'We Have to Be Willing to Change'

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Maureen Brown has recently found herself asking the same question – “Why did you do that?” – when conversing with co-workers.

“All of us have to take ownership of what we do,” said Brown, director of purchasing at Baker Victory Services (BVS) in Lackawanna. “Are we doing the right thing, and for the right reason?”

Brown and 13 other professionals from BVS, Community Services for the Developmentally Disabled (CSDD) in Buffalo and People Inc. in Williamsville are taking a fresh look at service delivery through a different lens: the Lean methodology of decreasing waste.

NYS Coming Up Short

Over the past four years, organizations supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — including autism — have undergone significant funding cuts as New York State resolves issues with the federal government regarding Medicaid. While the State of New York is responsible for the overcharges and misuse of these funds, private agencies like the Arc of Westchester have served as the “piggy bank” for New York to rectify these issues. Over the past few years, our organization has suffered reduction in funding in excess of $3 million, while we are expected to provide services for the growing needs among families and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Opinion: Battle Looms Over Social Security Disability and Other Funds

A technical rule change engineered by House Republicans on the first day of the new Congress may signal the beginning of a major battle over the future of the Social Security Disability program—and, more broadly, other federal programs for people with disabilities.

The immediate issue is the fate of the SSDI trust fund, which is expected to become exhausted in 2016. If new funding is not found, SSDI benefits will be cut by about 20 percent for 9 million workers, 2 million of their children, and about 160,000 spouses.

Editorial: Finally, Good News at Nebraska Nebraska Developmental Center

It has been a long time coming, but the latest news from the Beatrice State Developmental Center is encouraging.
This week, the State of Nebraska learned that after nearly six years of problems, all units at the center for the developmentally disabled have regained federal Medicaid certification.
Losing certification had meant losing about $25 million a year in federal Medicaid funding, money the state had to make up. But more importantly, it showed the depth of the problems at the center where there had been repeated cases of patient abuse and neglect.