CALIFORNIA
DISABILITY COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK
CDCAN NOTICE
March 30, 2005 - Wednesday
Linking people to disability rights and
unified action
SPECIAL DISABILITY RIGHTS
TOWNHALL TELEMEETINGS
FOCUS: GOVERNOR'S PROPOSAL
("SELF DIRECTED" MEDICAID WAIVER) THAT WILL "FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE" HOW
COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES ARE DELIVERED FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH
DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
FEATURING: JULIA MULLEN, ACTING
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES
note: The April 15th Telemeeting may
also feature other state legislative/agency officials on other issues.
WHEN
APRIL 07 THURSDAY
EVENING 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
APRIL 15 FRIDAY
MORNING 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM [regular]
APRIL 16 SATURDAY MORNING
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
* There are two special telemeetings, plus
the regularly scheduled townhall telemeeting scheduled to give more
opportunities for people with developmental and other disabilities, family
members, workers, community-based organizations and advocates to
participate, to ask questions directly with a high level Department
of Developmental Services official.
* Disability Rights Townhall Telemeetings
were first held December 2003, linking hundreds of people with
developmental and other disabilities, families, workers and others across
the California, gathered at over 40 locations, and linked by conference
call lines (note: many people with developmental or other disabilities and
their families do not have direct access to computers or to the internet,
which prevents the use of more sophisticated technology at this time).
* Subsequent townhall telemeetings
featured budget and legislative updates from a diverse group of state and
federal officials and legislators, including former Senate President Pro
Tem John Burton, Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill, Assemblymember Judy
Chu, department directors, budget committee consultants, senior staff from
Sen. Edward Kennedy, and others.
* Each of the townhall telemeetings will
also include updates on the proposed state budget and the Governor's
proposals that impact people with developmental and other disabilities and
seniors, including In-Home Supportive Services, SSI/SSP, proposed cuts to
regional center budget that funds community-based services and operations,
cuts that impact special education and more.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
For these special townhall telemeetings,
people with developmental and other disabilities, families, workers and
others can call in from their homes or work, or go to a location that is
a "host site".
* Toll Free Number: 1- 800 839-9416
* Participant Passcode: 5585287
* Though RSVP is NOT required, it will be
immensely helpful to CDCAN for planning purposes. Please email TTSR
(Training Toward Self Reliance) at ttsr_receptionist@yahoo.com OR
call TTSR at 916/442-8877 extension 100. (receptionist Kathryn Storm)
OR go to the CDCAN website at www.cdcan.us and click under "townhall
telemeetings".
* Three different townhall telemeetings
were scheduled to allow the greatest number of people with developmental
disabilities, families, especially those with young children with autism
and other developmental disabilities, direct care (support staff) workers,
community organizations, regional centers and others to participate.
* The different days and times takes into
account people who may be in programs who cannot access a phone during the
day; or parents who work at jobs where they cannot get away from; or
direct care workers who must work during the day (or evening), etc.
WHO THIS IMPACTS & WHO
SHOULD PARTICIPATE
* Children and adults with developmental
disabilities and their families; community-based organizations and workers
who provide service and supports, regional centers, advocacy groups.
* The Schwarzenegger Administration
projects that over 9,000 children and adults with developmental
disabilities will participate in the "self directed" program, beginning
January 1, 2006 over five years.
* In particular, adults with developmental
disabilities who live in independent living settings, and families with
children with autism should be especially interested in this proposal as
the Schwarzenegger Administration will likely expand this proposal if it
proves to save the State significant costs - as the Department of
Developmental Services projects over the next five years.
WHY SHOULD PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES BE CONCERNED
* FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE TO HOW SERVICES ARE
DELIVERED - The Schwarzenegger Administration's proposal to the federal
government, seeks an Independence Plus Medicaid Waiver (to waive or
provide an exception to existing federal Medicaid regulations) that the
Department of Developmental Services says will "fundamentally change"
regional center funded community-based services for children and adults
with developmental disabilities. Some advocates say that the "self
directed waiver" is similar in concept to school vouchers that were
proposed in California in the mid 1990s. In brief, people will be
allotted a "finite" sum of funding from the regional centers, and guided
by the Individual Program Plan can personally determine, with several
restrictions, the type of supports and services they want.
* IMPACT TO LANTERMAN ACT - The
Schwarzenegger Administration believes this could, if successful,
implement the biggest changes to how people with developmental
disabilities receive supports and services since the passage of the
landmark Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act over 35 years
ago - considered the "civil rights act" for people with developmental
disabilities.
* IMPACT TO 1999 US SUPREME COURT OLMSTEAD
DECISION - The proposal is based on the "self determination pilot
projects" that the State implemented several years ago, that is part of a
national effort by disability advocates for people with disabilities to
have more control over their supports and services. However the "self
directed program" that the Schwarzenegger Administration is proposing to
the federal government contains significant differences and restrictions
from the pilot implemented by the State - and from the models put forward
nationally. The Department of Developmental Services officials have
assured stakeholders that the proposal will be driven by a person's
Individual Program Plan - an important right under the Lanterman Act.
However some advocates have raised concerns that the proposal may restrict
or even rollback rights under the Lanterman Act - concerns that the
Department of Developmental Services believe are not warranted. Others
are concerned on the impact to California's compliance with the landmark
1999 US Supreme Court Decision that required the states to take measures
to prevent the "unnecessary institutionalization" of people with
disabilities and seniors and how the "self directed program" works when
combined with other major proposed cuts (SSI/SSP, In-Home Services,
regional centers) and other proposed changes (ie. Medi-Cal)
* POTENTIAL MAJOR IMPACT TO
COMMUNITY-BASED PROVIDERS - The proposal will have - especially combined
with current proposed and previous major cuts made to regional center
budget that funds community-based services - a significant impact to
community-based organizations who provide services and supports to
children and adults with developmental disabilities, as more and more
people move into the "self directed program" after January 1, 2006. In
addition, the proposal will have major impact to regional centers,
especially when combined with significant cuts to regional center budget
that funds operations.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please see the CDCAN website at
www.cdcan.us for more information, documents (including draft of the
proposal to the federal government), proposed budget related legislation.
You can also call CDCAN at 916/446-0013, or if you lost the toll-free
number and passcode (good ONLY for these special telemeetings), call TTSR
at 916/442-8877 ext 100.
URGENT!
CONTRIBUTIONS NEEDED TO CONTINUE EFFORT CAN CONTRIBUTE VIA NON-PROFIT
501(c)3 see below
Contributions from people and
organizations is very urgently needed to keep the advocacy efforts going
for the next several months, as we work to establish non-profit status
which we are working on. Your help is needed though to keep the effort
going in 2005. Please make check or money order to: California
Disability Community Action Network (or abbreviate CDCAN) OR, if for tax
deduction purposes, you can make the check out to TTSR (Training Toward
Self Reliance), which is a 501C-3 non-profit organization, and indicate on
check that contribution is for support for "CDCAN". A method to contribute
by credit card (through Paypal) is NOW set up on our website, at
www.cdcan.us [new site address] Send contributions to: California
Disability Community Action Network (see below for mailing address)
* How To Receive CDCAN Capitol
News Reports and Alerts
The California Disability Community
Action Network is a non-partisan link to thousands of Californians with
developmental and other disabilities, people with traumatic brain and
other injures, seniors and 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). We're all in this together!
* How To Contact CDCAN
Marty Omoto, director/organizer
New WEBSITE address: www.cdcan.us
1225 8th Street Suite 480
Sacramento, CA 95814 VOICE PHONE: 916/446-0013
FAX number: 916/446-0026
email: martyomoto@rcip.com
