Posted at the request of the Board for People with Developmental Disabilities.

The proposed caps to Family Care/IRIS in the governor's budget would affect every youth in transition in the state who needs long-term care services as an adult, resulting in re-establishment of county waiting lists for supports. Here is what families, school staff, youth and providers can do.

Beth Swedeen
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PLEASE DISTRIBUTE FAR AND WIDE!

JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS MUST HEAR
HOW THE FREEZE ON LONG TERM CARE WILL IMPACT PEOPLE IN THEIR DISTRICTS

THIS MESSAGE INCLUDES NEW INFORMATION<http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/public-policy> YOU CAN USE TO SHOW THE IMPACT OF THE FREEZE ON LONG TERM CARE!

The Governors budget includes a proposal to cap all community-based long term care programs for the first time since Family Care was introduced in the budget in 1999. This cap includes Family Care, IRIS, Partnership, and the Childrens Medicaid Waiver programs. There will also be no new slots for legacy waivers like COP and CIP. This giant step backward in our states long term care system means we will see an increase in nursing home and other institutional admissions and growing waiting lists notably in some counties that have not had waiting lists in years. Some people on current wait lists are receiving no services at all and Medicaid card services do not provide enough support to keep people out of costly and unnecessary institutions. Some will likely go without services for the next two years. Institutional care can cost more than twice what community living costs. A long term care cap is not a wise investment for anyone, especially taxpayers. The Joint Finance Committee will be voting on the long term care cap very soon!

We need the Joint Finance Committee to take action NOW to lift the proposed cap
and re-establish the right to long term care for people with disabilities and older adults in Wisconsin.

USE THESE NEW LEGISLATOR PROFILES<http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/public-policy> ON LONG TERM CARE WAIT LISTS: http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/public-policy

Go to this link to find a profile for each Joint Finance Committee member which details how many people, including adults and children with disabilities and older adults in their district are currently receiving and waiting for long term care services.

ASK JOINT FINANCE MEMBERS IF THEY KNOW HOW MANY WILL NOW WAIT IN THEIR DISTRICT:

http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/public-policy

In some counties, waiting lists for adults are in the thousands, but those individuals had a hope before the proposed cap that they would soon receive supports that would allow them to maintain their independence and remain in their homes. In some counties there are hundreds of children with significant disabilities who continue to wait some of them for several years. The cap means there is no end in sight for waiting. See the attached document Impact of Proposed Cap on Long Term Care Enrollment to see how this cap breaks a promise and not only threatens to result in individuals being forced into nursing homes and other institutions, but creates a hardship for families and new graduates with disabilities who will leave high school and now face a wait list with no services to secure and retain gainful employment or receive community-based supports. We continue to gather petition signatures to lift the cap. Sign here:http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/keepthecommunitypromise/

YOUR MESSAGE TO JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS IS CRITICAL AND SIMPLE:

Lift the proposed cap and re-establish the right to long term care for people with disabilities and older adults in Wisconsin. Our long-term care system, which includes Family Care, has improved access to supports in the community and offers people with disabilities and older adults choices that meet their needs. Long-term care in the community is FAR less expensive than institutional care.

CONTACT ANY AND ALL JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS NOW AND TELL THEM WHY YOU THINK THE CAP SHOULD BE LIFTED.
Please also copy your message to Lisa Pugh atLisa.Pugh@drwi.org<mailto:Lisa.Pugh@drwi.org>

The members of the Joint Finance Committee are listed below:

Co-Chair, Senator Alberta Darling, Phone:(608) 266-5830; District:
(262) 250-9440; E-mail:Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Darling@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Luther Olsen, Phone:(608) 266-0751; E-mail:
Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Olsen@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Sheila Harsdorf, Phone:(608) 266-7745; E-mail:
Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Harsdorf@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Joe Leibham, Phone:(608) 266-2056or(888) 295-8750; District:
(920) 457-7367; E-mail:Sen.Leibham@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Leibham@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Glenn Grothman, Phone:(608) 266-7513or(800) 662-1227;
District:(262) 338-8061; E-mail:Sen.Grothman@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Grothman@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Randy Hopper, Phone:(608) 266-5300, E-mail:
Sen.Hopper@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Hopper@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Lena Taylor, Phone:(608) 266-5810; District:(414) 342-7176;
E-mail:Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Taylor@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Senator Robert Jauch, Phone:(608) 266-3510or(800) 469-6562; District:
(715) 364-2438; E-mail:Sen.Jauch@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Sen.Jauch@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Co-Chair, Representative Robin Vos, Phone:(608) 266-9171or(888) 534-0063; E-mail:Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Vos@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Dan Meyer, Phone:(608) 266-7141or(888) 534-0034;
E-mail:Rep.Meyer@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Meyer@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Daniel LeMahieu, Phone:(608) 266-9175or(888) 534-0059;
District:(920) 528-8679; E-mail:Rep.LeMahieu@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.LeMahieu@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative John Nygren, Phone:(608) 266-2343, E-mail:
Rep.Nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Nygren@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Patricia Strachota, Phone:(608) 264-8486; District:
(262) 338-3790; E-mail:Rep.Strachota@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Strachota@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Joel Kleefisch, Phone:(608) 266-8551, E-mail:
Rep.Kleefisch@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Kleefisch@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Tamara Grigsby, Phone:(608) 266-0645or(888) 534-0018;
District:(414) 873-5557; E-mail:Rep.Grigsby@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Grigsby@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Representative Jennifer Shilling, Phone:(608) 266-5780or(888) 534-0095; District:(608) 788-9854; E-mail:
Rep.Shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov<mailto:Rep.Shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov>

Survival Coalition Family Care Audit Statement