Michael Garcia reports on Interim Committee on Long-term Care Services & Supports for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

I am chairing the Interim Committee on Long-term Care Services and Supports for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.  Interim committees are special legislative committees that meet to study issues during the summer and fall months when the legislature is not in session. 

There are approximately 8,000 individuals with developmental disabilities on a waiting list for essential long-term health care services in Colorado.  For adults, these services include "Comprehensive Services" for those who require 24-hour attention and care and "Supported Living Services" for those who can live independently with limited support.  For children and families, these services include programs that assist families with enhanced in-home supports for those children considered to be most in need, provide early intervention to infants and toddlers, or provide aid with costs beyond those normally experienced by other families 

It is important to recognize these individuals are not being underserved but are receiving NO services.  Astonishingly, the wait for services can be up to 10 years!!!

The interim committee is charged with the following:

• ways to create more transparency, reliability, efficiency, and accountability throughout the process of providing long-term health care services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities
• innovative options to meet the long-term health care needs of people with developmental disabilities
• recommendations to eliminate all waiting lists for long-term health care services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities with all deliberate speed
• recommendations for the creation of new funding for persons on the waiting list

The interim committee held its first meeting last week and heard very compelling testimony from both families who are currently receiving services and families who are not receiving services.  These families shared with the committee how these services or lack thereof has impacted their lives.

If you are interested in attending one of the Interim Committee hearings, here are the future meeting dates and topics:

July 31st:  Transparency, reliability, efficiency, & accountability
August 14th:  Innovative options to meet long term care needs
August 29th:  Recommendations to eliminate the waiting list and for new funding sources
September 21st:  Presentations and public comment on legislative proposals
October 10:  Final consideration and voting on legislation

All meetings will begin at 9 AM and most will be held in the Legislative Service Building, Room A (200 East 14th Avenue), which is across the street and just south of the State Capitol.  The meeting on September 21st will be held in House Committee Room 0112 in the State Capitol.

If you can't make it down to the State Capitol, you can still hear the Interim Committee hearings online.  Here is the link to listen in.

You can check out the committee's website for meeting agendas (which should be available about a week prior to each meeting) and for additional information.  The website can be found here.

I believe as a society we have a moral obligation to help the most vulnerable of our citizens.  I hope this Interim Committee will find solutions to help us better meet our obligation.

--Michael