Kittitas County Parent and Family Coalition

· Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have a right to be safe in their homes and communities, and the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) has a responsibility to provide that support wherever an individual lives, including the family home.

· The CARE assessment should be adjusted to capture and reflect safety support needs for every individual.

· Overtime exemptions should be allowed for individual providers (IPs) who provide supervision in addition to personal care.

End the Provider Shortage

· Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities deserve a well-trained provider workforce, who are paid professionals making a livable wage, able to meet individual support needs and prevent harm and neglect.

· Implement DDA’s study in HB 1694 to Pay parent care-providers of individuals under the age of 18 who have medically and behaviorally complex needs.

· DDA services and Providers must be developed in all areas of the state.

Develop Adult Day Services across the State

· Develop statewide DDA Adult Day Programs in community settings that end isolation and support personal choice, individual goals, social engagement, habilitative goals, and personal care needs.

· Make Adult Day Programs/Adult Day Health a separate waiver service (aside from respite and Day Services) with its own dedicated funding.

· Fund the upfront development costs, staffing, and implementation of statewide DDA Adult Day Programs in community settings across the state.

· Support rate parity across DDA Day Services (Community Inclusion, Community Engagement, Supported Employment, Adult Day Programs, and Respite). to build a robust provider network and more equitably distribute DDA funding.

End Isolation and Restraint in Schools

· Continue legislative work toward reducing and ending the use of restraint and isolation in schools.

Increase Access to Housing and Residential Supports for Adults with IDD

· Individuals with IDD have a right to affordable, accessible, and sustainable housing in an individual’s chosen setting with their needed level of services and support and regular access to the community. Services and funding should follow the person, wherever they choose to live, including their own family home.

· Reduce eligibility barriers to DDA Core Waiver services and prioritize Core waivers for individuals whose family caregivers are aging.

· Develop wrap-around life-transition planning services for adults with IDD who have aging caregivers or who want to change where they live. Planning should include housing, residential supports, access to the community, financial planning, and long-term sustainable care. Expand access to the Family Mentor Project for individuals with aging caregivers.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Legislative Session 2023 Sine Die!

2023 Legislative Session: Sine Die!

And that's a wrap.

Check out the Arc of WA Advocacy page for the bills that passed and the State Capital and Operating Budgets for 2023-2025

Budget Summary Side-by-Side for IDD Issues:

Senate/House/Final Capital Budget 4/24/23

Governor/Senate/House/Final Operating Budget 4/24/23

2023 Bills of Interest Final 4/24/23

Monday, April 3, 2023

2023 Legislative Session Update

Only a couple of weeks left in this year's Legislative Session.

Arc of WA Advocacy page - https://arcwa.org/billtracker/

Bills of Interest that are continuing to move forward include (but are not limited to....)

HB 1222 Include health carrier coverage of hearing aids, auditory training and ear molds

HB 1407 Removing the "age 10" re-eligibility requirement for Developmental Disability Administration services

SB 5311 Increasing Special Education Funding

HB 1541 Nothing About Us Without Us Act

HB 1694 Allowing extended family members (grandparents, siblings, etc) to become Independent Care Providers with a reduced training requirement (30 hours instead of 70 hours)

and...

the Senate, House and Governor's proposed Budgets are also now on the Arc of WA website to check out. https://arcwa.org/billtracker/

Monday, January 16, 2023

2022 Caseload and Cost Report for DDA Services

If you like to dig deep into data and reports, here's the one for you.

The 2022 Caseload and Cost Report for DDA Services has all the info you need for the WHO's getting services or not, WHAT services were accessed, WHERE people live and WHERE services are, and much more.

Check it out here

https://www.dshs.wa.gov/sites/default/files/DDA/dda/documents/2022DSHSDDACaseloadandCostReport.pdf

2023 Legislative Bill Tracker

This years legislative session is off and running.

The best way to keep track on the bills, hearings and timelines is to check out the Bill Tracker page on the Arc of WA website.

https://arcwa.org/billtracker/

On this page, you will find the 2023 Bills of Interest, the Legislative Hearing Schedule, the Governor's proposed budget and the Arc of WA's Public Policy Agenda.