October 1, 2015

Bolinsky, Republicans Fight for CT Families Living with the Intellectual & Developmental Disabled

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

HARTFORD- Today State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky (R-106) and other Republican lawmakers were joined by families impacted by Governor Malloy’s recent budget cuts to renew their call for a special session to restore funding for health care and social services.

The governor’s $103 million worth of rescissions released last month include reductions to programs that provide direct services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Rep. Bolinsky welcomed parents from CT DDS Families First to the State Capitol to share their stories. The group includes parents and family members of those in need of care who will be hurt by cuts to the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

Rep. Bolinsky said, “I don’t get it! From the governor’s original budget to today, he continues to make cuts to critical services needed most by our state’s most vulnerable residents. Each time, the ID/D caucus comes together with these brave spokespersons and their families in opposition to the cuts. We eventually all or most of this necessary funding restored only to have the rug pulled out from under us in another round of cuts. So here we are for the third time in this budget cycle demanding these human voices be heard. It’s time to have all sides pull up a chair and discuss how to balance the state’s budget based on realistic revenue and expenditure analyses, rather than the piecemeal approach that’s being employed today. We can do this! We must do this!”

The families will all be impacted by cuts made to the following programs:

• Employment Opportunities and Day Services – Funding in this account pays for all day program services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Community Residential Services – Funding in this account covers all residential expenditures for individuals with developmental disabilities including transitioning
individuals from the Southbury Training School to other less costly residential programs.
• Cooperative Placements Program – This program funds court ordered placements for
individuals in need and mainly funds private providers.
• Voluntary Services/Behavioral Services – This program provides services to individuals with significant behavioral issues.

As of September, 2,102 individuals were on the DDS waitlist; this is a group of people in need of services who have yet to receive any from the state due to lack of funding and capacity.

The governor’s new rescissions and funding holdbacks include a $3 million cut from employment opportunities and day services, a $1.8 million cut from community residential services, a nearly $700,000 cut from the Cooperative Placements Program, and a nearly $300,000 cut from voluntary and behavioral services.

In total, combining the governor’s rescissions with the cuts made in this year’s budget, compared to the funds requested by the agency, that’s a $10.8 million cut to employment opportunities and day services, a $10.7 million cut to community residential services, a nearly $1.3 million cut to the Cooperative Placements Program, and a $3.5 million cut to voluntary and behavioral services.