Parents of disabled losing critical care without state budget

The failure to pass a state budget is causing pain for many families and while state lawmakers argue what to do, parents of children with disabilities are losing critical care. MARC Community Resources provides essential programs and services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout Middlesex County and parts of Harford County. Over 150 people are served in our day-vocational programs daily. Our residential services provide housing options for 35 people.

The lack of budget poses many hardships and challenges. MARC and other private providers were forced to close July 26 because of a state Department of Developmental Service-imposed furlough day as a method of attaining executive order imposed cuts. There are five more furlough days scheduled throughout the year. MARC cannot afford to provide services for free. Our fundraising, though significant, is allocated for program support and unfunded mandates and cannot be stretched thinner. Every day we are closed is $21,333 in lost revenue.

Many families served must arrange for private care or lose a day of work. People in our employment programs will not have transportation or supports for their jobs and will lose a day’s pay. Employers across the state will experience productivity owing to absenteeism. The trickle-down effect is monumental. Service providers and vendors will also have a loss of income. Everyone from physical therapists and music instructors to gas station owners and food service will experience a financial loss.

Gov. Malloy issued an executive order with deep cuts to social services. If the executive order remains in place, MARC will be forced to decrease two full-time and two part-time residential positions, decreasing coverage and increasing case load, and risk proportionately. Community events will be cut from the budget to save on staffing and transportation costs, decreasing our ability to comply with the 50 percent minimum integrative activities in the community standard set by Centers for Medicaid and CHIP Services.

Two individuals served have associated costs of care that exceed the revenue received from DDS. We will no longer be able to cover the costs and will have no choice but to seek alternative placement. We’ll have to double up bedrooms in other houses, increasing case load in two other homes, and close one four-person group home. Conferences, training, supplies, and land and building improvements will be cut as well. Our organization is limping and cannot sustain these devastating cuts while continuing to provide customary high-quality services.

Additionally, there has been some discussion regarding having nonprofits pay taxes on goods to increase revenue. Please be aware that this will result in an increase in expenses of $200,000 for MARC; a sum that we will not be able to raise.

We beseech our legislators to work together, set aside their differences and pass one of the five budget proposals in play. We understand that legislators have an incredibly difficult task in front of them; however, determining a reasonable budget must be the priority. The longer we go without a budget the greater the irreparable damage. — Linda Iovanna, president and CEO, MARC Community Resources, Middletown