CALL TO ACTION: Urge Ways and Means Members to Fund Vital Programs!

The Senate version of House Bill 1001, the State’s biennial budget, passed out of the Senate on Tuesday, April 16 by a vote of 40-8.  The current version of the budget includes a new fund called a Providers’ Rate Stabilization fund and includes a $10,000,000 appropriation per year for this fund.

The fund, as it is currently written in the budget:

• Will be used by FSSA, at their discretion, to address rate issues in all their programs across the three divisions – Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, Division of Aging, and Division of Mental Health and Addiction
• Funds shall be used for wages and benefits of direct care staff, therapists, and service coordinators
• Funds are available to providers who serve people on the Family Support waiver, the Community Integration and Habilitation waiver, home health, First Steps, and any other provider
• Preference will be given to those services that have a completed rate study

​While the language speaks to programs that serve the IDD population, the funds will be spent at FSSA’s discretion and are not limited to the programs listed in the budget.

INARF believes this language is the Senate’s attempt to address our rate issues, however, by giving FSSA the ability to spend the appropriation, our concern is our top priorities – DSP wages, VR, First Steps, and Case Management – will not be addressed.

Therefore, we are asking you to reach out to House Ways and Means members at the email addresses below and express your concern over the language included in the Senate budget.

OUR ASK:

• Fund the DSP wage increase
• Fund VR rate increase
• Fund the First Steps program
• Fund Case Management rate increases

Emails to Ways and Means committee members should be sent using your inbox and please respond to this email and indicate who you emailed and any responses you receive.
 
Representative Bradford Barrett - h56@iga.in.gov
Chairman Timothy Brown - h41@iga.in.gov
Representative Chris Campbell - h26@iga.in.gov
Representative Robert Cherry - h53@iga.in.gov
Representative Edward Clere - h72@iga.in.gov
Representative Steven Davisson - h73@iga.in.gov
Representative Edward DeLaney - h86@iga.in.gov
Representative Carey Hamilton - h87@iga.in.gov
Representative Earl Harris Jr. - h2@iga.in.gov
Representative Robert Heaton - h46@iga.in.gov
Representative Dave Heine - h85@iga.in.gov
Chairman Todd Huston -h37@iga.in.gov
Representative Jack Jordan - h17@iga.in.gov
Representative Michael Karickhoff - h30@iga.in.gov
Representative Sheila Klinker - h27@iga.in.gov
Representative Daniel Leonard - h50@iga.in.gov
Representative Peggy Mayfield - h60@iga.in.gov
Representative Sharon Negele - h13@iga.in.gov
Representative Gregory Porter - h96@iga.in.gov
Representative Cherrish Pryor - h94@iga.in.gov
Representative Holli Sullivan - h78@iga.in.gov
Representative Jeffrey Thompson- h28@iga.in.gov
Representative Melanie Wright - h35@iga.in.gov
Representative Cindy Ziemke - h55@iga.in.gov