Date:    2/28/05 11:51:36 AM Pacific Standard Time

From:   jwrigley@oradvocacy.org (Jim Wrigley)

To:       DAWGOregon@aol.com

CC:      kweit@ocdd.org, blynch@ocdd.org (Bill Lynch), bob@oradvocacy.org (Bob Joondeph)

 

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David--Here is our response to the questions you raised.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Jim

 

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QUESTION:

1) How much has been returned from "unused plan dollars" that individuals

didn't spend?

 

ANSWER:

$20,557,639 is the amount that has been taken back by the State from the Staley Settlement from the Support Plan Costs. This amount includes "unused plan dollars", delayed start-up of the brokerages, and 7 months of frozen enrollments after the failure of the Statewide vote on tax measures.

 

The original budget was based on an assumed plan cost of an average of $800 per month. The State has now initiated a budget process that is based on "committed funds" or the amount that the plans indicate that they will spend. They will also be tracking budgets based on actual expenditures.

 

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QUESTION:

2) Gary Weeks was very clear in his presentation at the DHS Hearing -- and we

all know -- that community based services are significantly cheaper for the

State. I'm also aware that when many individuals were transferred they were

eligible for a lower amount through their plan with the brokerages -- including

those with Voc-only, dual waivered, and family support dollars. This would

include how much has been saved from transferring care to the community -- and

limiting the amount these workers can be paid through the brokerage rate

guidelines?

 

ANSWER:

A. No "care" was transferred to the community. Aside from Eastern Oregon Training Center in Pendleton, all services and supports provided to people with developmental disabilities are considered to be "provided in the community."

 

B. Family support was not transferred anywhere. It continues to be provided through county DD programs. As the time of the massive budget reductions in the last biennium, this program was cut almost 50%. The funding was not "saved" but simply became a part of the many reductions made to meet the State budget deficit.

 

C. In total numbers, less than 6% of those entering the brokerage have come in with service plans higher than the base level of support. The data does not accurately reflect whether these individuals actually have experienced a reduction in services. This is an issue that the Staley Implementation Group is monitoring. Each group that has entered with existing services presents a slightly different situation and there is an effort is to respond to each situation differently. For some, the changes actually go into effect as their plan comes up for renewal. We will begin sending out surveys asking about loss of service. Other groups have experienced a change in the way payments are made which, while remaining the same in terms of dollars, has resulted in a reduction in available service hours. As a result of analyzing the base / base plus data, the SIG recommended the creation of a middle level, between base and base plus, to address individuals with support needs that exceed base but do not meet the criteria for base plus. It is projected that over 200 individuals will receive additional funding.

 

D. The brokerage rate guidelines have been changed in the past several months. Molly Holsapple at Seniors and People with Disabilities could provide you information on the current service rates.

 

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QUESTION:

3) How much has been saved through lower administrative costs at brokerages,

and lower salaries/benefits for PAs as well as layoffs of county caseworkers

through this process?

 

ANSWER:

A. The Staley Settlement Agreement built a new structure to provide services and supports to thousands of individuals who did not previously receive services. There is no saving, but expenditure. The base budget projection for PA's is only slightly lower than what is projected for county caseworkers. However, it costs the brokerages less to fund a position than most counties and hence brokerages can generally hire more PA's with lower caseloads. To gather comparison data between brokerage costs and county costs, you would have to look at each county since their costs and salaries differ.

 

B. County caseworkers have not been laid off as a result of this process. Multnomah County experienced layoffs and staff bumping into the DD Program as a result of significant budget reductions that occurred in other areas of human services.

 

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QUESTION:

4) How much has the State saved from transferring individuals to brokerages

who have been limited in access to services through the base plus tool? And

also, cuts in services based on the "Service Levels" which were originally

designed to guide individual service plans, and NOT to determine eligibility.

 

ANSWER:

A. A new level has been added between base and base plus to address the care needs of some of the individuals who were not eligible for base plus. This has resulted in greater expenditure and more funding for approximately 200 individuals. In addition, changes have been made in the Personal Care Program that have resulted in more people being eligible for Personal Care dollars.

 

B. The "Service Levels" do not apply to people with developmental disabilities, but to people with physical disabilities who are served in an entirely different system.