May 5, 2005
NYSRA ReSource
For Perspective and Analysis
The Source of information for
providers of community-based services for people of differing abilities.
NY
State Legislature to return from April recess
The Legislature returned to Albany
this week following a week-long April recess. For the first time in twenty
years lawmakers came back from the break with a completed budget — allowing
them to turn their attention to other issues.
With the most contentious part of their jobs completed, there is expected
to be far less acrimony as many see the possibility of a summer away from the
State Capitol.
The Legislature is planning on
adjourning the 2005 session on June 23 and will have little need to return to
Albany during the summer.
A hectic atmosphere is likely to
prevail as the Legislature has only two months left in the session to complete
its business — unlike previous years where they continued to meet during the
summer pending resolution of the budget.
NYSRA met recently with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, newly appointed
Assembly chair for the Committee on People with Disabilities, introducing
ourselves and assuring her that she can call on us. NYSRA will be hosting a booth at both the upcoming Disability Awareness
Days for the Assembly 5/18 and the Senate 5/24. If members have any information about your agency you would like
as handouts on the NYSRA table please feel free to contact Pat Dowse to
discuss.
While things in Albany are coming to
a close things in Washington are buzzing.
The following two Washington sources report on the impact of the
President’s proposed budget FY2006.
The Bush Budget and People
with Disabilities
“At a time when
America is engaged in a fight for freedom and liberty throughout the world, the
President’s budget proposal would jeopardize the freedom, liberties,
well-being, and very lives of people with disabilities in our own country, reports Curt Decker, Chair of the
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.
A number of key programs that enable millions of Americans with disabilities to
learn, work, pay taxes, live in their communities, and make significant
contributions to our society are targeted for elimination or cutbacks in the
proposed FY 2006 Bush budget. Following is a bullet list of the damaging impact
of the Bush budget on people with disabilities in four key areas: Medicaid,
housing, employment, and education.
Medicaid
• Slashes the Medicaid
program by $45 billion over 10 years.
• Contains
provisions that begin turning Medicaid from an entitlement to a block grant.
Housing
• Slashes housing program Section 811 Supportive Housing for
Persons with disabilities by 50 percent.
• Completely
eliminates HUD’s 30-year pledge to produce accessible supportive housing for
people with disabilities. This represents
an unprecedented shift of housing assistance away from people with more severe
disabilities.
Employment
• Weakens the vital Rehabilitation Services
Administration, by slashing its personnel (138 to 70) and closing regional
offices across the country.
• Completely eliminates vocational
education program funding ($1.3 billion)– an important employment program at
the Education Department that helps students with disabilities prepare for
work.
• Completely eliminates funding for
grants ($25.7 million) for assistive technology — technology that a person with
disabilities often needs in order to be in the workforce.
Education
• Provides less than 50 percent of
funding for special education of what is authorized under the Individuals with
Disabilities Act (IDEA) ( $11.1 billion which is $12.7 billion below what was
authorized).
Budget Agreement Promises Bad News for Disability Programs
Congress narrowly passed a Budget Resolution last week that
will increase tax cuts, increase defense spending but cut entitlements,
including Medicaid, and cut spending for domestic discretionary programs. For
the five year period (fiscal years 2006-2010) projected deficits would continue
to rise with the deficit increasing over $167 billion.
The Medicaid program, relied on by many persons with
disabilities, would face a $10 billion cut. Domestic discretionary programs
would have to be cut by 5.9% for 2006 and 13.5% in 2010 to meet the reductions
called for in the Budget Resolution.
The Budget Resolution does not get down to the detail of
individual programs such as Vocational Rehabilitation, Projects with Industry,
Workforce Investment, OneStops, etc. It leaves those decisions to the
Appropriations Committees but the overall limits placed by the Budget
Resolution will mean that the Appropriations Committees will have to make cuts
to meet those targets. They may use any number of ways to make the cuts,
including across the board percentage cuts or cutting entire programs as
recommended by President Bush, i.e. eliminating PWI and supported employment.
If employment and training programs are cut for persons with
disabilities it will only put more pressure on entitlement programs such as
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income
(SSI), Medicare and Medicaid.
Make sure your Congressional delegation is aware of your
programs and what would happen to persons with disabilities in your area and
state if funding were lost for your programs.
News
from State Agencies/ NYSRA Advocacy
OMH
Commissioner Carpinello Named Chair
of
National Suicide Prevention Steering Committee
Sharon E. Carpinello, R.N., Ph.D., Commissioner of the New
York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), has been named Chairperson of the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Steering Committee. The national hotline,
1-800-273-TALK, was launched earlier this year by the Mental Health Association
of New York City (MHA of NYC) and its partners, the National Association of
State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Columbia University and
Rutgers University.
The only national suicide prevention and intervention
telephone resource funded by the Federal government, the Lifeline is a network
of local crisis centers located in communities across the nation that are committed
to suicide prevention. It is part of the National Suicide Prevention
Initiative, a collaborative effort led by the Federal Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, that incorporates the best practices and
research findings in suicide prevention and intervention with the goal of
reducing the incidence of suicide nationwide. Each year over 30,000 Americans
take their own lives.
Implementing Governor Pataki’s vision for an improved public
understanding of mental health and wellness issues, Commissioner Carpinello has
become an innovator in suicide prevention. She personally oversaw the
development and implementation of SPEAK, OMH’s first education and awareness
campaign that uses a public mental health model to help people become familiar
with the risks for and warning signs of suicide. Launched in May 2004, SPEAK
has received wide attention in both the public and private sectors, and has
been featured in regional and national publications including Governing
Magazine, Mental Health Weekly and Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow.
“I am truly honored to have been chosen to chair the
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Steering Committee,” said Commissioner
Carpinello. “Under Governor Pataki’s leadership, OMH is working hard to raise
awareness within New York State about the risks and warning signs for suicide,
and I now look forward to expanding that effort and promoting suicide
prevention on the national level.”
The mission
of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Steering Committee is to provide
recommendations and advice that support the Lifeline’s overall mission and to
enhance its capacity to reach and serve persons throughout the United States
who are in crisis and potentially could be suicidal.
Medicaid Editorial Published in The Buffalo News
DDAWNY recently organized an editorial on Respite and
Medicaid that was published in The Buffalo News. The column, entitled ‘Medicaid is a Godsend for Parents of
Disabled’ was written by Joan Urban and reads in part: ‘When my son, Matthew,
was born with a developmental disability, doctors didn’t expect him to live
more than 12 years. Today he is 22, happy and growing in independence. The
doctors credit his survival partly to the care and love he receives from living
at home...I’m especially concerned when I hear politicians talk about slashing
Medicaid, which funds respite services for Matthew and more than 700 other
Western New Yorkers...There’s much talk these days about how problematic
Medicaid is, but little discussion of the tremendous importance it has in lives
like mine. I look at my son and wish more people could understand what Medicaid
means to us.’ - For a complete version of the editorial, visit www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050422/1061285.asp
NYSRA would like to congratulate both Joan and DDAWNY. More
articles like this would help policy makers truly understand the value of
Medicaid to families and the individuals themselves.
New Merged Commission on Quality of Care &
Advocacy for PWDs Begins
With the Governor’s approval of the 2005-2006 State Budget,
the New York State Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled
(CQC) and the New York State Office of Advocate for Persons with Disabilities (OAPwD)
have been merged to form a new agency, the New York State Commission on Quality
of Care and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (CQCAPD), effective April 1,
2005.
The new agency, chaired by Gary O’Brien, who formerly
chaired the CQC, will continue to carry out the functions formerly assigned to
both CQC and OAPwD, with an increased emphasis on outreach and advocacy for
individuals with physical disabilities.
As the new
agency moves forward in consolidating programs and services, phone numbers, web
sites and other contact information for former CQC and OAPwD staff will remain
the same, pending further review.
Federal
Update
Fight Over Medicaid Cuts Takes Center Stage in
Congress
Provided by The Macsata-Kornegay Group, Inc.
Representative
Heather Wilson, R-Calif., led the latest assault on the proposed funding cuts
to Medicaid, as 44 Republicans joined her in writing to House Budget Committee
Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa. The letter, which sought support only from
House Republicans, argues that the cuts would be premature if enacted without
the program being independently analyzed by a bi-partisan reform commission.
“We
are concerned that the inclusion of up to $20 billion in reductions from
projected growth in the Medicaid program included in the House-passed FY06
Budget Resolution will negatively impact people who depend on the program and
the providers who deliver health care to them while not putting us on the path
to comprehensive reform and improvement that the program needs,” the Wilson letter
reads.
The
letter strongly urged Chairman Nussle to remove these reductions and the
reconciliation instructions targeted at Medicaid, and, in their place, include
a $1.5 million reserve fund for the creation of a bipartisan Medicaid
Commission in the final conference agreement for the FY06 Budget. This comes at an important time for those
working to protect spending on the 40-year old entitlement program from being
cut significantly over the next five to ten years. It was widely praised
by many organizations.
“This
is not the end of the road; we have a long way to go,” summarized Lena O’Rourke
with Families USA. “But this is a good step toward sustaining funding for
Medicaid and succeeding in a more thoughtful approach to Medicaid reform.
You can help us by continuing to push for support of the Medicaid Commission
bill, HR 985.”
ACCSES
Reports: It appears the House and Senate have reached a deal on a Fiscal Year
2006 Budget Resolution. The resolution, which covers five years, will contain
around $10 billion in reconciliation instructions to the Senate and House
committees that have jurisdiction over Medicaid. That means it is likely that
there will be cuts in the program of that amount, spread out over the next five
years. However, this amount is half of what the House had in its budget and $5
to $6 billion less than the Senate and House negotiators were advocating.
Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) refused to accept a budget deal that had over $10
billion in Medicaid cuts. Smith also demanded (and received) a bi-partisan
commission to review the Medicaid program and recommend areas to cut. This
commission will report its recommendations by September and the House and
Senate committees are expected to follow its advice when they pass
reconciliation bills.
Opposition to WIA-Plus Intensifies
Provided
by The Macsata-Kornegay Group, Inc.
Despite
a strong push by the Bush Administration to advance its WIA-Plus Consolidation
Grant initiative, organizations representing agencies providing supports and
services to persons with disabilities remain adamantly opposed to it.
Congress has yet to include WIA-Plus in its reauthorizing legislation of the
Workforce Investment Act, which has the plan’s opponents cheering and showing
no signs of letting up.
WIA-Plus
was unveiled by President George W. Bush in his fiscal year 2006 budget request
to Congress. This proposal builds on the President’s call in 2004 to
consolidate four Department of Labor job training programs and funding streams:
WIA Adult, WIA Dislocated Worker, WIA Youth, and Employment Services. These
programs would be consolidated, forming the base program that would provide
each State a single grant to finance job training and employment services. In
addition, States would have the option of consolidating into this program
certain other Federal job training and employment programs.
Last
week, U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao stood with Senate
Republicans to endorse WIA legislation, as well as to make a pitch for the
Administration’s WIA-Plus initiative.
Chao’s endorsement of the WIA-Plus consolidation grant certainly comes
as no surprise, but the proposal continues to encounter staunch opposition from
many organizations with long histories for serving people with disabilities.
Even
government agencies have expressed concern that their ability to provide
services to hard-to-serve populations would be adversely impacted by
WIA-Plus. The state public vocational rehabilitation agencies have been
among the most vocal. The Council of
State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR), which represents
these VR agencies in the States, District of Columbia, and the territories,
believes that the proposal will severely diminish the training and support
service dollars that are now dedicated exclusively for individuals with
disabilities, having the ultimate effect of discouraging or making it
impossible for many of these individuals to enter or re-enter the workforce.
While the
House of Representatives did not include WIA-Plus in H.R. 27, there remains
strong concerns that the Senate might not follow suit. Although the fate of WIA-Plus remains
unclear, opposition to the initiative is clearly intensifying. If
organizations like ACCSES, I-NABIR, CSAVR and CCD have anything to say about it
the plan will fail to become law.
Announcements/Opportunities
Free E-Filing for IRS Form
990 Available
Charitable
organizations with budgets over $25,000 a year are required to file an annual
information return (Form 990) with the IRS. The IRS uses the information to
ensure groups continue to be eligible for tax-exempt status. The completed
forms are made available to the public, and used for donor decisions, research
and other purposes.
The IRS will begin requiring electronic filing of Form 990
for organizations with assets over $100 million next year. The following year
electronic filing will be mandatory for groups with assets over $10 million and
all private foundations and charitable trusts. However, smaller organizations
can take advantage of NCCS’s free service now. 990 Online includes:
• A calculator that automatically totals and
checks for errors
• Links to instructions and tips, eliminating
the need to wade through the 49-page IRS instruction booklet
• Ability to create an Adobe Acrobat PDF file
for printing or distribution
• Ability to import files from Excel.
NCCS, a national clearinghouse of research data on
nonprofits sponsored by the Urban Institute, is working with state charity
officials to offer electronic state registration at the same time Form 990 is
filed electronically with the IRS. Pennsylvania and Colorado will be the first
states to offer this service. NCCS is encouraging nonprofits to contact their
state charity officials and ask them to participate.
Source:
OMB Watch
Job
Opportunities
Director
of Day Habilitation and Supported Employment Programs - Mountain Lake Services (formerly
known as Essex ARC) is seeking a dynamic and results oriented professional for senior management position. The
incumbent is responsible for developing and managing operations of a multi site Day
Habilitation Program and providing
administrative oversight to a county wide Supported Employment Program.
Responsibilities include supervising multi-level staff; directing operations;
providing fiscal oversight and ensuring quality services.
Bachelor’s
Degree in Human Services or related field with 5 years experience administering
programs that provide services to people with developmental disabilities
required. Master’s Degree preferred.
Demonstrated leadership and organizational skills essential. Ability to work collaboratively with staff a
must. Salary commensurate with experience. Excellent fringe benefit package.
Apply to
Human Resource Office, Mountain Lake Services, 10 St. Patrick’s Place, Port
Henry, NY 12974 www.mountainlakeservices.org
EOE
Director
of Administrative Services is sought for Community Services, a strong & growing
non-profit agency. Provides leadership,
management & direction to the agency’s administrative services including
Human Resources, Community Relations, Facility Management, Purchasing, MIS
&Transportation. Experience in Human Resource Management preferred. Qualified candidates will have a Master’s
Degree & 5 yrs of experience including 1 yr of supervisory experience OR
Bachelor’s Degree & 7 yrs of experience including 1 yr supervisory
experience. Essential skills include leadership, organization, management &
interpersonal skills. Excellent benefits including 401K. $45,011/yr.
Please
send resume to:
Patricia
Judge, CSDD, 452 Delaware Avenue
Buffalo
14202
Vocational
Manager at Madison Cortland ARC - Directs the administration of vocational services within the Agency,
including community and site based employment and rehabilitative programs.
Bachelor’s Degree and two years related experience; or Associate’s Degree with
five years related experience, including management experience. $13.50 per hour.
Nutritionist
at Madison Cortland ARC - Full
time position in Oneida to plan
and oversee dietary aspects of disabled individuals by assessing nutritional
needs, planning appropriate meals and providing nutritional and educational
counseling to adequately meet consumer needs.
BA/BS in Dietetics or Nutrition and completed internship in dietetics
required. Salary negotiable.
Service
Coordinator at Madison Cortland ARC - Full Time position in Madison County providing
person-centered planning for DD population.
AA Degree in Human Services or R.N., one year exp. in the field of
Developmental Disabilities, and Valid NYS Driver’s License with 18 months
driving exp. required. Starts at $12/hr
and goes to $13.50/hr. after training.
Clinic
Manager at Madison Cortland ARC - Directs and controls delivery of clinical services and
treatment for individuals with developmental disabilities. Bachelors Degree and one to two years
exp./training. $12.67/hr.
Madison
Cortland ARC offers
an excellent benefit package to FT employees, including full dental, eye care
& life insurance, as well as agency contributed medical and generous
vacation, holiday, sick and personal leaves.
Contact: Madison Cortland ARC
701
Lenox Ave., Oneida NY 13421
Phone: 315-363-3389 – Fax: 315-361-4166
E-Mail: Madison_Cortland_hr@hotmail.com
EOE
Vision
Rehab & Employment Institute
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services
Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH), State University of
New York at Buffalo Region II Rehabilitation Continuing Education Program
(RRCEP-II) and the Rehabilitation Research and Training Institute (RRTI) are
pleased to announce the 2005 Vision Rehabilitation and Employment Institute.
This collaborative event is an advanced networking
opportunity for those who work together on a day-to-day basis around placement
of individuals who are legally blind. Staff from community vision rehab
agencies, CBVH counselors, and exemplary employers will dialogue about how to
improve employment opportunities for job seekers who are blind or visually
impaired. Model employment practices from the provider, business, and job
seeker perspectives will be highlighted at this event. Vendors will showcase
assistive technology advances and services specific to vision rehabilitation
and employment.
Visit www.rrti.org/seminarPDF/
New/VisionRegistrationForm.pdf for the conference agenda and
registration form and register today!
The 10th Conference on Inclusive
Schools
and Communities for Children and Youth
After a three-year absence, the conference on Inclusive
Schools and Communities for Children and Youth returns to New York State as a
collaborative effort among multiple partners from around this state and the
nation. This collaboration provides the inspiration for this year’s conference
theme: Building Partnerships for the Future.
Since the series began in 1992, its focus has evolved from issues of
what inclusion means and basic procedures and structures in inclusive teaching,
to more effective practices and policies and, now, to partnerships, which bring
together learners and all those, committed to their success. It will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday,
May 17-18, 2005, at the Westchester Marriott Hotel, Tarrytown, New York.
For further
information, visit www.systemschange.syr.edu
NYSRA
and RRTI Calendar
May
2005
May
5
RRTI
Seminar, Marketing & Funding Transition Services, Albany
May 6
Fingerprint
Law Conference Call, 1:00pm
May
12
NYSRA
Board Meeting, Albany
May
16
VOC
Division Meeting, Manhattan VESID
May
18–19
Vision
Rehabilitation and Employment Institute 2005
May
24–25
RRCEP
II Seminar, Job Coach I, Albany
May 26th
MH
Division
June
2005
June
7
Executive
Management Institute, Saratoga Springs
RRTI
Board Meeting, Saratoga Springs
June
8
Executive
Management Institute, Saratoga Springs
NYSRA
Board Meeting, Saratoga Springs
June
9
Clinic
Services Committee Meeting, Albany
June
29-30
RRCEP
II Seminar, Job Coach I, Albany
EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
”LEADERSHIP IN ACTION”
JUNE 7-8, 2005
Gideon Putnam Hotel, Saratoga
Springs
NYSRA, in cooperation with NYSID, is
proud to present an intensive management institute for CEOs and their senior
management teams.
Day 1: Non-Profit Stewardship: A
Better Way to Lead Your Mission-Based Organization
Day 2: Federal and State Medicaid
Reform Initiatives featuring Al Kaplan, DOB,
Jeff Crowley, Georgetown University and
other leading Medicaid experts!
Make your hotel reservations today at
the Gideon Putnam!
Call (518) 584-3000 or
1-800-732-1560
Single Package Rate: $194
Double Package Rate: $240 for two
people
Reservation
Cut-Off Date: May 14, 2005