Families challenge cuts to disability services in NY

From the Corning Leader in N.Y.:

ELMIRA, N.Y. - Betty Butz’s (pictured) 57-year-old son developed Alzheimer’s disease about four years ago.

Alzheimer’s, a form of dementia, is a common development in those with Down syndrome, like Butz’s son, Dale.

As the Alzheimer’s has progressed, it’s become more difficult for Dale to live away from his parents, as he’s done for 15 years. But it would be impossible for him to do so without the help of Chemung ARC.

“He’s at the point now where he’s as vulnerable as he was when he was 1 (year old),” Butz said.

In telling her son’s story, Butz was not searching for sympathy.

Rather, she was lauding the efforts of Chemung ARC, which faces significant funding cuts in the upcoming state budget.

Butz and others associated with Chemung ARC and Cerebral Palsy of Chemung County met Thursday with two state legislators to advocate the state preserve services for the disabled.

Similar meetings were held statewide.

Both ARC and CP have been informed their state funding may be cut by 10 percent, which would result in staff layoffs and the elimination or reduction of services. Ten-percent cuts would cost both organizations more than $1.5 million each, officials said.

“I don’t want it to go back to the way it was,” said Margaret Eastburn, a beneficiary of the organizations who recalled several decades ago when there was little support for disability citizens.

Larry Rice, a client, agreed.

“We’d hate to go back,” he said. “The staff is really good to the people.”

Sen. George Winner, R-Elmira, and Assemblyman Tom O’Mara, R-Big Flats, agreed the issue was important and said they fully support the organizations and maintaining services for disabled citizens. The men said they will work to preserve funding.

But both lawmakers said it will be difficult to protect the organizations if Gov. David Paterson proposes spending cuts across the board without prioritizing.

“There is a disconnect of priorities in this administration,” O’Mara said. “It’s going to be very difficult.”

Both Winner and O’Mara said one of the best ways to preserve funding is to rein in Medicaid spending. The lawmakers said billions of dollars is wasted each year in Medicaid fraud and misuse.

“But Medicaid is not all about fraud and waste,” Winner said. “This (ARC and CP) is the face of Medicaid in New York. It robs you when Medicaid is wasted.”

Winner said there may be little local legislators can do to protect services like those provided by ARC and CP if the budget process again lacks transparency. He suggested the directors of both organizations take their fights directly to the governor’s budget office.

“Be as vocal with the governor’s office as you can be,” O’Mara said.

Both lawmakers are fiscal conservatives and said cutting spending in all areas is not the answer.

“We are very concerned about across-the-board slashings,” Winner said. “Some spending is important.”