The State of Georgia for DD in 2005

I just received my copy of "The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities: 2005" and thought I would share with you where Georgia stands today for supporting people with disabilities in the community. I think it is important to know where you stand against other states so that we can more clearly set a direction for improvement in the future. We should only expect Georgia to be a leader in this area, and in order to get there, we should ask over and over, "How can we do better?"

There are 11 states that dedicate at 90% of their total resources to community services in 2004: Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia. When the state's population is controlled for, Georgia is ranked 51st in the country for using community services.

There are serious problems in retention of direct support professionals throughout the country. I am sure you can relate as a parent to the uncertainty of your loved one's staff person changing. Research has confirmed that this turn over has a deterimental effect on the quality of support. The wages of those persons working in the community with our loved ones is on average $8.68 per hour - compared to the national poverty level of $8.49 per hour. Many states are currently involved in law suits that contend that low wages result in unnecceasry segregation and isolation of people with disabilities and violates Section 504 of the Rehab Act of 1973 as well as the ADA.

Georgia has moved from placing 44th in our state's fiscal effort for community spending in 2002 to ranking 45th in 2004.

In 2004, Georgia had 17,145 persons with MR/DD living with a caregiver over the age of 60. Families continued to share the majority of the responsibility of care for people with disabilities. Nationally, only 11% are supported in a supervised residential setting, while 13% own their own homes, 15% live with a spouse, and 61% live with a family caregiver.

Don Schanche says "Goodbye and good luck"

Mr. Schanche will be missed at the Macon Telegraph. He always willing to cover issues important to us in a fair and honest way. He has moved to the Atlanta bureau of the Associated Press where he will do more editing.

My head is full of ghosts: people whom I interviewed, people who lived and died, people who committed crimes, who spoke to city councils, who had traffic wrecks, who did hard jobs, who marched in demonstrations, who triumphed over disabilities, who had unusual hobbies, who wrote me angry letters, and who sometimes appreciated what newspeople do for a living.span>

Macon Telegraph | 12/18/2005 | Goodbye and good luck

Parents caught in Medicaid crunch | ajc.com

State legislators are looking for suggestions to solve this issue, which we believe really should come out of the Governor's office. However, some have suggested that (1) DCH correctly enforce the federal guidelines for eligibility and then (2) give parents who find themselves ineligible for the current Deeming waiver the option of buying into Medicaid coverage using a sliding scale that adjusts family income for costs related to the well being of the child with a developmental disability. Read the AJC article below and then click the link to give "Comment" on what you think the solution should be...

The Katie Beckett waiver helps middle-class families pay for therapy and other medical costs that private health insurance won't cover. It's part of Medicaid, which provides health coverage to the poor and disabled. However, the state hadn't been applying the strict federal standard for participation in the program, said Mark Trail, director of the Department of Community Health's Medicaid program. As a result, many children had been accepted who didn't meet the criteria of severe disability or medically fragile status. Under the state's old criteria, 6,278 children received the Katie Beckett waiver. As of September, 5,419 children were enrolled, Trail said. "Some might be new families, so I can't say what number were denied," he said. The Katie Beckett program costs the state $38 million a year, an average of about $502 per child per month. The state predicted $6 million could be saved by adhering to the federal institutional guideline.

Click here to read "Parents caught in Medicaid crunch" on ajc.com

Speaker Richardson outlines 2006 Session

This is an interesting preview into what to expect during the session this year. Expect a short session with few bills, as well as restraint on increased spending. To track legislation regarding disability issues go to AADD's Legislative Action Center There is also a very interesting article today in the Athens Banner on Georgia's budget surplus at Lawmakers analyze possible surplus

Speaker Glenn Richardson said Wednesday that Georgia House members plan to push for tougher laws on sexual predators and limiting government condemnation of private property when the 2006 General Assembly session opens next month...At a briefing for reporters, Richardson (R-Hiram) also predicted that the controversial requirement of a photo identification for voters will be debated by lawmakers for a second straight session...Richardson said lawmakers would put a high priority on approving a bill making it more difficult for governments to use the power of eminent domain...The speaker also told reporters he was skeptical of claims that the state may have enough money to give election-year refunds to taxpayers, as some Republicans have suggested. Richardson said the bulk of any budget surplus could be eaten up by higher Medicaid and education costs...The speaker said he had stressed to House members that he wanted a short session and as few bills as possible.

Click here to see read "Speaker spells out '06 agenda" on ajc.com