National Leader Praises Massachusetts Cooperative Effort

Keynoting the ADDP Employment Conference, Nancy Thaler, Executive Director of the National Association of State Directors of DD Services commended DDS, ADDP and The Arc of Massachusetts for showing true leadership by getting ahead of the curve in addressing disability employment reform before ordered to do so by the Federal Courts.

In her presentation, Thaler discussed directives from CMS, Federal Court actions in Rhode Island and Oregon and discussed similar efforts to the Massachusetts plan announced last week by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

She commended the details of the Massachusetts plan including the expansion of employment collaboratives, investment in provider training and the pending use of data to be used for goal setting and performance measurement.

If the DDS/ADDP/Arc plan is endorsed by Secretary John Polanowicz and Goveror Deval Patrick for inclusion in the FY 15 House Two Budget, there will need to be an investment of an additional $11.6 million in DDS Day and Employment programs next year and an additional $15.6 through 2018.

Failure to do so will likely result in the loss of matching federal funds for employment programs and Court direction of services and supports.

Pictures from the November 1 ADDP Employment Conference Here Via Flickr

Employment Plan Presented to EOHHS Secretary John Polanowicz for FY 15 Consideration

300 Gather at Nov 1 Conference to Urge Employment Reform

After many years of discussion and several months of planning and negotiation, ADDP, The Arc of Mass and the Mass Department of Developmental Services met together on Friday, November 1, 2013 to review a consensus plan to address closing sheltered workshops in Massachusetts; and encouraging the expansion of more inclusive employment settings with higher earning potential for people with disabilities. The desire to develop a sheltered worshop/inclusive employment plan was accelerated recently by several major developments including Governor Deval Patrick's Community and Employment First Olmstead plans; and actions by the U.S. Departments of Justice and Labor imposing restrictive settlement decisions in other states. Additionally in the last two years the federal government's Center on Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) division has warned the state that it is likely to lose matching federal dollars for segregated sheltered workshop programs.

Led by Deputy Commissioner Larry Tummino, a workgroup

presented its key recommendations before a packed and supportive audience on the campus of Bentley College. Key elements of the plan include closing entry to sheltered workshops by January 1, 2014; and phasing out all sheltered workshops by June 30, 2015. Also included in the plan is an investment by the State to fund expanded Community Based Day Supports, Supported & Integrated Employment opportunities.

In receiving the plan, several speakers including DDS Commissioner Elin Howe, Tummino, Secretary John Polanowicz and State Representative Denise Garlick, acknowledged that changes to DDS Employment Services could not occur without an additional investment of funds into alternative disability service programs.

In accepting the plan on behalf of the Patrick Administration,

Polanowicz acknowledged the importance of employment issues and how they comport with the Governor's long standing interest in disability concerns, Employment First and Community First. The Secretary pledged to continue working with the disability community on achieving positive outcomes in the remaining 14 months of the Governor's term. Advocates hope the Secretary will be able to secure the Governor's support for this initiative in the upcoming House Two FY 15 budget, currently under construction.