ODP+Budget+Cut

When the legislature decided, as part of its approval of the FY08-09 Budget legislation, that the Governor had to find 1.3% across the board to cut from his budget request, ODP was told that its share of the reduction was $11.5M. (Reminder: This reduction is not a reduction from the current budget, but a reduction from the Governor's Proposed Budget).
 * July 2008: ****

PAR developed a list of cost savings for ODP's consideration that we believed would not affect services and would not impact the waiting list initiative. Those were discussed with Deputy Secretary Kevin Casey.
 * August 2008: ****

Last Friday at the Office of Developmental Programs Planning Advisory Council (ODP/PAC) Deputy Secretary Kevin Casey presented his decisions on areas that will and will not be impacted by the reduction in budget increases for ODP's programs. Several weeks ago, PAR encouraged ODP to appoint a small representative group to facilitate recommendations from the field, to assess impact, and to make recommendations to ODP on ways to achieve cost savings in the system without negatively impacting services. Last Friday at the ODP/PAC meeting Deputy Secretary Casey appointed the Executive Committee of the ODP/PAC to serve in that capacity. PAR's President and CEO Shirley Walker serves on that committee. The Deputy will be adding ODP fiscal and program staff to the group.
 * September 2008: ****
 * __Help from Secretary Richman__: Secretary Richman found $4.5M in other funds to further reduce the reductions that were to be made by ODP.
 * __ Supports Coordination  __: New funding will support the addition of 39 support coordinators instead of the 52 that the Governor's Proposed Budget contained.
 * __ Administrative Costs  __: $1M will be eliminated through underspending and the elimination of some administrative costs.
 * __ Waiting List  __: By changing the average number of months for the waiting list initiative in this FY from 6 to 5 months, and by reducing the number of persons that will come off the waiting list in this FY by 464, ODP reduced another $6M in funding for its initiatives. 1354 individuals will come off the waiting list instead of the 1818 that the Governor's Budget proposed.
 * __ Private ICF/MR  __: The mandated adjustment factor was withheld from Private ICFs/MR
 * __ State Centers  __: State centers expect to achieve a $4M reduction (3%) through a reduction in overtime usage, delay in filling staff vacancies, and eliminating some administrative costs.
 * __ Autism  __: $3.7M is being taken from the autism initiative by slowing the implementation of waiver services and the ACAP. This represents a 7% reduction in the autism initiative.
 * __ PFDS  __: ODP maintained the initiative to increase the PFDS cap to $26,000, up from $23,200, for an increase in costs of $2,364,960.
 * __ COLA for Existing Services  __: The 1% COLA was preserved for the maintenance of existing services.
 * __ Counties  __: No reductions were taken from county administration.

Soon we will be asking members for your ideas. We also have quantifiable information that you have presented in the past which we are putting together. Your ideas on policy changes or changes in practices that you believe would save dollars and/or prevent future expenditures in any area of the system are welcome.

Deputy Secretary Casey warned the ODP/PAC that next year could be worse. DPW starts with a $1Billion hole. State revenue for the first three months of this FY was under projections for all three months. We will have to work even harder to address the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and people with autism in the future. Your ideas and your advocacy are needed more than ever before.

//// (If we do not want the cuts, we must write to our legislators). ////   Cecelia Thompson Chairperson, Philadelphia Right to Education Local Task Force