I attended the 1st of probably five Work Group Meetings to help evaluation stakeholder input in order to achieve $100 million in DDS budget cost saving strategies. Key representatives from about 20 major stakeholder groups were there including State Capitol Analysts, Diane Van Maren. Also, there were about ten of the usual high ranking DDS staff present as well.
DDS provided a great deal of background information and asked the work group to help define what the process would be. After much discussion, the work group would like to see stakeholder ideas grouped together by suggestions coming from individuals as well as organizations. In addition to that, the group will break out into 4 initial break out groups to consider some potential major cost saving areas: 1) More Federal Funding including the Medicaid Waiver; 2) Reduction in Bureaucratic Duplication of Effort or Redundancies; 3) Individual Choice Budget (sounds like Self Determination with a 90% cap to current funding-- I'll be involved with this specific sub group) and Supported Living (they were volunteered by DDS to provide a presentation related to the California Supported Living Network's discussion related to potential ways to save funding (Marty Omoto suggested that this category be open for consideration with other services as well).
I'll attach a sample of some of the financial information they have provided. The next two work groups will be on the next two Thursday. I'll be out of the office until next Wednesday. I'll keep you updated as the work group progress continues.
Mon 2/23/2009 2:19 PM
To those respite agencies who have sent in their membership dues, many thanks! For those who have not yet done so, we will need to receive your dues by March 10, 2009. After that date, we will update e-mail and website membership to reflect those agencies that have paid for their 2009 membership. Non members will be added to a guest e-mail list which is used infrequently. Thank you, in advance, for your timely response to this final request for 2009 membership dues.
These are some of the cost relief and cost saving strategies suggested to date. I've rewritten most of them so they might be applied to most services and not simply respite services. In some case, I also provided respite specific examples. Suggestions. Additional ideas to save money? Many ideas came out from the stakeholder meeting yesterday as well. The next meetings are in Oakland on 2/27 3:30-6:30pm and in LA from 1-4pm. Please provide any additional suggestions on or before next Tuesday, February 24th. Thanks!
Thu 2/19/2009 11:19 AM
I just got off the phone call with Terry, Director at DDS. She reiterated the schedule of Stakeholder meetings that are coming up that have been sent your way. Stakeholders may also provide input electronically or at conference calls conducted by CDCAN (Marty Omoto) which I will pass along to you as well.
In addition she stated that she is coordinating a Work Group of key representatives from various Stakeholders of the DDS system including Respite. She has asked me to serve as a representative for respite. The task of the group will be to review suggestions taken from the Stakeholder meeting and determine potential recommendations related to the same. This Work Group will have access to DDS financial information including a cost containment report.
I spoke briefly about Family Support Services like Respite and how important they are in keeping the majority of consumers living at home with their family. She agreed that we should do what we can to preserve these family support services like respite.
I appreciate your initial input for suggested ways to reduce the 100 million dollars necessary to avoid the additional 7.1% cut proposed for next fiscal year. I'll be attending today's stakeholder meeting in Sacramento and will primarily provide a general suggestion to spread the potential burden of the 100 million dollars cutback as much as possible.
Thank you for this opportunity to update you. With the Senate Budget approved, the Assembly is likely to approve the Senate version soon and then on to the Governor. More information will follow.
Mon 2/16/2009 9:04 AM
I would like to generate a list of things DDS or Regional Centers could do to either provide respite agencies some relief from respite related costs that would help with the payment reductions or that might save the Regional Centers some monies in a another way. Ideas for either that would reduce what it? Please send them along on or before February 18th, 4PM.
Examples of Relief Strategies:
CPR/First Aid Certification is required by the State and therefore a condition of employment so workers must have this in order to be hired (not paid by respite agency; agencies may still opt to provide free training)
Discontinue satisfaction surveys, audits, etc. during the payment reduction period
Examples, Other Cost Savings Strategies:
Pursue More Federal Funding
Sign up more respite families with the Federal Home and Community Based Medicaid Waiver program
Seek Federal Funding for Developmentally Disabled Services for military families who here in California because of the special medical services provided (Travis Air Force Base, etc).
November 7, 2008
Dear Respite Agency Staff,
California Respite Association was recently selected to host the Fall 2009 National Lifespan Respite Conference in Los Angeles (Tentative dates Thursday, September 24th - Friday, September 25, 2009). In addition to this two day conference, we will also host a one day Lifespan Respite Summit (tentative date of Wednesday, September 23, 2009) to prepare California Respite Agencies to be eligible for Federal Lifespan Respite funding when it becomes available.
The California Respite Association (CRA) has kept its membership informed of the recently secured $0.59 increase in your reimbursement rate from Regional Centers! This wage differential above minimum wage for respite worker wages was paid out in a timely manner this year as compared to a significant delay last year. In addition, CRA also reminded the Department of Developmental Services that the mileage reimbursement is triggered by increases in the state employee rate resulting in the $0.02 per mile mileage increase to $0.505 per mile effective 1/1/08. Again this mileage reimbursement notification was made in a timely manner this year. We are currently in communications with the Department of Developmental Services related to the $0.08 per mile mileage increase effective 7/1/08.
The California Respite Association met on February 15, 2008 at the Department of Developmental Services. In addition to reviewing the sample goals which follow, we also met with five key staff at DDS, who answered many questions related to our respite related concerns. Because we must remain ever diligent with this effort, CRA is going to become more proactive by hiring both a part-time lobbyist as well as part-time association staff to keep our issues at the forefront with policy makers and elected officials.
Our current priorities are to:
1. Make the Respite Worker Wage Differential permanent(for Regional Center funded respite agencies).
2. Serve as the liaison for the any Federal funding for Lifespan Respite in California (hosting the national conference and conducting the lifespan respite summit will assist in this).
3. Keep members informed of labor issues such as monitoring the current bill proposing to eliminate the personal attendant overtime exemption. (Letter writing campaigns for same).
4. Survey members related to current practices to determine where we might assist (Workers' Comp Survey 2007; Labor and Salary/Benefit survey, Fall 2008).
5. Maintain respite friendly interpretation of Title 17 regulation (we are currently working on mileage reimbursement interpretations).
6. Website updates to assist with the above (google: www.calrespite.org ).
The cost of paying for professional representation for the above will be significant. To this end, the membership voted to significantly increase dues based on the number of respite families and respite workers each member agency has. Please see the attached membership dues and benefits sheet.
We understand that for some agencies, this substantial increase in dues may be significant. We will gladly work with agencies by accepting a payment plan and/or consider financial hardship. Please forward these written requests to Mike Huckins c/o Bay Area Family Services, 3272 Sonoma Blvd., Ste. 4, Vallejo, CA 94590.
During these challenging financial times, we need to have a well represented statewide association so we can we be a strong force for respite services in California. Please join us again with your 2009 membership fee so we can continue to better serve our families and workers. Can we count on you response by January 31, 2009?
Please let me know if I can answer any additional questions you might have. Thank you, in advance, for helping us realize our goal for professional advocacy.
