Maine 2003 | advancingstates.org

Maine 2003

<H3>Maine</H3>   <H4>Task Force</H4> The Work Group for Community-Based Living, comprised of representatives from five state agencies-Human Services, the Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services, the Department of Labor, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Education-was convened in the spring of 2000 to develop a coherent interdepartmental approach for best serving people with disabilities. The work group also includes consumers and consumer advocates. The work group meets quarterly to identify and prioritize areas of focus, which include access to services, interdepartmental coordination and workforce development. The work group has been formed into three subgroups: Workforce Development, Coordination among State Agencies, and Services. The work group has chosen to develop a shared vision and roadmap for improving home and community-based services, rather than writing a plan. The vision and roadmap will include recommendations for integrating services; for integrating data across departments; and for improving access to housing, transportation and employment. A draft of the roadmap has been approved by the Work group for Community-Based Living and will be reviewed in a comment period through the end of January 2003. The work group plans to finalize the report in March 2003. The report is located at <A HREF=\"http://community.muskie.usm.maine.edu/\">http://community.muskie.usm.maine.edu</A>   <H4>Implementation </H4> Legislation House Bill 1574 was signed by the governor on March 25, 2002 to implement state-funded and Medicaid-funded, consumer-directed personal care assistance services for adults with disabilities. Family members can be care attendants and there is a limited respite benefit. Successes and Challenges Maine has worked steadily since the mid-1970s to provide community alternatives to institutionalization for people who need long-term care. The Olmstead decision offers Maine an opportunity to further its goals of providing services to people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs and preferences of each individual. Lawsuits In August 2001, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine on behalf of three adults with developmental disabilities who were waiting for services. The lawsuit, filed against the Maine Department of Human Services and Behavioral and Developmental Services, argues that the state is not furnishing services to people with developmental disabilities in a reasonably prompt manner. For an update on this lawsuit and those in other states, see Status Report: Litigation Concerning Medicaid Services for Persons with Developmental and Other Disabilities by Gary A. Smith at <A HREF=\"http://www.hsri.org/index.asp?id=news\">http://www.hsri.org/index.asp?id=news</A> Next Steps Currently, the state assesses elderly long-term care residents who are living in institutions. These residents must sign a \"choice letter\" if they wish to remain in the facility rather than be placed in the community. The work group plans to develop similar assessment tools for other disability groups. The work group is soliciting broad stakeholder input from consumers, providers, and the public through mail, a Web site, a 1-800 number phone and TTY lines, newsletters, brochures, posters, public service announcements, and public access TV. If invited, work group members also plan to meet with small groups such as representative boards and councils to share ideas. After the work group has heard from as many people as possible, it will incorporate the changes and new ideas and present the recommendations to the public, representative departments and organizations for possible adoption and implementation. The state of Maine was awarded a $2.3 million Real Choice Systems Change Grant. The money will be used to fund the work group in overseeing and implementing the roadmap planning.