L’Arche opposes VA budget cuts

 by Bethany Keener

"I don't want them to live in a jail house," Eileen Schofield said, her four-foot-nine-inch frame reflecting the conviction of someone who has lived with former residents of Forest Haven, D.C.'s notorious and now defunct institution for people who have intellectual disabilities.

Eileen's comment was directed at Virginia representatives during a public budget hearing January 8. The proposed Virginia Health and Human Resources budget would allocate $23 million in capital funds toward a 75-bed institution in Chesapeake. L'Arche, and many other Virginia residents, would rather see those funds invested in community-based housing.

"The care provided in community-based homes is as extensive and complete as that provided in institutions, and it's more tailored to the needs of each person," said John Cook, executive director at L'Arche Greater Washington, D.C.

The cost of institutional care is staggering. The state would pay $194,000 per year for each individual living at the proposed institution in Chesapeake - more than two and a half times what Medicaid reimburses group homes like L'Arche for services provided.

A total of nine members of the L'Arche community attended the hearing to show support for Virginians who receive Medicaid funding through the Home and Community-Based waiver services. If the proposed budget is approved, L'Arche would lose five percent of the funding it currently receives through the waiver, about $28,000 per year.

"I'm coordinating the admissions process for our new home in Arlington, and it is painful to see the amount of need versus the amount of resources provided to group homes," said Caroline McGraw, L'Arche's Virginia program director.

Other funding cuts would impose an annual limit on physical, occupational, and speech therapy services and completely eliminate coverage for podiatry and optometry services, effective July 1, 2010. A freeze on new Medicaid enrollments, the reduction of respite care by two-thirds, and the elimination of more than 400 waiver slots would have a significant - and devastating - impact on families in Virginia.

"In L'Arche, we believe that God calls us to a greater love - to care for people who are left out and left behind as we would close family members," John Cook said. "This recession provides an opportunity to practice God's greater love in how our tax money is spent."

A non-comprehensive survey by the Virginia Network of Private Providers, Inc., of which L'Arche is a member, revealed that should these funding cuts become reality, 1,178 positions in residential and day services would be eliminated this year. Based on the VNPP survey, 20 group homes would be closed, as statewide capacity would be reduced by 26 percent. According to the report, "Virtually every consumer would feel the impact in having to move or learn to share a bedroom, larger groups with less staff, fewer activities, reduced hours, and/or a different day program - less than satisfactory environments."

"I know these are hard times because we are the first casualties of a recession," John Franklin Stephens, Global Messenger for the Virginia Special Olympics, said in his address to state representatives. He and other Virginians who have intellectual disabilities voiced their concern about the budget cuts, noting the importance of having home care workers who make it possible for them to live in a home and contribute to their communities.

"We aren't asking for help because we are lazy, made bad choices, or spend beyond our means," John Franklin Stephens said. "We aren't asking you to make our lives wonderful. Please preserve the services that make our lives bearable."

The Senate Finance Committee is currently in session and will be finalizing the budget February 21, 2010. Please join L'Arche's board and community members as they continue to call, write, and visit state legislators. Read more about how you can help.