Support system for disabled Floridians at 'breaking point'

By RENEÉ VALLETUTTI | Special to The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 25, 2011


Over the past several years, individuals with developmental disabilities and their families have endured extensive reductions and elimination of needed services due to funding cuts to the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities' Developmental Disabilities Home and Community Based Services Waiver budget. The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council believes that funding for the waiver cannot sustain any further reductions without seriously jeopardizing both the health and safety of individuals with developmental disabilities who rely on these services and the basic infrastructure of the waiver system.

Currently, many individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are not receiving the services they need to find employment and get help with their daily living activities, which allows them to become or remain independent and have a life in the community like their peers without disabilities.

Each year since 2007, with the exception of 2009-10, there have been reductions in funding implemented through either provider rate reductions, reduction in tier caps and/or imposition of other service limitations. The annual appropriation for the waiver has gone from $958 million in 2007-2008 to $810 million for 2011-2012.

Florida has relied heavily on the family to support individuals with developmental disabilities. More than 70 percent of individuals live with their family compared to the national average of 57 percent. Findings resulting from 24 focus groups held across the state in 2009 involving individuals with developmental disabilities and their families reported increased stress and dwindling capacity to continue providing supports at home. Now, with the additional stress of the downturn in Florida's economy, Florida's system that relies on support offered through family households will be stretched to the breaking point.

The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council recognizes that the Agency for Persons with Disabilities must strengthen the fiscal and operational controls of the waiver to ensure that waiver spending is within the legislative appropriation. These controls can be achieved without shifting the waiver into private managed care, as has been considered. The individualized budget (iBudget) program approved by the Legislature in 2010 and 2011 is designed to contain and predict costs and, in turn, strengthen the agency's fiscal and operational controls.

Reneé Valletutti chairs the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council.