D A C
Disabled Action Committee
14405 Artery Ln#11 - Dale City, VA 22193 - U.S.
Phone 703-878-1737 - Email DAC4VA@aol.com
December 27, 2004
To Our Honorable Representatives of Virginia:
I'm writing to you with just two simple requests this year. Realizing
that we are in a severe "health care" crisis, just as I have been
predicting for years, has now come to fruition. I hope you'll read our
suggestions, give serious thought to the ideas, and support and pass
the necessary legislation to make this happen. We need to have you, as
our representatives, make some serious decisions this year and not the
next year or years after.
Our First Request:
Although Medicaid has issued several hundred new slots for their much
needed waiver programs, they are essentially useless in scope. Why?
Because the reimbursement rates for "Service Providers" are so low that
there aren't enough Service Providers to handle the hundreds of new
slots available.
Also, Medicaid has been terribly negligent about paying what "few"
service providers we have, so they simply go out of business or refuse
to take on additional caseloads at a loss. We may have 700 slots
available for MR Waivers, DD Waivers or other waivers, but they can't
possibly be filled because of the lack of service providers to handle
the caseloads. So any slots available are worthless to your
constituents which makes any attempt at complying with the Olmstead
decision just useless paper.
Suggested Solution:
Provide a higher reimbursement rate from Medicaid to maintain an
adequate number of Service Providers throughout the state. Service
Providers do the intake screenings, counseling and subsequent followup
visits necessary to provide services for those disabled persons who are
eligible and waiting for one of the available slots.
There's also a severe need for "quality" care givers to assist our most
vulnerable citizens. With the extremely low pay scale throughout the
state it's very difficult to find and/or retain people when they can
earn more money flipping hamburgers than caring for our needy. This
needs to be rectified immediately.
Our Second Request:
Persons under Medicaid Waivers currently are required to have a PMA
(Personal Maintenance Allowance) of only 100% of the SSI (Supplemental
Security Income) amount or $564 a month to survive on with any
disability pensions they receive. All money received in excess of $564
per month is required to be paid back to Medicaid. This is with the
exception of the HIV/AIDS Waiver recipients who are allowed up to 300%
of the SSI amount or $1692 mo of their pensions to live on, which
favors one disability over another. It's simply not fair nor is it
realistic that anyone can live on only $564 per month.
Suggested Solution:
The Joint Commission on Health Care recommended in its legislative
platform to raise the PMA to 300% SSI in all the Medicaid waivers. We
strongly agree with the JCHC and request that you support and pass
their initiative. Below is their recent recommendation.
"This week the Joint Commission on Health Care included a
recommendation in its 2005 legislative platform to raise the PMA to
300% SSI in ALL the waivers. (the same recommendation is in the
Olmstead Plan). The cost is about $4.2 million general funds.
It's time again to ask the Governor to include those funds in his
budget, and to communicate with members of the money committees."
Who can live anywhere in this state on only $564 mo of their disability
income? Nobody can! By allowing the other waiver stakeholders the
same 300% of SSI to live on as the HIV/AIDS recipients are allowed,
helps to ease the burden of not only the stakeholders, but that of
their social service caseworkers who must adjust any co-pays from spend
downs from each waiver recipient. Just think of the increased
productivity from each state social service caseworker if that burden
was lifted from their shoulders?
This would also help those that are being denied a higher PMA a means
to live a better "quality of life" without begging for more state
handouts i.e. "foodstamps, fuel assistance, TANF," etc., because they
are forced to live in abject poverty. That equates to a tremendous long
term savings for the state which could be very substantial.
I hope you''ll consider our two "requests" and "suggested solutions" at
the 2005 General Assembly session and make the necessary supportive
decisions to help our most vulnerable of all citizens in Virginia.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Keith Kessler - Founder of DAC (disabled Action committee)
14405 Artery Ln#11
Dale City, VA 22193
703-878-1737
Email: DAC4VA@aol.com
Website: http://members.aol.com/DAC4VA/main.htm
**Some people grin and bear it.
Others smile and change it.**
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