Please watch this 2-minute video explaining how the lives’ of Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities are being impacted by the low wages paid to disability service providers. Please also read the letter from CSLN explaining what YOU can do to take action NOW.

DDS Rate Study is Published – Calls for 40.8% Increase in Funding

On March 15, 2019 DDS sent an email announcing that it submitted the rate study to the Legislature earlier today. The link to the report has just gone active. The Fiscal Impact Analysis indicates a 40.8% overall increase in funding. The full report can be found at the following link:

http://www.burnshealthpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DDS-Vendor-Rate-Study-Report.pdf

You can view the Fiscal Impact Analysis at the following link, with projected increases and decreases by service code:

http://www.burnshealthpolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Attachment-5-Fiscal-Impact-Analysis.pdf

I’m sure we’ll have more next week.  Here’s the email from the Department:

Dear Colleagues,

Today the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) submitted the rate study on the provision of community-based services for individuals with developmental disabilities (available online here later today) to the California Legislature.

The rate study includes four parts:

• Part 1 summarizes the various methodologies for establishing rates for home and community-based services and outlines current rates and methodologies in California.
• Part 2 provides an overview of the study, including the project’s timeline, principles adopted to guide the study, and data sources used to inform rates.
• Part 3 covers the major components of the rate models, including direct care worker wages, benefits and productivity, indirect costs such as program operations and provider administrative costs, and adjustments to account for regional cost differences.
• Part 4 provides a summary of the rate study results.

We welcome you to submit public comments on the rate study through April 5, 2019. Comments should be specific and include substantive feedback, such as services identified as missed in development of the rate models or mischaracterized services.

To help streamline the public comment process, Regional Centers, Vendor Advisory Committees and several provider and advocacy organizations will collect input from vendors, families, consumers and other interested parties. These designees will summarize and submit the comments to Burns & Associates, the health care consulting firm that conducted the rate study.

• The instructions and template for submitting public comments can be found here.
• The list of designees accepting public comments is available on the DDS website here.

We appreciate your continued collaboration and input on the rate study process.

Beginning April 3, 2019 – via The Arc

1) The Rally

Join us in Sacramento on April 3, 2019, for the #KeepThePromise Capitol rally to save Lanterman Act services & fund the direct support workforce for Californian’s with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD).

More than 330,000 Californians with I/DD live in our state – they are our neighbors, classmates, coworkers, family, and friends – however, their support structure has been grossly underfunded and is failing. Direct support staff are quitting the field or working multiple jobs due to low wages, essential programs are closing throughout the state, and individuals are forced to live with inadequate supports or with no support at all.

California’s lawmakers must fund the services and supports people with I/DD rely on to access their civil rights. An 8% increase will provide emergency stabilization which our community desperately needs.

For the full schedule of rally events, visit theLantermanCoalition.org/rally or download our shareable flyer.

2) Engage Your Legislators

Click here and take 2 minutes to submit a letter to your state legislators telling them to come to the April 3rd rally and sign on to the budget request letter to provide $290 million for direct support staff wages and to keep programs from closing.

3) Share:

Visit theLantermanCoalition.org’s social media tool kit and share any of our premade social media posts to let your network know that California’s lawmakers must #KeepThePromise to the I/DD community.

4) Stay Involved – #KeepThePromise on Twitter:

Twitter is a social media tool which allows us to communicate directly with each other and our lawmakers.

• If you aren’t already on Twitter visit our social media toolkit to learn how to sign up, and how to use your account for online advocacy
• Follow The Lanterman Coalition’s Twitter account
• when you tweet about the budget remember to use #KeepThePromise so that other I/DD budget advocates can find you and share your tweets

As of March 6, 2019 – by CSLN

Hi Folks,

On Wednesday March 6^th the Assembly budget subcommittee will have a hearing on our issues.

Please note that on Page 2, Issue 2 our very own Jacquie Dillard Foss CSLN GA Co Chair will be speaking on a panel about the soon to be released rate study.

Also attached is the letter that CSLN wrote and sent to each Assemblymember in response to the listening sessions conducted last week about the Rate Study.

Additional topics include:

• 8% rate increase – Championed by Assemblymembers Holden and Frazier (Letter attached)
• Regional center budget ask of $152M

If you can be at the hearing at the State Capitol Please make every effort to be there!

We know from past experiences that when we show up and pack a room we get noticed!

Although it is not posted, yet you should be able to also view the hearing here: http://www.calchannel.com/live-webcast/

If you can’t be there please join us on social media!

CSLN continues to push for a Competitive Wage for DSP’s in our #WhatsMyWorth campaign.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSLN5Ps

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaSupportedLivingNetwork/

Thanks in advance for your continued advocacy!

-Mark

As of March 1, 2019

San Diego is leading the charge & CSLN needs your help! 

We are planning a rally in front of the state offices on Front St in order to try to influence the legislature to increase funding to Regional Center vendors for the specific aim of increasing employees wages.
Here is the info:
When: Friday 3/1/19, 1-2pm
Where: 1350 Front St. San Diego, CA 92101

If your in the area SHOW UP!!!

According to a market wage study conducted by Gallagher and Associates, the market rate for positions comparable to Supported Living Direct Support Professionals (DSP) in San Diego is $19.66, but the state legislature continues to have our rates frozen so we are only able to pay rates close to the minimum wage rate of $12.00 per hour. This is unacceptable, people shouldn’t have to work 3 jobs just to afford rent. We would like to get employee wages increased and we need your help to do it.

In addition, a DDS funded rate study (by Burns and Associates) will be publicly released in the next few weeks, which does not take into consideration the rates current employees can get paid by working competing positions and only looks at the current cost of the underfunded DDS system with low wages for Direct Support Professionals. Accompanying this rate study will be recommendations on changing the current rates.

The time to act is NOW! The address  for the planned rally is the home of 4 CA government representatives and they will most likely be in their disctrict offices on Friday.  After the rally, please plan on going up to their offices and request our representatives to sign onto the Holden/Frazier letter (see attached) for 8% increase and present information on the competitive wage study.

Here are ways you can help:

1. If you have a DSP and/or person we support that would like to be interviewed to provide a quick quote (like My roommate left for a better paying job, I have 2 jobs to afford rent, etc.) to any media members, then please let me know.

2. We need you to get the word out to maximize the number of people showing up and participating. Tell everyone you know, share on social media, etc.

3. Make and bring signs to the event, some themes to use are #whatsmyworth, I deserve a competitive wage, I’ve lost my dsp again, keepthepromise, #CompetitiveWages

4. Participate in the social media campaign.  Currently, we will be focusing on targeting our message to our local representatives (ASM Todd Gloria<https://a78.asmdc.org/>, ASM Lorena Gonzalez<https://a80.asmdc.org/>, ASM Shirley Weber<https://a79.asmdc.org/>, ASM Brian Maienschein<https://a77.asmdc.org/>, Sen Pro Tem Toni Atkins<https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/>), and later focusing on members of the legislature in the DDS budget subcommittees.  Like, follow, and retweet info from the following pages: Kristoffel twitter<https://twitter.com/kvandeburgt> CSLN twitter<https://twitter.com/CSLN5Ps> CSLN Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaSupportedLivingNetwork/> CSA Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/creativesupportalternatives/> San Diego SLS Vendor Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/sandiegosupportedlivingvendors/>

5. Watch and share this video on social media: https://vimeo.com/316209917

Please let me know if you have any questions or you want to get more involved.

Questions? Email: mmelanson@toolworks.org

Special thanks to our very own Kristoffel, Beth & Deb!!

Thanks in advance for your continued advocacy! 

 – The CSLN BODY