Overview
LIFEDesigns generally tries to support policies and change that will benefit our clients’ lives. Especially things related to accessibility, employment for people with disabilities, affordable housing, and fair compensation for services provided by agencies. This page is meant to provide information only, not to influence any set of beliefs on anyone. If you believe any of these issues are important to you, and want to be more involved, please contact us and we’ll let you know what you can do to create BIG change.
Fair Compensation for Services
In Indiana, Medicaid funds a portion of the cost of services provided by agencies like LIFEDesigns. Around 2008 when the economy began to decline, the reimbursement rates for disability services like supported living were decreased. The rates continued to decline for several years, creating some really difficult challenges for LIFEDesigns and other agencies around the state and the nation. Agencies have increased their fundraising efforts, decreased their administrative expenses, and done absolutely everything they can to continue providing quality services to their clients.
The first state budgetary increases in this area were seen in 2015 and 2016, bringing the reimbursement rates back up to what they were in 2010. This has put an enormous amount of pressure on agencies making it very difficult to keep up with competitive wage and benefit standards, in turn causing agencies to have a very high level of turnover and vacancies in the Direct Support Professional role. There has been such a great length of time with no rate increases that this has begun to impact the lives of our clients, whose livelihoods depend on agencies like LIFEDesigns to provide stable and consistent support. If you are a someone who receives services or their family member, then you already know how this impacts someone’s life. The video below shows exactly how frequent changing of staff effects the lives of a person receiving services, no matter where they live.
