages for direct care staff in day programs, and in work activity programs as defined in Section 4851 (e), that meet any of the following criteria:
(1) Provide services and supports in a community integrated, non-site based setting.
(2) Site-based day programs that are converting to a community integrated, non-site based setting
(3) Work activity programs that are converting to a supported work program.
(b) Programs that are converting pursuant to (a) (1) or (2) may receive a temporary rate increase for up to three months prior to conversion to assist with conversion activities. Programs shall not be eligible for a permanent rate increase pursuant to this Section unless they meet the criteria established in (a) (1).
(c) A rate increase provided to existing programs pursuant to this Section shall be effective 30 days following the adoption of the budget act which appropriates the necessary funding.
(d) The department shall provide the Legislature with a description of how this section has been implemented, along with the following information, by April 1, 2007:
(1) The number of day programs and work activity centers receiving an enhanced rate, by regional center.
(2) The number of program conversions, by regional center.
(3) The percentage of rate increase provided to programs.
(4) The effect of the rate increase on direct care staff wages.

Cost Containment Measures Continued
Voted 6-0 to approve the Governor's proposal to continue on-going budget reductions (called "cost containment measures") for at least another year. The Assembly previously took action in April to end those reductions that included ending the change in eligibility for regional center funded services for children and adults with developmental disabilities that some advocates say narrowed considerably who could be eligible for services.
Members of the Budget Conference Committee
The 6 member special joint budget committee - called a "conference committee" is composed of two Democrats and one Republican members from each house and is chaired this year by Sen. Wes Chesbro (Democrat - Arcata, 2nd District) who is the chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. The other Conference Committee members are:
* Sen. Denise Ducheny (Democrat - San Diego, 40th District) chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 on Health and Human Services
* Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth (Republican - Murrieta, 36th District), Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee vice chair
* Assemblymember John Laird (Democrat - Santa Cruz, 27th District), and Assembly Budget Committee chair.
* Assemblymember Judy Chu (Democrat - Monterey Park, 49th District), Assembly Appropriations Committee chair
* Assemblymember Rick Keene (Republican - Chico, 3rd District), Assembly Budget Committee vice chair

CDCAN Capitol News Reports and Alerts
These CDCAN Reports are partially funded by a small grant from the USC UCEDD, Grant #90DD0540 from the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. The opinions expressed or content in these reports do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the USC UCEDD.
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, Californians for Disability Rights, Inc (CDR), 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, developmental center families, and hundreds of individuals. 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.