New Year, New Leaders, New Focus

New Year, New Leaders, New Focus

ADDP Issues to Watch During a Transition

Key issues that will need to be monitored by the new Administration will include:

FY 16 Budget Allocations:

The Governor will have eight weeks to submit a new budget detailing his priorities and objectives.

CMS Final Rule Regulations

By March 15, 2015, the Commonwealth will be required to spell out to CMS how Massachusetts will implement the new CMS Final Rule on Community Living. The state's transition plan will obligate the state's performance over the next 5 years as a condition of receiving continued federal share of Home and Community Based funds for waiver programs. The plan may have budget implications.

Employment Blueprint

CMS and the U.S. Department of Justice are urging states to close sheltered workshops in favor of supportive employment and community based day alternatives. Some families and legislators are reluctant to embrace these changes as contained in the Employment Blueprint written by DDS/The Arc/ADDP.

Family Support

Family Support and Respite Services, despite being the most cost effective programs provided by DDS, have been subjected to limited growth and 9C cuts several times over the last few years. As recently as llast month, this line item was reduced again by $2.5 million. The average cost of Family Support provided to a family is under $3000 often delaying or preventing out of home placement at an average cost of over $120,000. The new Administration may wish to review recent cuts in this area and consider restorations to achieve better cost effectiveness with limited dollars.

ADDP Annual

January 15, 2015

Thursday

Location:

Assumption College

500 Salisbury St,
Worcester, MA 01609

'Tis the Season to Transition

Though the heavy lifting in preparing for the New Year is being done off stage by incoming members of Governor-Elect Charlie Baker's team, 2015 will represent a number of transitions for state government, the disability community and people with disabilities.

While there will be plenty of change in leadership positions, accompanying that change will also be the difference in approach each new leader brings to their post.

Incoming Governor Charlie Baker comes into office as no stranger to the Executive Offices of Health and Human Services and Administration and Finance. Generally with changes in Administration there tends to be a loss of institutional memory, however that is not likely to occur with Baker's team, noting his prior time as the leader of both EOHHS and A&F. Instead of having to learn about the institutional history of those departments, likely the Governor-Elect is the one teaching others about the history of each department's decisions.

Baker's choice of former Department of

Mental Health Commissioner Mary Lou Sudders also means that both the EOHHS Secretariat and the Governor will be individuals who understand the subtleties of our field and will be likely to want dig deep on how our field is organized and whether we are current with best practice, organizational efficiencies and whether we are in tune with how other states may perform similar functions at less cost or with better or equal outcomes.

Experience and a long institutional memory will also be evident in the new Senate President, Stan Rosenberg, and whomever he picks as the new Chair of Senate Ways and Means, replacing retiring Chair Steve Brewer. Long a friend of the human service community, Rosenberg will likely challenge our community to look inward as well.