Interim Study Committee on Fiscal Policy Hearing Recap

Yesterday, the Interim Study Committee on Fiscal Policy had a “discussion on the new requirements from CMS pertaining to HCBS settings as well as the impact of the change from daily rate billing to hourly billing for facility based habilitation services”. These topics were originally referenced in Senate Enrolled Act 323 from the 2016 legislative session that Deidra Conner pursued through one of her local legislators, Representative Holli Sullivan, and both were very helpful in getting these topics assigned to an interim study committee.

​During yesterday's hearing, INARF presented on the HCBS rule (Leslie Green and Steve Cook) along with Kim Dodson from the Arc of Indiana. Deidra Conner from the Arc of Evansville presented on the daily rate related to facility based habilitation services.

The INARF goal from the hearing was to get language in the final report from the committee recommending a task force/commission to the General Assembly. The language below was adopted by the committee yesterday in their final report:

Recommend that the General Assembly create a task force charged with preparing a comprehensive plan of how best to implement community-based services for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in Indiana. The comprehensive plan would include the following elements: 
   (a) Data collected that specifies how many individuals are receiving services in the state of Indiana, the types of services being used, any waiting list for services, the services that are needed, and where individuals are waiting for services.
   (b) An assessment of the array of services being offered by the State and a needs assessment of that array of services and how it meets the needs of individuals.
   (c) The identification of services not currently offered but needed by individuals.
   (d) A determination of whether the current array of services complies with the current Home and Community Based Services Rule.
   (e) An assessment of provider capacity in Indiana to provide the array of services identified in the current array and those services identified as needed.
   (f) An assessment of the cost of delivering the array of services offered currently and those services identified as needed.
   (g) The identification of any new configuration of service options that are needed in the future and the cost to deliver those services.

You can read the final report here.

Thank you and congratulations to the INARF Governmental Affairs Committee for assisting with this effort. Special thanks to INARF board member Leslie Green for providing excellent testimony. INARF board member Steve Sacksteder worked with Senator Eric Bassler, one of his local legislators serving on the interim committee, and this proved very valuable during INARF testimony. INARF board member Bettye Dunham also spoke to Representative Steve Stemler, another member of the interim committee. It is our belief that we have an excellent chance to pass legislation creating the task force recommended by the interim committee  and that the “additional involvement” by the legislature similar to their involvement with the 317 plan created in 1998 will benefit individuals, families, and INARF members.