NASW/CT ACTION ALERT
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
TELL THEM TO PROTECT SAFETY NET PROGRAMS
We encourage you to reach out to your legislators and members of the Appropriations Committee. We strongly encourage you to share the importance of your work, especially if you are involved in a program that is facing cuts. If you work for a state funded program, you may want to talk about that or just send a general message on preserving safety net programs. Ask legislators to maintain Medicaid at current levels.
Connecticut General Assembly is in session and budget hearings have begun. The focus has been on CT’s increasing budget deficit and significant cuts to this State’s safety net programs that affect social work clients. Note these cuts are proposed for next year’s budget and do not include the $79 million in cuts the Governor just made for the remainder of this fiscal year, the vast majority of which falls on human services and education.
THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED CUTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017 TOTAL $570 MILLION.
The departments facing the worst cuts are those that serve social work clients most:
DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES ($55 Million)
Multiple proposed cuts and changes to the provision of Developmental Services. Most significant change is transfer of funding for the Community Residential Services line from DDS to the Department of Social Services and a change from grant-funded service provision to fee-for-service billing. This change reflects a transfer of $537,111,053 from DDS to DSS, or nearly half of the total DDS Operating Budget in FY17. The Governor is also proposing to transfer DDS’ Autism Division to DSS. Proposed DSS cuts that will greatly impact our clients include:
- -$6.1 Million Cut to Convert Residential Community Living Arrangements
from Public to Private Operation
- -$1 Million Cut to Eliminate Early Childhood Autism Waiver
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SERVICES ($71.8 Million)
The Governor has proposed consolidating all DMHAS line items into two accounts:
- General Assistance Managed Care, and 2. Agency Operations.
Proposed DSS cuts that will greatly impact our clients include:
- Reduce Grants for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: -$15,827,838
- Remove Funding for Acute Care and Emergency Behavioral Health Grants: -$3,000,000
- Achieve Efficiencies Through Consolidation of Behavioral Health Boards and Councils: -$1,277,213
CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, the industry association that represents 550 private nonprofit providers, said the cuts could not have come at a worse time considering this State’s uncertain economic climate and increasing demand for services. Slow economic recovery has left many families behind. The budget is asking them again to bear the brunt of this State’s fiscal woes. CCNA’s analysis’shows that 72% of the cuts ($408 million) come from non-profit providers. Many core services offered by these providers will be significantly reduced or eliminated. The need for these core services will not go away with budget cuts. They will fall into more costly alternatives: emergency rooms, hospitals, and jails.
Cutting funding for our already underfunded mental health and substance abuse programs will not result in long term savings. Rather it will result in revenue increases in other areas. Public policy must be to fund mental health not jail. Nine out of ten people in prison have mental health or addiction problems. Addiction is a chronic disease not a crime. Revenue reduction in human services means greater arrests, incarcerations, underserved clients, and residents who get no services whatsoever.
PROPOSED BUDGET CUTS
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services $71,858,034
Judicial Department $70,053,337
Department of Education $69,403,401
Department of Corrections $68,022,699
Department of Social Services $60,017,021
Department of Developmental Services $55,888,154
Department of Children and Families $41,172,287
Office of Policy and Management $34,949,707
Department of Housing $10,970,498
Department of Public Health $6,597,868
Department of Economic and Community Development $4,697,424
Office of Early Childhood $4,477,198
Department of Labor $3,667,748
Department of Aging $843,458
Let your legislators know that you understand that they have very difficult choices to make but those choices need to be other than cutting core safety net programs. Tell them you are a social worker and cutting our human services budget is not only ethically wrong but not cost-effective!
Appropriations Committee (860) 240‑0390 Web page link: https://www.cga.ct.gov/app/
TO FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS GO TO: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp
Senate Democrats 1-800-842-1420
Senate Republicans 1-800-842-1421
House Democrats 1-800-842-8267
House Republicans 1-800-842-8270
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