{"id":3329,"date":"2013-04-12T12:28:50","date_gmt":"2013-04-12T16:28:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/?p=3329"},"modified":"2013-04-12T12:28:50","modified_gmt":"2013-04-12T16:28:50","slug":"if-you-are-a-massachusetts-resident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/2013\/04\/if-you-are-a-massachusetts-resident\/","title":{"rendered":"If you are a Massachusetts resident&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This is your chance to effect services for people with developmental disabilities!!\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/capwiz.com\/thearc\/ma\/home\/\">Go to the capwiz application here<\/a> and contact your state rep about supporting and cosponsoring the DDS bills in the works! These bills would improve DDS funding for programs like Turning 22 and Salaries for Caregivers!\u00a0 Here is my sample letter. Cut and paste it and put in the name of your disabled loved one!<\/p>\n<p>April 12, 2013<\/p>\n<p>[recipient address was inserted here]<\/p>\n<p>Dear [recipient name was inserted here],<\/p>\n<p>As the mother of a 23 year old with fairly severe autism, I am concerned<br \/>\nabout adequate community-based services and supports for people with<br \/>\ndevelopmental disabilities served through the Department of Developmental<br \/>\nServices (DDS).\u00a0 There are many people waiting for services and we also<br \/>\nare concerned about potential cutbacks for staff working in the field who<br \/>\nare among the lowest paid in our Massachusetts workforce!<\/p>\n<p>Please co-sponsor the following amendments by contacting the amendment<br \/>\nsponsor.\u00a0 Thank you in advance for your consideration.<\/p>\n<p>DDS, 5920-5000, Turning 22 Programs and Services:\u00a0 lead sponsor Rep. Sean<br \/>\nGarballey. The proposed amendment of $2 million to help all of the<br \/>\ngraduating High School Services who will need services upon graduation.<br \/>\nTotal would then be $8 Million.<\/p>\n<p>The Turning 22 program provides first year funding to special education<br \/>\ngraduates for adult services. If funding is not available students go from<br \/>\nreceiving special education to having no supports as adults. Some lose<br \/>\njobs while others require residential services. Family members may have to<br \/>\nleave their jobs to address the lack of adult services for a family member<br \/>\nwhich may result in severe consequences for the family.<\/p>\n<p>DDS, 5920-3000, Family Support\/Respite Program, Sponsor Paul Brodeur.\u00a0 The<br \/>\nArc\/ADDP\/MFOFC are asking for $3 million more to serve another 2500 people<br \/>\nneeding family support &amp; respite. (House Ways and Means provided $2<br \/>\nmillion additional. More families seek family support and respite each<br \/>\nyear, with increasing wave of people with autism and other developmental<br \/>\ndisabilities, family in home support and therapies are most cost<br \/>\neffective. The supports assist families to maintain a balance. These<br \/>\nservices also delay or avoid costly residential and emergency services.<\/p>\n<p>DESE (DEPT. OF ELEMENTARY &amp; SECONDARY EDUCATION)-DDS alternative education<br \/>\nprogram, 5948-0012 and 7061-0012, sponsor-Rep. Jen Benson. This is a<br \/>\nFAMILY PRESERVATION program which transfers money from DESE to DDS to<br \/>\nprevent residential school placement on a voluntary basis for families.<br \/>\nThe Arc\/ADDP\/MFOFC request $1 Million more to address the need for and<br \/>\nadditional 75 families in need of\u00a0 services. In 2009 the account was at $8<br \/>\nMillion and this increase brings it to $7.5 Million.<\/p>\n<p>DDS Residential Account, 5920-2000, sponsor-Rep. Denise Garlick. This<br \/>\nCommunity Residential Services (5920-2000) is $14 Million below the<br \/>\nGovernor&#8217;s (Gov) budget request. That request funded 50% of chapter 257<br \/>\nincreased rates for this line item over three quarters. This amendment<br \/>\nwill require the administration to provide a plan to the legislature in<br \/>\nSeptember 2013 that outlines how it will meet 100% of funding of chapter<br \/>\n257 for all EOHHS programs covered by the law, including but not limited<br \/>\nto DDS, Early Intervention, MRC, Brain Injury, DPH and others.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you again in advance- please co-sponsor these amendments.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you,<\/p>\n<p>Susan Senator<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is your chance to effect services for people with developmental disabilities!!\u00a0 Go to the capwiz application here and contact your state rep about supporting and cosponsoring the DDS bills in the works! These bills would improve DDS funding for programs like Turning 22 and Salaries for Caregivers!\u00a0 Here is my sample letter. Cut and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pSTth-RH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3330,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329\/revisions\/3330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/susansenator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}