(NEW RESOLUTION) OPPOSING THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO AGING AND DISABILITY PROGRAMS IN THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET AND REQUESTING THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE THOSE CHANGES

RESOLUTION NO. ___ - 2015

OPPOSING THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO AGING AND DISABILITY PROGRAMS IN THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET AND REQUESTING THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE THOSE CHANGES

            WHEREAS, the Governor’s budget would give authority to the Department of Health Services (DHS) to eliminate county-run, locally-based Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) by contracting out many of their functions; eliminating the Include, Respect, I Self-direct (IRIS) Program; changing Family Care and replacing all eight existing regional, homegrown long term care (LTC) managed care organizations (MCOs) with statewide for-profit health insurance companies providing both health care and LTC services (using a no-bid process); and,

            WHEREAS, this proposal was initiated without input from ADRCs, recipients or their families, aging and disability advocates, local officials, provider agencies, the State Long Term Care Advisory Council, or legislators; and,

            WHEREAS, with the elimination of ADRC Governing Boards and county-run ADRCs, a small Aging Unit with limited capacity would remain without a service point for persons with disabilities; and,

             WHEREAS, the ADRCs provide one-stop information, while in the new proposed model, people will get shifted among entities and possibly the most difficult situations will be left to county government without resources; and,

            WHEREAS, the role of county government includes meeting the needs of its citizens, and the ADRCs have become a nationally recognized model for supporting seniors and persons with disabilities in making informed decisions regarding their money and thereby delaying the need for public support; and,

            WHEREAS, the ADRCs are governed by the people they serve and attribute much of their success to community partners and local volunteers, and the citizens of Wisconsin’s ADRCs are satisfied with the services; and,

            WHEREAS, the ADRCs are locally accountable, utilize local resources, and keep the money and accessibility local and, the planned-for reforms have actually been produced by the current system (reduction of Medicaid expenditures and nursing home utilization, reduction of administrative costs to 4.2% and profits of the MCOs limited to 2%), and the proposed funding is flat; and,

            NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Sauk County Board of Supervisors, met in regular session, that the State of Wisconsin should retain its existing successful and cost-effective models of Family Care, IRIS, Partnership and ADRCs, and should expand those models statewide to eliminate waiting lists, sustain quality, and achieve further savings; and,

            BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution will be sent to the legislators serving the people of Sauk County, the Wisconsin Counties Association, and the ADRC of Eagle Country and submitted as testimony to the Joint Committee on Finance, with the request that they assist in this endeavor.

For consideration by the Sauk County Board of Supervisors on April 21, 2015.

Respectfully submitted,

AGING AND DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER COMMITTEE

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DAVID A. RIEK, Chair                                                 TUT GRAMLING

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THOMAS KRIEGL                                                       DAVID J. MOORE

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CAROL HELD

EXECUTIVE & LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

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MARTIN F. KRUEGER, Chair                                      JOAN FORDHAM

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WALLY CZUPRYNKO                                                JOE FISH

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DENNIS POLIVKA

FISCAL NOTE: None.

MIS IMPACT: None.