Several disability service providers said a better funding system would allow for more stability in the field. Getty Images. Neumann chose to spend the time with her mother in law, who died a few weeks later. She and her family needed time to grieve, but Neumann was out of PTO and had to return to her position. Her first week back was difficult.
Neumann was one of several service providers who came to a legislative meeting Monday about the I ntellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver to advocate for regular rate increases. To receive Medicaid-funded support waivers from the state, people with intellectual or developmental disabilities are placed on a waiting list supervised by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
The support waivers cover a variety of needs, such as in-home care and tuition, but the waitlist has been a longstanding problem in the state. It has reached a crisis point as thousands of families wait for services. Committee chairwoman Sen. Gossage and other committee members are looking at stopgap measures, such as a community waiver that could provide partial services for those on the waitlist.
But with low funding, IDD service providers struggle to find and retain enough people to provide services for those currently receiving services, let alone those on the waiting list.
Medicaid reimbursement rates are set by the state. Without continued inflation adjustments, he said he was concerned the company would once again struggle to provide competitive pay in a few years. They also need a sense of stability as they plan for upcoming budget cycles. Neumann was one of several service providers who came to a legislative meeting Monday about the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver to advocate for regular rate increases.
