State says it cut off funding for program to help disabled students at Edinboro
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A state agency Friday indicated it was the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and not the federal government, that apparently removed funding from a 24/7 attendant care program that disabled students at Edinboro University have relied on for three decades for help with basic life needs.
Edinboro University officials have said their decision that the attendant-care program would end in the spring was due to a change in federal regulations that made it more difficult to continue offering the service directly, using Edinboro employees.
University leaders said that as a result, they planned to turn to private off-campus providers, and would eliminate the jobs of about two dozen university staffers who have provided care for 36 Edinboro students.
But Lindsay Bracale, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, part of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, offered a different explanation Friday in a statement:
“The Code of Federal Regulation (CFR 361.53) has not changed,” according to the statement. “The regulation has always stated that when determining whether to provide funding, Vocational Rehabilitation Services must look at whether comparable services and benefits exist under any other program and whether those services and benefits are available to an individual.
“Edinboro University created their attendant care program during the 1980s, and the Pennsylvania
Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) developed a Letter of Understanding (LOU) to purchase that service for its customers. OVR and Edinboro University renewed this agreement many times while laws, legislation, supports, and services developed and improved in the community. OVR informed Edinboro University of the comparable services and benefits that are available and indicated that, in accordance with the federal requirement, the LOU could not be extended as these services could be obtained through other means.”
The statement went on to say:
“Not extending the LOU will actually result in many long-lasting benefits to current and future students and their families, and will increase independence. Many families of students with disabilities speak about the ‘cliff’ their child falls off after graduating high school, as that is the time when many supports and services end. Families can apply for the attendant waiver while in high school or college to receive attendant care services.”
Penny Ickes, another Labor and Industry spokeswoman, said the final extension “was a joint decision between OVR and Edinboro after determining the length of time it will take for students to have comparable services and benefits in place.”
Officials have described the program at Edinboro as rare if not unique among universities. A petition seeking to overturn the decision now has amassed more than 3,900 signatures.
Alyssa Briglio, an Edinboro student from Lisbon, Maine, who uses the attendant care service and organized the petition, said the loss of the program would hurt students’ efforts to be independent on campus. She said university leaders needed to better understand what is at stake for students in a program long described as a niche offering that raised Edinboro’s profile nationally.
“They should realize that although we may need to be lifted out of bed, or need help picking something up off the floor, or need medication placed on our tongues because we simply can’t reach our mouths, we deserve a fair chance at getting an education in a place where we feel safe,” she stated.
The 5,600-student campus is one of 14 member universities of the State System of Higher Education. Most have been dealing with strained budgets amid enrollment losses tied at least in part to population declines, especially in the western part of Pennsylvania.
Angela Burrows, an Edinboro spokeswoman, said last week that the university traditionally has been reimbursed for the $1 million-plus cost of the attendant care attendant care program from outside sources, including the U.S. Department of Education. Because Edinboro is not a medical facility, it no longer is eligible under new rules for reimbursement because other providers are available, she explained.
Edinboro has continued to receive reimbursement under a grace period that runs out next spring. She did not know when the federal regulation change itself occurred.
Ms. Burrows initially described the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation as an office within the U.S. Education Department, something vocational rehabilitation staff initially did not dispute. Ms. Burrows could not immediately be reached Friday for additional comment.