INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENT
A Message from the President and CEO
As many of you know, UCPLA,
our allies in the Lanterman
Coalition, and our advocates
and self-advocates have been
engaged in a longterm battle to
convince the State of California
to keep the Lanterman Promise
by remedying rate stagnation
and, in some cases, decreases
that have caused many program
closures.
Thanks to the efforts and
enthusiasm of supporters like
you, at the end of February
2016, we – the entire
developmental disabilities community – scored a slight victory. The
California State Assembly and Senate passed a two-bill package that
will provide vital funding increases starting in July 2016 for regional
centers and developmental disabilities service providers like UCPLA.
These bills will institute an overhaul of California’s Managed Care
Organization (MCO) tax, with the resulting funds dedicated to
increasing salaries for regional centers and some community
providers, and allowing for a 5% increase in State reimbursements
for services such as supported and independent living, in-home and
out-of-home respite and transportation.
Although these increases are necessary, they are only a small
bandage on a gaping financial wound that threatens not only UCPLA’s
longterm viability but also the present and future of California’s entire
system of developmental disabilities services provision.
In the five short years since 2011, closures throughout the state
have meant that individuals with developmental disabilities have lost
access to:
• 435 residential homes, representing a loss of 2300 beds
• 57 day and work programs, affecting 1200 people
• 15 supported employment programs, representing 176
opportunities to work in the community.
Although these hard-fought funding increases will help lessen some
of these closures, they will not be enough to repair our ailing system.
Even at UCPLA, these vital funding increases will not address all
of our significant cost gaps. Our four Adult Day Programs and two
Behavioral Programs, for instance, will not receive any benefit from
the MCO tax. These programs serve more than 330 people and are
on track to experience a nearly $1 million loss this year due to underfunding.
UCPLA and the Lanterman Coalition are working hard to remind our
legislators of the importance of addressing these ongoing deficits and
creating a sustainable funding solution. We are currently advocating
for a rate survey from the Department of Developmental Services that
would allow providers like UCPLA to provide feedback on a plan that
would help ensure the longevity of our system of service provision.
We have come a long way in our fight to ensure that California will
Keep the Promise – but we still have a long way to go. Your support
and advocacy have been invaluable throughout this process and,
on behalf of our clients, staff and Board, I extend my most sincere
thanks.
At this pivotal juncture – as we prepare to work as a community to
ensure the future of our community-based services – we need your
support and advocacy more than ever. I hope you will continue to tell
your legislators how important our state’s developmental disabilities
services are to you. You can even do so in person, as some of our
most engaged families did on Monday, May 16 at our Chatsworth
Campus, where we hosted a Candidates Forum to introduce our
supporters to legislators running for the seat in the California State
Senate (District 27).
Whether you choose to advocate in person or to call, write or email
your legislators to let them know how important UCPLA’s services are
to you and your family; follow and share our updates on social media;
or make a financial contribution to help us address our multi-milliondollar
cost gap, your support has a direct impact on the future of our
organization and on the lives of the 1100 individuals and their families
we have the privilege of serving every day.
Our battle is far from over but, if we are united behind the ongoing
struggle to ensure that all individuals with developmental disabilities
can access high-quality, dignified services, I am certain that our
progress will continue – and that our community will be richer for our
efforts.
Ronald S. Cohen, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer