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DHS SAYS “NO” TO RATE INCREASES FOR
COMMUNITY AGENCIES
During the Match 7, 2006 Senate
Appropriations I Committee, Senator Rauschenberger directly asked DHS
Secretary Adams if she had included a cost of doing business (CODB) line
item for community providers when she made her FY 2007 request for DHS. She
answered with “No”. The room went extremely quiet. She did indicate she had
asked for a 8.5% maintenance increase for state programs In the same
meeting, Senator Syverson focused on DHS’s representation that their FY 2007
request was “maintenance.” He said that apparently he had a different
definition for maintenance than DHS since DHS’s definition includes an 8.5%
increase for state programs and a 0% increase for community programs. During
the House Human Services Appropriations hearings held in Chicago on March 6,
2006, numerous committee members raised questions concerning how the
Governor’s proposed budget includes $80 million in new funding for the state
administered system and there was nothing for community based systems like
Elm City. The state administered system of care received $58.1 million for
staff cost of living adjustments and merit increases; a $6 million increase
for gas, electric and energy costs; more money for equipment and vehicles;
and additional increases for property improvements.
Copies of sample
letters are available by clicking here. The letters have no specific
formatting commands so they should fit into almost any software like MS Word
and Word Perfect. Please send a letter to Representative Watson, Senator
Demuzio, and Governor Blagojevich. If you live outside of their areas simply
adjust the names to your state representatives. You can find their addresses
by using the "Illinois State Phone Directory Search" over in the far left
column. It is very important to send these letters ASAP. A simple 3.5%
increase to Elm City is worth $63,000. That is money we will have to make up
some other way. The 8.5% the state wants to give to JDC, McFarland, and
other state run programs is worth $153,000 to Elm City. Please take the time
to write. These increases equal raises for staff, meeting costs for
utilities, and other expenses. If we do not see these increases some expense
items will have to be decreased or not occur. I have talked with Rep. Watson
and Sen. Demuzio. They are supportive, but both say the state has to live
within it’s means. You can only live on credit cards and borrowing for so
long.
Copies of the letters I
sent to Watson, Demuzio, and Blagojevich are included with the sample
letters. Volume talks in this type of an issue. The discussion in
Springfield from legislators is that this is looking like a “7 UP year”, a
year of the unCOLA. Translation: no increase, no Cost Of Living
Adjustments. If you have already sent a letter, thank you very much.
I greatly appreciate your effort to make this push to get an increase. If
you have not sent a letter, please use one of the
samples we have
and send it off. If you decide it is not worth your time, well then don’t
complain about anything that happens. |
Illinois
