The following letter was sent in May to thank legislators for increased funding for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs). The Autism Society of North Carolina will continue to advocate for competitive wages for DSPs in recognition of the work they do improving lives and supporting families. May 18, 2022 To: House and Senate Leadership, Joint…
Public Policy Updates – May 2022
Services in NC Medicaid Plan NC plans to offer additional services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as others, under (i) services plan through the Medicaid program. When Tailored Plans begin operation December 1, 2022 as part of the state’s Medicaid Transformation some of the services that LME-MCOs offered under b(3) such…
Early Voting and Voting by Mail
The Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) is sharing information about voting in North Carolina during this election year through blog articles, social media posts, and other channels. Much attention will be paid this year to state primaries, US Congressional races, and state legislative races. As a nonprofit organization, ASNC does not become directly involved…
Public Policy Update: Rate Increase to Support Wages for Direct Support Workers A First Step in Right Direction
The state budget that passed in December 2021 included funding towards increasing Medicaid home and community-based provider rates so that wages paid to direct support professionals/direct support workers can be increased. While the budget special provision language states that 15.00 per hour is the goal, there is not enough money appropriated in the budget to…
Public Policy Update: Competitive Integrated Employment in North Carolina Enters New Era with Plan for Closure of “Sheltered Workshops”
The state of North Carolina (NC DHHS) announced they have entered into a settlement agreement with Disability Rights North Carolina and the Center for Public Representation to ensure that over 1,000 individuals with disabilities currently working in segregated employment settings have the opportunity to seek out community-based integrated competitive employment. Segregated employment settings, often called…
North Carolina Public Policy Update: State Budget Passes, Tailored Plans Delayed
Medicaid Transformation Delay While the news below about the budget is very good, delays in passing a state budget coupled with the realignment of county MH/DD/SAS management among LME MCOs mean that the long-awaited Medicaid Tailored Plan rollout will be moved from July 1, 2022, to December 1, 2022. Tailored Plans are an integrated health…
Community Inclusion and the “Olmstead” Plan
North Carolina recently went through an 18-month planning process to develop a new document outlining the steps that the state should take to ensure that people with disabilities are able to live, work, learn, and enjoy their lives alongside everyone else in their communities. Plans like this set meaningful goals to address the barriers people…
Public Policy Update
No progress on State Budget from House members State Budget Update: The NC House budget is now not expected until late July or early August. House budget leaders are sorting out the implications of billions in federal funding and its impact on the state budget. Some federal funding, like that for health and human services,…
North Carolina General Assembly Update – State Budget
State Budget Update: The NC Senate passed SB 105, their version of the state budget bill, on Friday, June 25. This year’s budget contains a mix of state appropriations and allocations of federal funding that has come to North Carolina through several “recovery act” bills. The NC House is expected to release their budget bill sometime in mid-July. The House and Senate will have to reconcile differences between their budget bills though the conference committee report before sending the final budget to the…