It's the end of October and Pennsylvania has been working without a budget for four months now.
Human service agencies are wondering how long this budget impasse will last - as they attempt to determine how long they will last - without funding. 

Read More

Dear Illinois, 

C'mon, you're better than this. The drawn-out showdown between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the Democrats who control the General Assembly is causing a whole lot of trouble for a whole lot of people. I, for one, am really disappointed in you. After more than three months without a state budget, you're still acting like a bunch of stubborn jerks who need to be right at any cost. Every last one of you needs to think about the serious damage your pigheadedness is doing. 

The terribly sad stories that illustrate the disruptive and disturbing consequences of not having a budget have become all too commonplace - and every new day that goes by just results in even more of them. Services are being postponed or denied, agencies are begging and borrowing, and people are suffering. The worst part is, that doesn't seem to phase you.

Haven't you ever heard that apologies and compromise aren't always about being right? Sometimes you compromise because you value your relationships and the overall good more than you value your pride. I hope that you've been thinking about that - but unfortunately, you don't seem to be thinking about much. 

You just had a hearing to decide whether or not personal allowances for people with disabilities can be adjusted back to $60 per month (after the previous rate of $30 was reinstated again in July). $60 per month still won't be enough. In fact, it's not enough to cover personal expenses for anyone - with or without a disability. If there's a way cover the costs of clothing, dental care, podiatry, medication co-pays, psychiatric visits, snacks and entertainment with $60 every month, please share. While you're at it, you can fill us in on what happens to the people who don't have anyone who can subsidize their care. 

Read More

In light of CMS's recent mandate for states to be more person-centered with their I/DD HCBS Waiver Services, including more self determination and community inclusion, Connect has released a suite of features in their fall release schedule to help providers themselves become more person-centered.  These features bring into focus the people they support across all employees and programs and make it easier for everyone at your agency to know your individuals better and foster better relationships with them.  They also bring the individual's natural supports into light more.  If we're truly being person-centered then we want everyone in that person's circle of support to be informed and communicating about the supports that are being delivered.  In this day in age where it's second nature to assume we have rights to our medical information through digital portals, how can we not say the same about the people's rights to their information who are receiving supports through provider agencies?  And, if you are a provider, imagine the value- add that you provide to families by offering a portal that the individuals & their circle of support can access.  Our fall release is all about taking the next step in person centered ideals through our electronic platform.  We hope you find these features exciting and valuable and encourage you to contact us to find out more!

Read More

The statewide transition plans for HCBS rule have been gradualy rolling into CMS and as of this week, almost every state's CMIA letter has been posted. 

CMIA stands for "Changes or Modifications required for Initial Approval" and because no state's initial transition plan was accepted "as is" - every state is receiving one. 

The new states that were most recently posted are:

Read More