Congratulations...1,500 new MRWP services and 152 ICWP slots are funded this Year!

The House and Senate announced just moments ago their agreement to fund the recommendation by the multiple year funding plan by allocating 1,500 new MRWP services with $11.58 million state dollars and to surpass the plan by funding 152 ICWP slots with $3.2 million state dollars during this year's legislative session! This is wonderful news for over a thousand people waiting right now throughout Georgia for help for these much needed services.

With the current waiting list for ICWP services being 164 people, the 152 new ICWP slots gives Georgia an opportunity to now look to finally focus of managing the growth effectively each year.

The 1,500 MRWP services are funded with the infrastructure needed to successfully implement them and with a breakdown of types of services that mirrors the true need on the waiting lists. To see the number of people waiting for each category of service, click here. We have posted an analysis of how the $11.58 million will be broken down in a previous post. Is 1,500 enough to eliminate the waiting lists? No, of course not. But is part of a multiple year plan to bring these lists to a more manageable level and the House and Senate proved this year that they understand that each year they can not make the same mistake made in the past by forgetting these families and individuals impacted by developmental disabilities.

The budget also contained language that directs the Department of Community Health to explore the feasibility of a Medicaid Buy-In program. For more information on this exciting news, see a previous post by clicking here.

When combined with last year's funding of 925 MRWP services and 46 ICWP slots, the total allocation for these two waivers is 2,623 supports. This commitment is unprecedented for Unlocking Georgia's waiting lists.

This was because of you and all your hard work over the last year!