Emergency housing in New Jersey “woefully underfunded,” local governments aren’t ready to evacuate disabled people, and more developmental disability news for week ending Jan. 24, 2025.

Spotlight: Medicaid

With Republicans in Congress anxious to make “draconion” cuts to Medicaid, it’s important to lay out just how important Medicaid is to vulnerable populations. A brief from KFF, How do Medicaid Home Care Programs Support Family Caregivers? does just that with stats and information about Medicaid and family caregiving.

Here, some salient points:

• While there’s bipartisan support for family caregivers, funding for programs that support them is at risk under proposals to cut Medicaid spending by a third.
• Self-directed services and payments to family caregivers are one of the tools states are using to address shortages of direct care workers, including those who work in home and community settings.
• Payments for family caregivers are most common under waivers for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities
• A 2024 report from the Congress-mandated Family Caregiving Advisory Council notes that family caregivers are the backbone of the nation’s long-term care system.

FYI, on Wed., Jan 29, The Arc is offering Calling All Advocates: Medicaid Advocacy in 2025, a webinar where you can learn about the growing concern of potential cuts to Medicaid and what can be done to help protect it.

New York

Hudson Valley parents, early intervention providers say new state billing system preventing children from receiving crucial care They claim the new hub made it difficult to enroll or get pre-authorization for children’s services, leaving many young patients with developmental and physical needs without care and providers unpaid.  (hudsonvalley.news12.com)

Related: Assemblymember Jodi Giglio (R-NY 2nd District) gives a press conference on the new system exacerbating the early intervention crisis (Youtube)

Disabilities Beat: Why is Hochul’s involuntary commitment proposal controversial? The Governor now supports expanding involuntary commitment to people deemed unable to provide or unwilling to accept help with basic needs. (WRVO.og)

‘Mommy, why?’ Parents speak out after special-needs son put in ‘time-out room’ at Long Island school Records reveal time out rooms were used 199 times by the Commack School District in an 8-month period. (NBCnewyork.com)

NYC taxi riders with disabilities warn changes to city program may mean worse service (Gothamist.com)

Faith leaders urge pause in NY Medicaid home care switch as NY vows no disruptions I missed this CDPAP-related article last week. In a letter sent to the state health commissioner, 34 faith leaders expressed their concerns about the program’s transition. (CBS6albany.com)

Op-Ed | A home for all: Addressing the housing crisis for New Yorkers with disabilities (amny.com)

John Pomeroy, Stony Brook psychiatrist who treated children with autism, dies at 74  (Newsday.com)

ARC TV gives adults with developmental disabilities an opportunity to shine  ARC TV in Suffolk County offers a weekly video production class for people with I/DD. (Newsday.com)

Outside of New York

‘Financially strangled’: Wayne school board petitions NJ for more special ed aid (northjersey.com)

Emergency housing for NJ kids with disabilities is so scarce ‘families often just give up’ (Northjersey.com)

Justice Department says Alabama institutionalizes too many children with disabilities  The state is violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not administering services in the setting most appropriate to people’s needs. (AP)

Walz proposes slowing spending on disability services to address looming deficit Interesting, given how (Minnesota Reformer)

Illinois Gov. signs bill eliminating subminimum wage for people with disabilities The state becomes the 19th to sign onto the Dignity in Pay Act phasing out subminimum wage authorizations (Chicago.suntimes.com)

Maryland disabilities community ‘distressed,’ ‘scared’ by proposed $200 million cut to state services (Marylandmatters.org)

The Blue Envelope program picks up steam. Here, two of many:

• Boulder Police Department introducing new Blue Envelope Program for ‘invisible disabilities’ (Kdvr.com)
• Rhode Island drivers on the autism spectrum can now get ‘blue envelopes’ for safer traffic stops

Autism

Experts debunk myths around autism detox treatments (Rhodeislandcurrent.com)

Disasters

Your Local Government Isn’t Ready to Evacuate Disabled People (Mother Jones)

Many residents with disabilities can’t flee fires on their own. Could a database help? Facing mounting questions over a chaotic evacuation, top L.A. County officials say they want to build a database of residents with disabilities who require help fleeing a neighborhood engulfed in flames. (Latimes.com)

Employment

What Does President Trump’s DEI Rollback Mean For Disability Inclusion? (Forbes)

Restraint and Seclusion

Restraint and seclusion harmful to students, Education Department warns In a letter sent out prior to Trump’s inauguration, the department warns that schools should instead use proactive practices such as multi-tiered systems of support. (K12dive.com)

Food Insecurity

People with disabilities disproportionately affected by food insecurity According to the Dept. of Agriculture, households that included an adult with disabilities reported higher food insecurity rates than households with no adults with disabilities in 2021. (Spectrumlocalnews.com)