Parents mad as hell over proposed developmentally disabled cuts
This year, hundreds came out to the Brooklyn Developmental Disabilities Council Legislative Luncheon at Gargiulos Restaurant on Friday, March 1 to voice their concerns and mobilize to fight the proposed cuts to the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).
According to Governor Andrew Cuomos proposed budget, there are $240 million ($120 million from the state plus a matching $120 million from the federal government) in cuts for OPWDD services, specifically non-profits like the Guild for Exceptional Children (GEC) and Lifes WORC. These cuts are related to cuts in federal funding that comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which would slash $1.1 billion from total Medicaid funding sent to the state, which includes funding for OPWDD as well as other state agencies.
We have had years of cuts and increased costs auditors breathing down our necks New York Times articles that criticize but never celebrate the civil rights movement we brought about, said Paul Cassone, president of the BDDC and executive director of the GEC. This makes me mad as hell. Does anyone else feel this way or is it just me?