2012 VOR Annual Conference, Legislative Briefing and Washington Initiative

Expanding VOR's Horizons Through Vision and Mission

The Liaison on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

Agenda, Registration and Sponsorship Details

1:00 pm VOR Board Meeting
3:30 pm State Reports
5:30 pm Networking and Hospitality Reception

1:00 pm Conference, featuring -

3:30 pm Legislative Briefing

5:30 pm Reception
6:30 pm Dinner

Monday, June 11, 2012

Participant visits to Members of Congress and their staff. Share our choice message!
Monday and Tuesday evening Initiative participant debriefings at the Liaison. Learn from others.

Complete Details and Registration

Please Join Us!!

VOR Slams Justice Department Plan to Close Virginia Centers for Disabled

VOR Slams Justice Department Plan to Close Virginia Centers for Disabled
Calls on President Obama and Congress to Intercede

In the last speech he ever made, Hubert Humphrey said, "...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”
 
The Department of Justice’s announcement January 26 of a settlement agreement with Virginia to close state training centers for profoundly disabled individuals ignores Humphrey’s compassion and elicits an alarming—and likely dangerous—prospect for Virginia’s most fragile citizens.

On behalf of our constituency and their families in Virginia and nationally, VOR calls on President Obama and Congress to stand up for these affected citizens, help them reclaim true choice, protect them from predictable tragedies, and reverse this dangerous decision by the Justice Department in Virginia. 

VOR Renews Calls for Moratorium on Deinstitutionalization Lawsuits

January 12, 2012

Concerned About Deaths of Intellectually Disabled Individuals,
National Organization Renews its Call for Moratorium on Deinstitutionalization Lawsuits

    VOR, a national advocacy organization representing people with intellectual disabilities and their families, today renewed its urgent request of Members of Congress in several states to call for a moratorium of federally-funded deinstitutionalization lawsuits.

       VOR renewed its call for Congressional action in light of ongoing reports by the New York Times which detail the ‘unnatural or unknown” deaths, abuse, neglect, and financial fraud perpetrated on New York’s most vulnerable citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (see, New York Times “Abused and Used” series, from March 2011 – current). 

    “Reports of people with profound disabilities experiencing harm and death after being displaced from specialized settings are frighteningly predictable,” said Tamie Hopp, VOR’s Director of Government Relations and Advocacy, citing a bibliography of similar reports from around the country.

   A recent New York Times article reported that the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) released a report criticizing New York’s federal protection and advocacy system, the NYS Commission on Quality of Care & Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (“U.S. Report Criticizes New York on Monitoring Care of Developmentally Disabled,” January 11, 2012).  

VOR Seeks Moratorium on Deinstitutionalization Lawsuits

December 21

Concerned About Deaths of Intellectually Disabled Individuals,
National Organization Calls for Moratorium on Deinstitutionalization Lawsuits

    VOR, a national advocacy organization representing people with intellectual disabilities and their families, today asked Members of Congress in several states to call for a moratorium of federally-funded deinstitutionalization lawsuits.

    “Protection & Advocacy and Department of Justice lawsuits have forced people with severe intellectual disabilities from their specialized homes and into smaller, unlicensed settings that are too-often not prepared to handle people with such severe degrees of intellectual disability,” said Tamie Hopp, VOR’s Director of Government Relations & Advocacy.

    VOR’s call for a moratorium was prompted by the New York Times reporting of tragic preventable deaths of hundreds of people in New York group homes. Specifically, the Times found that “One in six of all deaths in state and privately run group homes [in New York], or more than 1,200 in the past decade, has been attributed to either unnatural or unknown causes. (“1,200 Deaths and Few Answers,” November 6, 2011).

    “The silence by federal agencies in response to these deaths is deafening,” said Hopp. “Not only have P&A and DOJ done little if anything in response to these deaths, which numbered more than a 100 per year over 10 years, they have continued their ideological warfare on larger Medicaid-licensed and funded ICFs/MR.”

Read More.

Seeking Board of Director Applicants

VOR’s Nominating Committee seeks individuals interested in serving on the VOR Board of Directors

November 2011

VOR is seeking applicants who:

• Have a passion for our cause on behalf of individuals with intellectual disabilities
• Can commit time for board meetings, committee planning and meetings, and can attend the annual meeting
• Are team players who work well with others in a group
• Listen well and are thoughtful in considering issues
• Are willing and able to assist in development efforts

If you are interested in receiving a VOR Board application form please contact Co-President Sybil Finken at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 712-527-3250 or Executive Director Julie Huso at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or at 605-370-4652.

If you would like to receive additional information from anyone on the nominating committee, please contact:
Ann Knighton, Co-President 706-993-6329
Bill Ryerson, First Vice President This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 336-765-6763
Mary O’Riordan, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 415-927-0542

IL-ADD Releases Cost Analysis

The Illinois League of Advocates for the Developmentally Disabled (IL-ADD) has challenged the myth that all persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) can be served for less cost in smaller, unlicensed settings.

On October 13, they released a summary and  detailed cost analysis that considered the actual cost of care for an individual in a state ICF/MR as compared to what that same individual would cost in a smaller setting. The analysis considered three care scenarios for BRB in a Home and Community-Based Services waiver setting (called "CILAs" in Illlinois).

BRB is a current resident of a state-operated ICFs/MR. BRB is 41 years old, 6' tall, 190 lbs, and healthy. He has a pervasive developmental disorder with borderline intellectual functioning. He is being treated for obsessive/compulsive behaviors which presently involve consuming huge amounts of fluid; interruptions of is O/C behaviors can bring violent responses. He also has a history of life-threatening PICA, however this has been completely extinguished in his present state-operated ICF/MR setting. He is prone to unpredictable explosive physical aggression toward peers, staff and property. He has been expelled from community-based programs.

While very challenging, BRB is not the most challenging among his peers at his ICF/MR; he cannot be dismissed as a uniquely expensive case. For example, he does not present severe medical conditions, seizure activities, sexual aggression, fire-starting, or (at this time) PICA.

Cost Comparison Findings (Summary)

Some closure advocates claim that people can be served in the community for "on average $55,000" per year. In fact, BRB's care would cost: