Quarterly Message - Spring 2022
Greetings,
I hope that you have been able to enjoy the April showers and sunshine. Spring has sprung with wild weather and new work on the horizon. The 2022 legislative session provided us and our communities with so many opportunities. I am grateful to advocates and stakeholders for your work toward helping to create a more robust system of support for people with developmental disabilities.
We are working to ensure we put systems in place to handle this large growth in a sustainable way. Such large growth needs a strong foundation to build upon. It is my goal to ensure that DDA has a strong foundation. This includes resources to work with stakeholders; getting good input from diverse groups; improving equity, diversity, access, and inclusion; drafting sound policy for the future; and doing the work as intended.
New laws will guide us as we grow client services and supports. As you can imagine, we are working on new policy, hiring, stakeholder engagement, language access, technology resources, communications, and much more. We are in the first stages to implement seven major bills. These bills will create huge growth and expansion of our service delivery system. More than 12,000 clients on the no-paid services caseload will soon have access to a case resource manager; we are hiring financial staff to improve eligibility timelines; and we are hiring case managers to support smoother transitions for clients moving into the community.
DDA has also been asked to inform the Legislature on many topics through reports. This coming year there are 19 reports due to the governor and the legislature and we are so grateful to be able to educate and inform on these important topics. Compare that to the last year when we only had six reports due. These reports will provide our policy makers with a blueprint that may drive new policy and funding during the 2023 legislative session. The increase to our budget was substantial as well. DDA funding increased from $2.22 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $2.54 billion in fiscal year 2023.
We cannot do this work without you. So, thanks again to all who have helped drive positive change to our system. As we move forward, we will continue to reach out to you for your ideas, information, and help. I want to continue this work together to make progress that will make a difference in the lives of the people we serve.
Stay well.
Debbie Roberts
DDA Assistant Secretary
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