Personal Independence Commission |
June 13, 2005Hearing Room 3, State Capitol Building Kirsten Dunham called the meeting to order. PIC members in attendance were; Kirsten Dunham, Eric Feltner (for Lt. Governor Kinder), Lyman Traxler (for Jeanne Loyd), Kay Green (for Tony Casey), Sandra Levels, Brenda Campbell (for Nancie McAnaugh), Neva Thurston, Wendy Hays, and Martha Hicks. A quorum was not present so the PIC met in subcommittee status. Approval of Minutes: Since a quorum was not established so the meeting Minutes from November 2004, February and April 2005 were not approved. Co-Chair Reports: Kirsten Dunham - Paraquad is working on advocacy efforts to help those loosing services. She extended an invitation to those from other areas of the state to get involved. She also requested that members of the PIC whose terms have expired let her or Eric Feltner know if they would like to stay on the PIC. Eric Feltner - The Lt. Governor's Office is involved with the Medicaid Reform Commission as well as the Government Review Commission. The Lt. Governor is on the sub group looking at the Departments of Social Services, Health and Senior Services and Mental Health. The Lt. Governor will also chair the Senior Advocacy and Efficiency Commission, which is charged with making Senior Services more efficient and accessible to seniors in Missouri. Status of Office of Community Independence Goals: Brenda Campbell, Department of Health & Senior Services - Their field staff are taking referrals from persons who are facing decisions about long-term care and want to know what options are available. The Missouri Guide to Home and Community Based Services booklets will continue to be sent out through the Central Registry Unit and requests for these are being filled. They work with social workers in the hospitals and nursing homes to keep them informed about community options. The Governor's Council on Disability may be able to help with the Informed Choice aspect by getting the word out about Olmstead and nursing home diversion. Andy Petti - The Office of Community Independence was in the process of identifying people who wanted to and or could transition out of a long-term care facility. They had identified about 50 people and were doing transition planning such as trying to connect them with services such as Home and Community Based Services and Vocational Rehabilitation. These individuals have been referred to other agencies for assistance. As for the Missouri Guide to Home and Community Based Services booklets, most of the original supply has been distributed. Additional printings were done through Health and Senior Services. These will need to be available and sent out due to the change in the Code of Regulations requiring that those entering long-term care be made aware of other options. The Division of Senior Services will be responsible for keeping the Guides updated with current information. Also, 10,000 copies of the Missouri's Guide to Housing booklet were printed and have been distributed. It is not known what agency will take responsibility for keeping these booklets updated and distributed. The PIC encouraged that plans be worked out for continuation of the Office of Community Independence if money is available. Budget information should be available by August PIC meeting. PIC Report to Government Review Commission: Kirsten Dunham - Went through the 76 recommendations from the original Olmstead Commission and pulled out the ones relating to service delivery and government efficiency. They are as follows: DRAFT - PIC recommendations to Government Review Commission
The following were the top recommendations selected for the PIC to present to the Government Review Commission:
These recommendations would need to go to the Governor's Office first and they would make the decision as to if they would be presented to the Government Review Commission. The Commission would need specific information on which state agencies these recommendations would apply to. Real Choice Systems Change Grant Update: Sherl Taylor, Division of Medical Services - The Information and Access Data Base is progressing. The Area Agencies on Aging are responsible for the enhancements on that system and this should be completed by the end of the grant period. The Temporary Hospitalization/Institutionalization Pilot Project has been placed on hold due to the closing of the Office for Community Independence. The survey of schools and medical related activities that take place in schools has been sent out. A report on the findings should be available at the August or October PIC meetings. The PIC Housing Committee should be meeting soon to make any needed changes in the Missouri Guide to Housing Assistance Programs booklet and another printing, if needed, can be done before the September 27th deadline. There is money in the Grant to cover additional printing of the Missouri's Guide to Home and Community Based Services, but this would also need to be completed by September 27th. There will also be a report at the August PIC meeting on the PAS Pilot for transition planning in Habilitation centers. The Department of Mental Health is leading this pilot. A question was raised about the Medicaid Infrastructure Grant and if Missouri still has that grant. The grant is being transferred from the Division of Medical Services to the University of Missouri in Kansas City. The grant activities will be related to Employment Network activities. Report on Bellefontaine: Kay Green, Department of Mental Health - In May six individuals were relocated from Bellefontaine to community living arrangements. There are six more individuals scheduled to transition out in June and nine scheduled in July. Community supports are being put in place for these individuals. A total of about 46 individuals have been moved so far. Funding is available through FY 06 to continue supports at Bellefontaine. Tracking the Impact of Budget Cuts: There is no certain projection at this time as to how many people will move from one Medicaid program to another or loose services altogether. Ms. Levels indicated there should be more definite figures by the August PIC meeting. There are also concerns about those having a high spend down who may not be able to meet their spend down and end up going into an institution. There was some discussion about possible ways to track this information. Public Comment: Karen Benson - Had idea for tracking data on people loosing Medicaid eligibility. Suggested that either through a grant or a facility to set up a line for people to call in on. Medical Services could send out a letter at the end of the year asking those who lost services to call that number, and then someone could ask specific questions and collect the data. There are a group of twenty-six organizations that are putting together a survey to be distributed concerning the effects of the budget cuts and Medicaid cuts. A repository is needed for the results of that survey so the information would be available to agencies and organizations that might need it. The suggestion was made that the University of Missouri-Kansas City or a medical foundation, such as the Kaiser Foundation would be a good repository source. There was also some discussion about the process the Division of Medical Services would need to go through to do a mailing like this and who would cover the cost of such a mailing. It was felt that the matter of sending out surveys would need to be taken to the Medicaid Reform Commission since there was no funding for it this year. Wayne Lee - Expressed concerns about the way any research on the effects of the Medicaid cuts would be done and evaluated. Also talked about people who will have to quit their jobs in order to keep their Medicaid coverage and the effect this will have on Missouri taxes. Also said there are many people, including himself, who may have to go into a hospital or nursing home to get the medical services they need. Mr. Lee is trying to help people understand what is happening and to take what necessary steps they need to take to keep their services. The next Personal Independence Commission meeting is Monday, August 8th. The meeting adjourned. |
