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Short Term---No Impact or Cutback on Disability Services
State has cash on hand to continue existing disability services and supports
With all House GOP Members marching in lockstep with U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Kantor, at this writing it appears that the U.S. Federal Government will shut down at midnight, October 1, 2013.
Families, Providers, Direct Support Professionals and state government workers in Massachusetts and across the nation are worrying about the impact on direct services for people with disabilities whose programs are supported or funded exclusively or partially with federal dollars.
Immediately for the next few days or weeks, (should a shut down persist) people with disabilities in federally funded Medicaid programs should not be impacted based upon the presumption that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has sufficient dollars on hand to operate programs. Federal dollars are provided to the state in the form of a Medicaid match and/or reimbursement. The state's reimbursements are received after the service has been delivered, thus in the short term there likely would be no service interruption.
 Additionally, due to the prudence and careful management of state dollars by the Legislature and the Governor, the Commonwealth has sizeable cash reserves on hand in its' Rainy Day Fund, should the shutdown stretch in months versus days.
Though the federal closure may have limited immediate effects, the long term damage to the Commonwealth could be significant as federal phones, emails and mail go unanswered as the state officials seek waiver, rules or federal technical advice on all issues federal in nature. Grants may be delayed, deadlines missed and opportunities for solutions to pressing problems lost.
Optimists are hoping that House Republicans seeking a repeal and/or delay of the Affordable Care Act will come to their senses and realize there may not be a political reward in denying health service to millions, reinstating pre-existing condition insurance restrictions, kicking kids off their parents insurance or shutting down the federal government.
Time will tell.
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