Disability Services Organizations Brace for Cuts

Organizations that provide services to people with disabilities are bracing themselves for funding cuts under Gov. Eric Greiten’s proposed state budget. A spokesman for Gov. Greitens recently said the budget would save $52 million by raising eligibility requirements for seniors and disabled people in in-home or nursing home care programs. Cathy Brown is the director of Public Policy and Advocacy at ParaQuad, a non-profit agency that helps people with disabilities live independently through the Medicaid-funded Consumer Directed Services program. The people served by the program were scored on a functional assessment and found to be eligible for nursing home placement, but chose community-based care instead. Brown said her organization expects about 16,000 people in home and community-based care programs to be impacted by the cuts. Brown said she thought the logic behind the cuts was faulty, because in-home care programs can prevent people from developing more serious health issues down