Susan Senator

I have never felt so disillusioned in my life. I campaigned for Deval Patrick for Governor. I watched him speak at the Perkins School for the Blind, where dozens of disabled adults questioned him about their rights and their quality of life needs and he said, “Yes we can,” over and over again. He promised that things would be better under him.

Here is what the ARC of Massachusetts sent me:

Governor’s Revised FY10 Budget “Shocking”
Slashes services for 15,000

Governor Patrick released a revised budget Friday that is alarming for disability advocates, cutting services to as many as 15,000 people with disabilities.

The Governor’s proposal would decimate essential services at the Department of Developmental Services, with drastic cuts to Transportation, Day and Employment, Family Support, Autism and Turning 22 services. It also completely eliminates funding for Adult Dental Services, which are used by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Governor’s release of a revised budget now, in the midst of the Conference Committee deliberations, is extremely unusual. Since official revenue projections have dropped sharply since the Governor put forth his original budget proposal in January, he is mandated to file another budget based on the updated projections. People who have been involved in state politics for 30 years say they don’t remember this ever happening before.

Because it is so unusual, the impact of the Governor’s revised budget is not fully known. However, the Governor’s numbers send a disturbing message to the Legislature and the public that somehow disability services can function with such drastic cuts. The ball still remains in the Conference Committee, and that’s where our efforts must be focused, but we the Governor’s troubling proposal means that we have to advocate that much harder.

Arc President Frederick Misilo, Jr., said of the cuts, “I can’t understand the Governor’s thinking. Instead of slashing critical services to our most vulnerable citizens, he should have looked elsewhere or recommend the revenue needed.”

The Arc and the Disability Policy Consortium have come together on a joint statement denunciating Gov. Patrick’s decision to eliminate adult dental benefits under state Medicaid plans, which provides 600,000 people with dental care. The Arc and DPC stated:

“A significant portion of recipients of these services are individuals with disabilities who have no other means or obtaining dental care. These individuals already face significant barriers in accessing quality health services. Data collected by the Department of Public Health indicates that people with disabilities are far less likely to see a dentist on a regular basis when compared to people without disabilities. People with disabilities are also far more likely to be missing six or more teeth when compared with nondisabled Massachusetts residents. Eliminating dental benefits will only result in increased poor oral health, leading to infections and more complex medical issues. In the end, elimination of these benefits will result in increased medical costs for the state.”

Together, the Governor’s proposed cuts to the Department of Developmental Services will mean that nearly 15,000 individuals with disabilities will have no place to go during the day, no transportation to get to their jobs or grocery stores, no in-home support or respite care, no residential services or no transition help when they graduate from high school. These cuts include:

§ 1800 people losing Transportation services ($10.85 million cut)
§ 2,600 people losing Day/Employment services ($38 million cut)
§ 9,000 families losing Family Support/Respite services ($28 million cut)
§ 44 people losing their home ($4 million cut)
§ 624 people losing Turning 22 services – which helps them transition from school life to adult life ($6.6 million cut)
§ 730 people losing Employment supports through the Mass. Rehab Commission ($7.4 million cut)

“These cuts are simply not sustainable,” said Leo Sarkissian, Executive Director of The Arc. “To cut services for individuals and families with disabilities during this difficult period would be unconscionable,” he said.

The release of a revised budget by the Governor at this time of year is an extremely unusual occurrence. It happened because official revenue projects have dropped sharply since the Governor released his original budget in January – by law, he is required to submit a revised version that will balance the budget. The Governor’s budget does not take into account the sales tax passed by both House and Senate lawmakers in their budget proposals. .

Because it is so unusual, the impact of the Governor’s revised budget is not fully known. However, the Governor’s numbers send a disturbing message to the Legislature and the public that somehow disability services can function with such drastic cuts. The ball still remains in the Conference Committee, and that’s where our efforts must be focused, but we feel that the Governor’s troubling proposal means that we have to advocate that much harder.