January 30, 2012
The story this week is all about the DOJ settlement and the impact it will have on the system as a whole over the next ten years:
- The most dramatic element of the settlement is the plan for closing four of the five state training centers (all but SEVTC) by FY20;
- The target population includes all individuals with ID/DD who live at any of the Training Centers; meet the criteria for the Waiting Lists for the ID or DD Waivers; currently reside in a nursing home or ICF;
- There will be individual and family supports for individuals not receiving Waiver Services — a minimum of 700 individuals (FY13) and 1000 in subsequent years.
- 805 slots for transition from Training Centers; 2,915 slots for persons on the Urgent ID Waiver Waiting List including 100 for children under 22 residing in nursing homes and the largest ICFs; 450 slots for persons on the DD Waiting List including 150 for children under 22 residing in nursing homes and the largest ICFs.
- An expanded role for Case Managers in monitoring; implementation of the START Crisis Program; implementation of the Employment First policy; emphasis on integrated housing and $800,000 for rental assistance; establishment of a clear preference heirarchy for placements with carefully monitored allowance for the individual’s choice or needs.
- An expanded role for the Community Resource Consultants and creations of several layers of support/monitoring for the discharge planning and decision making process. Expanded emphasis on risk management, incident reporting, mortality review,and collection of data on many aspect of service provision – eg community inclusion, staff training, turnover, etc.
This settlement (with the single exception mentioned above) contains no funding; the only funding requested, to date, by the administration is the one-time money included in the Trust Fund. VNPP and other partners have requested restoration of the Waiver rates to the July 2008 levels, differential funding for the smaller (and preferred) residential settings and slots to begin to eliminate the Waiting Lists. The significant news about the Settlment is what it does not include!