FY 14 Supplemental Passed with Autism Funding Intact

HCBS Transition Plan Hearings Next Week

Public Forum Announcement

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As part of the public input process for the statewide HCBS transition plan, Massachusetts will hold two public forums. The first public forum will take place in the auditorium on the campus of MassBay Community College, located at 50 Oakland Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts on November 6, 2014 at 6 p.m. Please visit the MassBay Community College website for directions at www.massbay.edu/.

The second public forum will be held in Scanlon Hall at the Westfield State University campus, located at 577 Western Avenue, Westfield, Massachusetts on November 12, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. Parking for those attending this forum can be found in the campus South Lot. There will be an accessible shuttle bus service that runs every 10 to 15 minutes to take people from the parking lot to Scanlon Hall. Please visit the Westfield State University website for directions at www.westfield.ma.edu/.

Legislature Passes Supplemental on Last Day Possible

After weeks of trading different versions of how to close the books on the last fiscal year, today the House and Senate came to an agreement and enacted an FY 14 Supplemental Bill that included $5.4 Million for the Department of Developmental Services to begin providing services and supports to adults with autism, smith-magenis syndrome and prader-willi. The FY 14 Supplemental represented the final budget of respected Senate Ways & Means Chair Steve Brewer and one more carefully crafted bill shaped by House Ways & Means Chair navigating the concerns of both parties in the House.

The General Court approval of the Supplemental Budget finally won unanimous consent from both Chambers with only a few hours to spare to meet the Comptroller's deadline to close the books on the last fiscal year. Many budget watchers had been working their cell phones and standing outside of the Chambers holding their breath waiting to see when the budget would emerge sensitive to the Comptroller's timeline and the consequences of failure to meet the deadline.

The provision adding funding to begin implementation of the Autism Omnibus Act of 2014 was sought by Governor Deval Patrick and strongly supported by the Legislative Leadership of each chamber. Under the provisions of the Autism Omnibus Act of 2014, eligibility standards of DDS were expanded to more closely resemble the federal definition of developmental disabilities and the standard used by most of the other 49 states.

The $5.4 million figure represents a partial year phase in of expanded eligible individuals and is expected to increase to $10 million in FY 16 and $15 to $20 million in FY 17 and 18 as more eligible individuals approach the state for services including Family Support, Employment Supports and Residential Services.