Speaking out for People with
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
On May 22, VOR submitted tesimony to the Senate Appropriations, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies regarding the need to protect Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities as the Appropriations Committee negotiates continuing funding ot the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Act (MFP) in its FY2021 Appropriations Bill.
Michelle Ballan, PhD, Professor of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine in the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare, created a COVID Disability Form, to help all individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) communicate their needs, whether the patient is verbal or non-verbal.
If your loved one is going to the hospital with COVID-19 symptoms, you may fill out this form to provide useful information to his/her medical team.
Download the form here, from Stony Brook
In March, 2020 VOR's Legislative Committee sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee, asking for an opportunity to provide testimony from families whose loved ones’ interests, health and welfare are directly impacted by the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Program.
VOR continues to speak out about the shortcomings of MFP, and the manner in which it has been used to undermine Intermediate Care Facilities and to deny individuals and families their right to choose ICF care.
VOR has sent a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, supporting the residents and famiiies of the Polk and White Haven Developmental Centers.
The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is a seriously flawed bill. While the intention of the bill is to provide services for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, it would eliminate existing services provided to the most severely impacted members of this population, and moving these individuals from their long-term homes into more isolated settings that provide fewer services, lower staffing ratios, and lower standards of care.
VOR supports a well-trained, well-paid workforce of healthcare professionals to care for our loved ones with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). A fully coordinated nationwide program for background checks for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) would be essential to protecting individuals with I/DD while improving the quality and integrity of long-term caregivers.
VOR's position paper supporting National Background Checks is available here.
