The state budget as proposed by Governor Rendell in February 2010 and contained in the budget bill that passed the House of Representatives contains a 1% rate reduction for community mental retardation waiver providers and only $2M to address emergency needs on the Waiting List. There are no funds set aside to address the changing needs of people receiving services under the waiver.

The $6M in state funds "saved" by a 1% rate reduction would send $11.2M in matching federal funds back to Washington and result in a $17M hole in funding for existing services.

See the links below for more details on the state budget for FY 2010-2011, articles, letters to the editor and op eds written in response to the proposed cut to MR services and the inadequate funding of the Waiting List and materials you can print and use for your own advocacy efforts.

If you would like to send an email to your legislator, you can use the PAR Action Center.

If you are a PAR member and want to hear more about what PAR is doing to advocate for services and the people who need them, sign up for our next bi-weekly legislative update. More info is in the PAR Advocacy Toolkit.

You can share these media pieces with your legislators, or use them as samples to create your own Op Ed or Letter to the Editor. You can contact the editorial staff of most Pennsylvania newspapers using the Media section of the PAR Action Center:

• State Funding is Crucial for Those with Intellectual Disabilities
• 18,000 Pennsylvanians Wait for Community-Based Mental Retardation Services
• Chambersburg area family works for years to get home care equipment their disabled son needs
  

The following funding request and letters were created by the MH/MR Coalition. You are welcome to use these in your advocacy:

• MH/MR Coalition Funding Request for FY2010-2011
  
• MH/MR Coalition Letter to Legislators Regarding the 1% ($17M) cut to MR Wavier Services
  
• MH/MR Coalition Letter to Legislators Regarding the Inadequacy of Waiting List Funds
• NEW! Summary of Legislators' Statements on the proposed 1% cut from House and Senate Appropriations Hearings

Budget Documents:

• Text of Governor Rendell’s FY10-11 Budget Address
• FY2010-2011 Budget in Brief
• Slide Presentation of Proposed FY10-11 Budget
• Full 2010-11 Governor's Executive Budget
• Governor Rendell's Executive Budget for Fy10-11
• Health and Human Services Budget Briefing
• Press Release from Representative Tom Murt opposing cuts to mental retardation services
  
• Representative Murt's Testimony to the House Appropriations Committee

If you do communicate with your legislator about the proposed budget and its impact on people with intellectual disabilities, please let us know how it went! Email gabrielle@par.net or kristen@par.net. Thank you!