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Developmentally Disabled Fight Cutbacks

Jasmina Meyer, Highlands Today file photo

State Rep. Denise Grimsley listens to concerns about budget cuts at a Family Care Council meeting in 2008 in Sebring.

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By LAURA NESBITT

Highlands Today

Published: March 18, 2009

SEBRING - Henry Broxton went to Tallahassee last week to advocate against legislative changes that he says have made it more difficult for him to get rehabilitation services.

Broxton, 26, has cerebral palsy and developmental delays. He spends his time in a motorized chair that assistants push so that he can move.

"I can't do anything myself," Broxton said.

"It hurts me. We're trying to get more services for the disabled. But it's hurting me also," Broxton said.

Broxton is talking about caps to services that could affect his rehabilitation needs.

Budget cuts that were approved by the Legislature in 2007 and 2008 have affected people like Broxton because of changes at the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) which funds the providers who feed, wash, train and care for severely disabled people like Broxton.

According to Melanie Etters, APD communications director, one change called "cost plan rebasing" determines a list of services for the year and the costs associated with those services. Another change implements four different waiver tiers based on things like living situation and medical needs.

Etters said, before implementing the changes, the agency went through public meetings and approval from the federal government. Before the change, there was no financial limitation.

"We were required to provide services whether we had the money or not," Etters said. And that was a problem.

"(This) is a cost containment effort by the Legislature," Etters said.

There are four tiers: tier 1 has no financial limitation; tier 2 has a limit of $55,000; tier 3 has a limit of $35,000; and tier 4 has a limit of $15,000.

Because Broxton has appealed the tier in which he is placed, he hasn't had any cuts or changes in his services, said Barbara Cook, executive director of Visions ADT Inc.

"Up until now the impact has not been felt," said Betty Kay Clements, a District 13 member of the Family Care Council, an advocacy group for developmentally disabled individuals. Laura Clements, Betty Kay's daughter, is in Tier 3 and has been diagnosed with mental retardation. Clements has also appealed her daughter's tier. Laura Clements could lose her companion should her Tier 3 placement become effective.

Cook, Broxton and Jonathan (Brad) Haislip travelled to Tallahassee last week and advocated to legislators about what they see as a problem in the system.

The three said they spoke with state Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid; state Rep. Juan Zapata, R-Miami Dade; and Gov. Charlie Crist.

Grimsley said legislators have had to make "difficult choices" because the state is facing a $6.7-billion budget shortfall this coming fiscal year on top of the $1.1-billion shortfall in the remainder of the current fiscal year.

"Health and Human Services comprise 35 percent of Florida's annual budget," Grimsley said in an e-mail.

"Thus, it is impossible to make the necessary reductions to the budget without affecting health and human services programs. I fully understand the impact that rate reductions have on providers of APD services, but we face two choices - reduce payments to providers or reduce services to those in need. The House has consistently chosen to provide services to Florida's most vulnerable citizens."

Zapata, who is the chair of the Human Services Appropriations Committee, said he filed HB 887, which would generate money for people who are on the APD waiting list for services, by increasing the cigarette tax.

"HB 887 is trying to protect APD's budget as much as possible" by addressing some of the cuts in revenue, Zapata said in an e-mail.

Haislip, a District 14 member of the Family Care Council, is also trying to address budget cuts. He created "Racing 4 Rights, The Troy Bostick Foundation Corporation," whose goal is to "advocate for the disabled and to be a resource center," Haislip said.

Troy Bostick, Haislip's brother, died on Feb. 22. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delays and his brain was deprived of oxygen at birth.

On the fourth Friday of every month at 10 a.m. the Family Care Council has a public information meeting at Visions ADT.

Highlands Today reporter Laura Nesbitt can be reached at (863) 368-5857 or lnesbitt@highlandstoday.com.

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