NCSA Comments for President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, March 21, 2024 meeting.
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Direct Support Professionals
Increased pay based on level of care [LOC] to incentivize DSPs to take more challenging cases.
Provide DSPs access to specialized behavior intervention training.
Require agencies to maintain a higher percentage of high LOC cases.
Provide fee schedule incentives to agencies for higher LOC.
Employment
Conduct a study on states that have eliminated 14c to determine how many former participants are now in competitive integrated employment. What, if any, meaningful activity are the former participants engaged in and at what frequency? Stay any further 14c eliminations until the results of the study can be analyzed.
Community Living
Prohibit blanket restrictions on staff ratios and daily rates. Services should be provided at the level necessary based on an individual’s person-centered plan.
Adopt true person-centered planning. Integrated does not mean necessarily better, nor appropriate, nor desired for all persons. Dorm-style living, farmsteads, and other settings may be preferred but are prohibited by some states, regardless of a person’s choice.
Federal Support Programs
For people with profound IDD who are unable to be serviced through Pell Grants, SEO grants, and work-study programs, provide a comparable amount as a grant for equipment (farming, photography, exercise, etc.) to improve meaningful daily activity based on the goals of the person-centered support plan.