Governor’s Budget Proposal
Supports People with Disabilities
Jim DeBeaugrine, Director for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities(APD), announced some highlights included in the Fiscal Year 2010-11 budget recommended by Florida Governor Charlie Crist. This proposed budget will allow Florida’s most vulnerable citizens to continue to receive services in their community. APD serves about 35,000 people with developmental disabilities each year helping them to participate in activities like going to work or learning life skills.
Governor Crist is proposing $1.16 billion for APD’s budget for Fiscal Year 2010-11. The agency’s budget was $1.08 billion in Fiscal Year 2009-10 and $1.06 billion in Fiscal Year 2008-09. Some of the main APD budget recommendations are: · $3 million to add dental services to Tier 4 of the Home and Community Based Services Waiver. Currently, customers on Tier 4 cannot receive dental services through the waiver. · $12.7 million to serve people on the waiver waiting list. · An additional $100 million for the Medicaid waiver to eliminate the projected deficit over the current and upcoming fiscal years due to delays in fully implementing the tier waiver system.
Director DeBeaugrine said, “The state of Florida has a duty to help its most vulnerable citizens. These budget recommendations will assist the Agency for Persons with Disabilities with continuing its good work on behalf of Floridians with disabilities. Additionally, by eliminating the APD deficit that keeps rolling forward each year, we will help ensure the agency will be able to serve individuals in the future.”
“We appreciate the governor’s support of APD and the people we serve. These budget recommendations will make a difference in the lives of thousands of people with developmental disabilities in our state. I look forward to working with Governor Crist and legislators to move these new recommendations into action,” said DeBeaugrine.
For additional details on the Governor’s recommended Fiscal Year 2010-11budget, click this link to read the full report. ThePeoplesBudget.state.fl.us or past the link below into your browser.
article
copied from waiver.com
Back In 2007, the Florida Legislature amended section 393.0661, Florida Statutes, and instructed the APD to develop and implement a comprehensive redesign of the waiver system in order to create a four-tiered system in lieu of the existing system. Many families have appealed this prosses and have gone through heartaches. Many have gone through the prosses of a hearing over the tires and have already lost.
Now In The District Court of Appeal First District, State of Florida has
found that the tiers are not valid. This is Not Final Until Time Expires to file motion for rehearing and disposition case # 1D08-4353 We will now wait to see whether APD files any post-decision motion for rehearing or clarification in the next 15 days from 8/21/2009 .
A comment by APD Director Jim DeBeaugrine on the Courts Decision on the new Tier Rule.
First District Court of Appeals issued a ruling determining the tier waiver rule to be invalid.
APD will thoroughly review the opinion issued by the First District Court of Appeals to determine which options will best preserve the benefits of our customers. Options include seeking rehearing, appealing to the Florida Supreme Court, and an internal review of the rule. "The top priorities of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities are the health and safety of the people we serve. We will continue to try to meet the needs of our customers while adhering to the mandatory requirements of the tier waiver statute," said Agency for Persons with Disabilities
Director Jim DeBeaugrine.
