Senate Ways and Means--First Look UPDATED

UPDATED @ 4:53 PM, MAY 18: New information indicates that the Senate Ways and Means Committee cut MassHealth Day Habilitation services by $18 million and reduced the program from 6 hours per day to 5 hours per day. This cut is in addition to the $5 million cut in the Governor’s budget. The total amount cut is $23 million. We need your help NOW in the Senate. Call your senator TODAY and ask them to support the amendments at the bottom of the page!

You can download this post as a fact sheet.

The Senate Ways and Means Budget is a tough one for our constituents. We will need all the help we can get from our sponsors. We will be reaching out to Senator Brewer and President Murray with the help of our amendment sponsors and friends in leadership. We ask that you reach out to your senators as well. Call them TODAY and ask them to support the amendments listed at the bottom of the page.

We've posted a chart that details the changes in major DDS and MassHealth line items. Here are some key results:

1. Family Support is at same level as House One—with a devastating $14 million cut from FY’11 and about $9 million less than the FY’12 House budget

2. MassHealth Day Habilitation services cut by $23 million—an $18 million cut from the House One budget—and reduced from 6 hours per day to 5 hours per day

3. Day/Employment has the $2.7 million shortfall from the Governor’s budget for students who entered adult services this year and $1 million less than the House budget

4. DESE/DDS has $2.5 million less than the House budget, but does have required language in the education account

5. Community Residential account is the same as the Governor’s budget, with the Rolland settlement is unfunded, which may prevent individuals from leaving nursing homes

6. Autism account is same as Governor’s, lacking the additional $500,000 that was in House budget

7. Other important budget news:

   1. Early intervention received $31,144,120 to avoid cuts and insure transportation, receiving more than the $28,400,000 goal
   2. The Special Education Circuit Breaker account is funded at $183,119,160, lower than the Governor’s and House budgets

The Arc, ADDP and others will need all the help we can get for senators to sign on to co-sponsor amendments. We will be speaking with our sponsors in the next hour to finalize amendments. 

They include the following Senators: