May 28, 2013
The Kansas Legislature went back to work today to determine the future of our State.
The only thing that the Legislature is required to accomplish before calling it a year is passing a balanced budget. To a simple soul like me, that sounds easy enough. I’ve discovered after listening to the budget and tax debates, that this is not the case. It is never effortless when two opposing groups are unwilling to negotiate and both want to win. The House and the Senate are playing a little tug of war. Besides pulling the rope, Legislators are now pulling overtime pay to the tune of nearly $40,000 per day ($40,000 would fund one person on the developmental disability waiting list for a year).
The intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) long-term-services waiver is in a precarious place. The Siegfreid proviso that was introduced a week ago is currently included in the House Budget bill. Needless to say, we aren’t thrilled with this proviso. It does nothing to protect us from what we believe will happen if the I/DD long-term-care waiver is gobbled up by KanCare.
The proviso includes the following agency requirements that are not currently in the contract with Managed Care Organizations (MCO) or the State:
- Conduct an educational tour to provide information for persons with developmental disabilities (DD) who are enrolled and providers during calendar year 2014.
- Review the DD service planning process of Community Developmental Disability Organizations (CDDO), conduct training for each MCO on the DD services system in Kansas.
- Continue the function of the KanCare Advisory council with adequate representation of individuals receiving long-term care service and supports.
- Review and approve all plans of care for the DD waiver where a reduction, suspension or termination of services is proposed by the MCO.
- Report prior to the 2015 Legislative session on reduction, suspension or termination of those services.
Members of the Conference Committee are busy again today heaving the rope. If there isn’t a winner soon, it may be back to the drawing board for them. If that happens, we may have the opportunity for another proviso to be introduced (one that might actually benefit us).
In this scuffle, until someone has been pulled over the line, please continue to let your legislators know that inclusion of I/DD services and supports do not belong in KanCare!
I will admit that I’m not sure whether it is going to rain or shine on us. But if it rains, we will fall into that mud pit still gripping on to our rope! Now is not the time to give up. Hold tighter; pull harder, dig those heels deeper into the ground. If we lose, we still win.
Warm regards,
Lurena Mead
JCDS Community Relations Manager
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