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- February 19th, 2010
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Arc Action Alert: stand up against the proposed budget cuts
February 19th, 2010
The Arc of Virginia Action Alert: Last Minute Push for “Community for All”
On behalf of the Arc, thank you for helping us get 1,200 emails in to the Governor’s office this week. Now, we need your help to do a last minute push for “Community for All” at the General Assembly. The money committees will be presenting their versions of the budget on Sunday, which means we have less than 72 hours to make sure the message of “Community for All” is heard loud and clear.
The fight is down to the wire. With additional cuts being proposed to community-based services (see below), the call to action has become even more urgent.
CLICK HERE TO SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR DELEGATE AND SENATOR RIGHT AWAY.
Ask them to:- Oppose cuts to community services for Virginians with developmental disabilities
- Stop rebuilding large, segregated institutions
And make sure to tell them why it is important to have a community where everyone is included.
Status of the State Budget:
The House and Senate money committees will release their versions of the budget on Sunday, February 21st in Richmond. This will tell us where we stand on proposed cuts community services and plans to rebuild state institutions.
After the committees report their budget bill out of committee, the budget bills will then go the floor of each respective house for a vote on the budget bill next week. Delegates/Senators will then have a chance to stand up for/against items in the budget bill-including funding for community services and the rebuilding of state institutions.
Will your Delegate and Senator stand up for “Community for All”? Please send an email to your Delegate and Senator as soon as possible-ask them to take a stand!
Governor McDonnell proposes further cuts to services
As noted above, the fight for “A Life Like Yours” has become even more urgent.
Yesterday, Governor McDonnell announced his proposal for filling a $2 billion hole in the budget. One of his proposals was to eliminate all consumer-directed services for people on Medicaid Waivers. (This is in addition to the cuts that were already proposed in Governor Kaine’s budget.)
What would this mean to families?
The consumer direction option for families receiving Medicaid waiver would be eliminated (applies to ID, DD, EDCD and HIV/AIDS waivers). No longer would families be able to hire their own attendants for personal/respite/companion care. Over 8,000 people with disabilities would be impacted.What are the details of the proposal?
The proposal assumes that 50% of all families currently receiving consumer-directed services would be able to access agency-directed services. The remaining 50%, the proposal assumes, would not be able to access services at all.Is the Governor’s proposal included in the budget bill?
Not yet, but the proposal is now officially “on the table” for discussion. The House and Senate money committees will be presenting their own versions of the budget on Sunday. The Governor’s proposals may or may not be included in those budgets. It will be up to families to make your feelings known, helping theGeneral Assembly make the right decision.What can you do?
Join the email campaign to Virginia General Assembly, ask them to protect community-based services for Virginians with disabilities and STOP rebuilding institutions. CLICK HERE to send a polite email or call to your Delegate and Senator TODAY! Let them know how YOU are affected.