Budget Cuts of Concern
Faced with draconian budget deficits, the 2010 Legislative session resulted in a 4.72% reduction to payments for Medicaid private providers which include home and community-based providers. This reduction in funds led the Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) to further reduce rates to the following programs by two percent effective for dates of service on or after August 1:
- New Opportunities Waiver
- Residential Options Waiver
- Elderly and Disabled Adult Waiver
- Children’s Choice Waiver
In addition, the annual cap for the Children’s Choice Waiver was reduced to $16,660.
Click here to access the August 2010 edition of the Louisiana Register. Information on the rate reductions to Home and Community Based Waivers begins on page 1695.
Public Input needed on Changes to Waiver Programs
The passage of House Bill 1185 (Act 305) of 2010 changed the policy on the allocation of waiver slots. When someone’s name reaches the top of the waiver waiting list, their needs will be assessed to determine which waiver will best meet their needs, rather than automatically receiving a New Opportunities Waiver (NOW) slot (for people with DD) or Elderly and Disabled Adult (EDA) slot for the population served through the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS). Stakeholders are encouraged to submit suggestions on how the policy should be implemented by emailing Kevin Hill at kevin.hill@la.gov or calling the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council at 800 450-8108. Click here for more information.
Significant Positive Reforms to the System Serving People with Developmental Disabilities
On a positive note, House Bill 1 (Act 11 of 2010) included the closure of Northeast Supports and Services Center and the downsizing by 20% of the remaining centers. Louisiana has historically over-relied on institutions serving more individuals in ICFs/DD per capita than any other state – almost four times the national average. The addition of 150 more waiver slots for 2010-2011 was a promising sign of the direction Louisiana is taking. With over 9,000 individuals with Developmental Disabilities in Louisiana waiting up to nine years to receive home and community-based services these reforms to the system are a welcome change of direction. LaCAN members may express their gratitude to Governor Jindal and their legislators for making these reforms to the system serving people with developmental disabilities.
Follow the links below to:
Additional positive outcomes in HB 1
- 425 Children’s Choice Waiver slots for children with developmental disabilities on the waiting list
- $4.2 Million that had been deposited in the Community and Family Support Fund from the sale of Metropolitan Developmental Center that will be used to speed up the processing of NOW slots and on one-time expenditures for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families
Institutionalization vs. Home and Community Based Services (Shattering Myths)
- Shattering Myths: Quality of Life
- Shattering Myths: Outcomes of People Leaving Institutions
- Shattering Myths: People with Intensive Needs in their Communities
Click here to watch Minnie & Viola Hendrix’s Story two ladies who successfully moved from a developmental center into their own home in the community.
Facts
- There are 1,056 people who reside in the developmental centers in Louisiana at an average annual cost of over $173,000 per person.
- Twelve states and the District of Columbia have closed ALL of their developmental centers. Louisiana has five operating developmental centers. We also continue to fund the operation of two campuses of old developmental centers that now have less than 15 residents each.
History of Abuse and Neglect
There is a documented history of abuse and neglect in Louisiana’s developmental centers. In the civil service commission case of Stephanie Riley v. DHH, Pinecrest Developmental Center it was found that on June 18, 1988 an employee of Pinecrest Developmental Center abused Client # 6328 by “attempting to force her from under the bed by poking or striking her with a broom handle, resulting in injury to the client.” Pinecrest, along with Hammond Developmental Center, was also the subject of a 2004 U.S. Justice Department lawsuit over allegations of staff mistreatment of residents. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2007. However, there were allegations of abuse at Pinecrest Developmental Center as recently as October 2008, when five employees were arrested on a total of forty charges of cruelty to the infirm. In addition, the Advocacy Center’s 2009 report Beyond Repair details cases of abuse at Northeast Supports and Services Center (formerly Ruston Developmental Center). Unfortunately, the cases outlined in the report are not isolated events. For each documented case of abuse, one must wonder how many cases of abuse are occurring that will never be reported?
- Click here to watch Kyle Everett describing incidents he witnessed that indicate the lack of safety and oversight in large institutions.
Laws
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