Disability Advocates Applaud the State Budget

State Investing in Important Programs for People with Disabilities

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 17, 2007– The Pennsylvania Statewide Independent Living Council (PA SILC) today applauded Governor Rendell and the General Assembly for making important investments in programs for people with disabilities as part of the $27.2 billion budget.

Corey L. Rowley, Executive Director of the PA SILC, praised disabilities advocates for rallying support for CILs and many other disability programs during this year’s budget process.

“People with disabilities from around the state did an outstanding job of making sure their local legislators understood the priorities of the disability community and the importance of adequate funding for CILs and other programs.”  Rowley said.  “Everyone should be proud of those efforts.”

For the third straight year the legislature removed a funding cut proposed by Governor Rendell for Pennsylvania’s state-funded Centers for Independent Living (CILs).  Due to bipartisan support in the legislature the new budget provides level funding for CILs at $2.25 million.  CILs are non-profit, non-residential organizations that provide a variety of services to more than 10,000 people with disabilities annually.

“We want to thank the legislature for preventing a funding cut,” Rowley said.  “The network of CILs is an excellent resource to our communities by providing programs and services that enable thousands of people with disabilities to live more independently and enter the workforce to remain taxpaying citizens.  If funding had been cut, many CILs would have been forced to consider layoffs and reducing the number of people with disabilities that they help this year.

“We look forward to a time when the threat of annual funding cuts stops and we can focus our discussions with the administration and legislature on how to expand the network of CILs in underserved areas to better meet the needs of people with disabilities in our communities.  This need is already increasing as more and more veterans are returning from Iraq with a variety of physical and mental disabilities.”

OTHER INVESTMENTS

This budget will continue the great progress Pennsylvania is making to invest in Home and Community-Based programs which increase access to services and create greater independence for people with physical and sensory disabilities,   The Attendant Care program, which assists people with disabilities in performing daily living activities, will expand to serve nearly 600 additional people.  The Services for Persons with Physical Disabilities (CSPPPD) would be expanded to serve an additional 400 people. 

In addition, there is a 3 percent cost of living increase for most community services including community mental health and mental retardation, attendant care and CSPPPD. 

“Overall, this budget will make good investments in the supports and services that assist people with disabilities to stay out of nursing homes and go to work, raise their children and remain active members of their community,” said Terry Roth of the Disability Budget Coalition which represents more than 70 disability-related organizations in the state including PA SILC.

Autism services will also receive significantly greater funding.  The $3 million in state and $1.8 million in federal funding will increase to $9.9 million and $13 million respectively.

TRANSPORTATION

In a separate action the transportation funding plan enacted by the legislature will provide increased funding to expand the Rural Transportation Program for Persons with Disabilities to the final 16-unserved counties.  The highly successful program provides affordable, accessible transportation on shared-ride vehicles in 49 counties.  In counties without it, people with disabilities must pay significantly higher fares to go short distances for employment, health care and other quality of life needs. 

Bipartisan support for the program has always been strong since it began in 2001 as a pilot.  The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provides grants to local transportation providers for the trips, of which forty-one percent are work related and an additional twenty-one percent are for travel to medical care. 

“This is a huge and long-fought victory for people with disabilities in Pennsylvania,” said Rowley.  “Since the program began seven years ago in a few counties disability advocates have been calling for it to be available statewide.

“Making the state program available in all 65 eligible counties is a matter of fairness.  People with disabilities should have the same access to go to work, visit their doctor or go shopping as those in the 49 counties with the program.”

Allegheny and Philadelphia counties have separate programs and are not eligible for the Persons with Disabilities Rural Shared-Ride Transportation program.