Virginia Disability Commission

September 8, 2010

The second meeting of the Virginia Disability Commission for the 2010 interim was held in Richmond.

Report of the Work Groups

The three work groups established by the Disability Commission at the July 2010 meeting met for one hour before the convening of the full Disability Commission. Following opening remarks, each work group presented information on its activities and recommendations.

Work Group #1

Work Group #1 was charged with (i) reviewing the purpose and scope of the Virginia Disability Commission and determining if the purpose and scope of the Virginia Disability Commission should be expanded to include identification and recommendation of legislative priorities and policies for adoption or examination by the General Assembly to provide support for development and review of services and funding for Virginians with other disabilities, in addition to Virginians with physical and sensory disabilities; and (ii) reviewing the name of the Virginia Disability Commission and determining, with input from stakeholders and citizens, if the name of the Disability Commission should be revised. Delegate Orrock, speaking on behalf of the work group, stated that the work group had received public comment and discussed the issue, and concluded that the name of the Virginia Disability Commission should not be changed and that the Commission’s enabling legislation should be amended to:

• Require the Commission to report its findings and recommendations to the Senate Finance Committee, House Appropriations Committee, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Governor by October 1 of each year.
• Clarify that the Commission shall serve as the primary forum in the Commonwealth where the needs and issues of people with physical and sensory disabilities are addressed.
• Ensure that relevant state agencies and other stakeholders are included as collaborators in carrying out the work of the Commission.
• Provide that the Disability Commission shall collect information on and coordinate efforts related to statutory and policy actions affecting persons with physical and sensory disabilities and also individuals with other disabilities, in order to avoid overlap and duplication of effort.

These recommendations were unanimously approved by the Disability Commission. Draft legislation making these changes will be prepared for the next Commission meeting.

Work Group #2

Work Group #2 was charged with:

• Evaluating the current system of services for persons with physical and sensory disabilities, including the cost of and funding sources for existing services.
• Identifying gaps in services and services needs.
• Determining the projected cost of meeting those service needs.
• Identifying potential sources of funding to meet service needs.
• Performing cost-benefit analysis of various program options.

Work Group #2 reported that it had received information on existing services, service costs, and service needs, and that a second meeting was planned to review additional information on these topics and develop recommendations. Work Group #2 did provide some preliminary recommendations, including:

• That funding previously allocated to meet the needs of persons with physical and sensory disabilities through the Consumer Services Fund and the Rehabilitative Services Incentive Fund be restored.
• That all necessary steps be taken to ensure that the Commonwealth continues to meet state match requirements for federal programs, to ensure full access to and leveraging of available resources.

Work Group #3

Work Group #3 was charged with:

• Identifying needs of persons with disabilities in the area of housing and developing recommendations for meeting those needs.
• Identifying needs of persons with disabilities in the area of transportation and developing recommendations for meeting those needs.

It was reported that Work Group #3 had met, received information on housing needs, and discussed some preliminary recommendations. However, because only two work group members were present, Work Group #3 did not adopt any recommendations to be presented to the full Disability Commission. It was announced that Work Group #3 would meet a second time to receive information on transportation issues, and to develop recommendations for the full Disability Commission on the topics of housing and transportation.

Work Plan

Members of the Disability Commission discussed topics for the third meeting of the Commission, to be held on a date and at a time to be determined. The Commission requested information on:

• The current status of efforts to comply with Olmstead requirements; the steps necessary to come into full compliance, if any; and the cost of those actions.
• The need for publicly funded in-state neurobehavioral therapies.
• The amount spent by Virginia school districts to purchase certain special education services.
• The current status of Individual and Family Developmental Disabilities Support Waiver waiting lists and steps that may be required to reduce those waiting lists.

This information, together with reports and recommendations from Work Group #2 and Work Group #3 will be presented at the next Disability Commission meeting.

Next Meeting

The next meeting date will be posted on the Commission’s website and the General Assembly website as soon as information is available.

Chairman:
The Hon. Robert D. Orrock

For information, contact:
Sarah Stanton, DLS Staff