Disability advocates dominate state budget hearing in Virginia; program cuts planned

From the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va.. NBC 29 covered the rally of mental health advocates in Richmond Jan. 19 who want to stop the closure of mental health services for children in the state at a Staunton, Va., hospital.

RICHMOND -- Advocates for the mentally and physically disabled dominated a public hearing on the state budget yesterday, asking lawmakers to not cut funding for their programs as they work to close a $3 billion shortfall.

One hundred and sixty-five people had signed up to speak at the hearing, held by the two General Assembly budget-writing committees.

Those committees are in charge of adopting or amending Gov. Tim Kaine's proposals, submitted in January, for ways to trim at least $3 billion out of the two-year budget.

Kaine's proposals attempt to protect most mental health funding, but do include the postponement of adding 200 new mental-retardation waiver slots, something several speakers yesterday opposed.

The waivers help provide various services--such as day care, therapy, and training--to those who qualify, and can be enormously helpful to families taking care of a disabled person.

It's especially important for those whose caretakers--often parents--are aging, said one woman whose daughter is autistic. She said she goes to meetings and sees 80-year-old mothers with their 60-year-old children, and it terrifies her to think of what will happen to her own adult daughter if something happens to her.

The state added 600 new waiver slots in last year's budget; 400 have already opened up, but the remaining 200 were due to open in April. Kaine's budget delays those slots until the 2010-2012 biennium, to save $5.8 million each year.

Most speakers advocated adding more waivers and rejecting Kaine's delay. The waiting list for waiver slots is long, and it can take years for someone to get a waiver.

As of 2008, 4,285 people were on the MR waiver waiting list, according to the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. Of those, 203 were in the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board area. One hundred and fifty-five of those were considered urgent cases.

Mental health and disability advocates typically dominate the annual budget public hearings. Speakers yesterday said they understand the economy is bad and that the budget is being cut. But they said helping the disabled must be a priority.

Shereen Young Chavez said medications for her 15-year-old son, Stefan, can run to $2,000 a month. He's had a waiver since 2000, for which she's grateful.

"There are hundreds of children like Stefan who need your help. Remember this when it comes time to appropriate funds," Chavez said. "We must retain waiver services for those who have them. We must expedite the waiting list. Major corporate entities are being bailed out by the federal government. Who will bail out our suffering families? The special-needs community is looking to you for help."

Diana Tate, a 40-year-old disabled woman, said she still lives at home while she waits for a waiver. She hopes that waiver would help her get an apartment so she could live more independently.

"I don't want your money," Tate said. "I want a life like you."

Many speakers described the strains of caring for a disabled family member.

Jennifer Vest of Chesterfield said she has a 10-year-old son with autism. He's unable to communicate and lashes out in frustration. She and her husband "teeter on the brink of separation at times" and a younger child is in therapy from the stress.

A waiver would make all the difference, she said.

"He would have intensive therapy, speech and occupational, and maybe be able to communicate," Vest said. "We'd have respite support."