05/25/2024
NEWS AND UPDATES
Attention Serra Center Friends, Family and Staff:
This important article from the San Diego Union concerning individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is worth your attention!
Opinion: Will state break its promise to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities?
By Barry Jardini - May 22, 2024 5:02 PM PT
Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a state budget in direct conflict with the promise California made decades ago to Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Since 1969, the Lanterman Act has set California apart from every other state by promising community services and support that empower Californians with developmental disabilities to live the lives of their own choosing. This landmark legislation is unique today, even as federal actions like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead Decision have improved the lives of people with disabilities nationwide.
It’s a promise that all Californians can be proud of — if it’s a promise we intend to keep.
California faces a significant budget deficit (https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4850) this year, which means that lawmakers have tough decisions to make regarding limited state funds. To save money, Newsom is proposing to delay (https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4837) desperately needed rate increases for disability services that were promised several years ago. The proposed delay would cut $1 billion (https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4837) in funding expected this year, nearly half of which are federal dollars that would be lost, since the federal government matches a percentage of state funds used for developmental disability services. When the state cuts funding, the federal funding is cut as well.
As executive director for the California Disability Services Association, representing more than 115 community-based organizations throughout the state who provide the full range of services and supports, I hear directly what the proposed delay will mean for Californians with disabilities and their families. The funding delay would have real impacts on their lives. If allowed to pass as is, it will be felt by an estimated 458,000 Californians with disabilities (https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/latest-news/disability-rights-californias-summary-of-the-governors-proposed-2024-25-budget #:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Developmental%20Services,of%20the%20Preschool%20Inclusion%20Grants) and their families in the next year.
Unfortunately, the state is establishing a trend of balancing the budget on the backs of Californians with disabilities. California made a series of deep cuts to disability services funding during the Great Recession era. It has taken more than a decade to slowly reverse this trend. It wasn’t until 2016 that the state Legislature directed the Department of Developmental Services to commission a rate study. The rate study (https://www.dds.ca.gov/rc/vendor-provider/rate-study/) presented to the Legislature in 2019 found that disability services were underfunded by nearly $2 billion per year. Full Article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2024-05-22/opinion-state-broke-promise-to-californians-with-disabilities?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ffOJ1-U5xzFee5z6t4D6dcD4UDjcYKAOO6oqISbHdNxBGUjWOq_6JOZM_aem_AZa6TYrRPkgRCNN4Wf_sV2NM0fdI5VKQ9fOc-E07aX7V3gowDR8NSWtyZtUuIxy5Q37Zs7OcLDkKlXC2jjo0aLWk
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