September 1, 2010. A day we will remember as one where about 600 people in King County and over 1,700 people statewide were terminated from Disability Lifeline, a state program providing medical benefits and cash assistance (of about $339/month) to people temporarily unable to work due to physical or mental disability. Of these people, 1,244 statewide are 40 years or older, 30% are people of color, more than half have a mental health diagnosis, and many have next to no education or resources. They live…
[Our public policy director Carol Wood takes a look at Congress' mixed bag for social services].
The Good News: On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted in support of the federal bill to fund FMAP (Federal Medical Assistance Percentage) after they were called back from their August recess by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This House action mirrored that taken by the Senate on August 5.
The bill extends the increased FMAP for a 6 month period beyond the current December 31, 2010 termination date (to…
On May 6, United Way of King County convened individuals from about 30 organizations to discuss the implications of GAU reform, now known as “Disability Lifeline”, for homelessness in King County. Robin Zukoski from Columbia Legal Services did an excellent job of describing the major components of the reform bill as passed by the legislature while local Department of Social and Health Services representatives spoke briefly on how they were planning to implement these changes.
Overall, the bill hopes to achieve cost savings by moving…
If you’ve been following the twists and turns of the health care debate over the past year, you likely know that the Senate narrowly passed its version of health care reform on Dec 24. Now, the House and Senate must reconcile two considerably different bills. Rather than go through the formal process of a joint conference committee to iron out the differences, negotiators are expected to rewrite the Senate legislation, send it to the House for a vote, and then give the Senate final…
We just moved closer to realizing a significant federal
investment in voluntary, high-quality evidence-based home visiting! Yesterday, Sen. Reid (D-NV) released the Senate version of health care reform, a bill that melded the efforts of the Senate Finance Committee and the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. It will be considered shortly by the full Senate.
Introduction of the Senate health care reform bill follows narrow passage of the House’s version of health care reform last week. Home visiting was included in both versions…
Washington state’s revenue forecast came out today and, as expected, revenue is down another $760 million, pushing the projected deficit to over $2 billion for the remainder of this biennium (FY 2009-2011).
That means that even if new revenue sources are considered, the Governor and State Legislature will be making cuts in critical programs. Historically, those cuts have fallen most heavily on health and human services, including funding for several United Way of King County priorities. It should prove to be a difficult and…
Governor Gregoire is scheduled to release her 2010-2011 budget on December 8, and United Way of King County is engaged in discussions to protect UWKC priorities, from homelessness to early learning.
This budget, the second year of a biennial budget approved in early 2009, will reflect adjustments that need to be made in order to balance state spending with projected revenue.
With the State currently facing a $1.8 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year beginning July 2010, it will be a “cuts only” budget unless new…
