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No More Cuts to Disability Services

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To: Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York State Legislature

We urge you to oppose the $240 million dollar budget cut to the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) community based services. This 6% cut will directly impact non-profits and other agencies in the OPWDD system that provide essential services for people with severe...

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We urge you to oppose the $240 million dollar budget cut to the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) community based services. This 6% cut will directly impact non-profits and other agencies in the OPWDD system that provide essential services for people with severe developmental disabilities. 

There are over 120,000 people in the state of New York that utilize these services in varying levels of need. For many, the non-profits funded by the OPWDD provide the only programs that help to ensure their health and safety. 

Almost all OPWDD services are funded through Medicaid, as state dollars for these services are matched by federal dollars. For these programs, any cuts made by the state will be doubled, as the same amount will be lost in matching federal funds. 

Please stand up for the hard workers of these programs and the disabled Americans who rely on them in New York. Do not pass the proposed budget cuts to the OPWDD.


This petition closed on March 20, 2013.

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16,445 people signed the petition

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"Our son, Matthew, now 30, has been diagnosed as bi-polar, with severe developmental delays.. he attends a Day Hab Program that continues to help him advance his speech, independence and socialization skills. These community based, structured OPWDD services programs have helped Matthew to flourish in our community, and is frankly the sole reason why we choose to remain in NYS." -Parents Dr. & Mrs. Marc Feldman

The OPWDD budget has already been cut by $350 million dollars in the past three years and additional cuts will force critical programs to close. These cuts will have widespread implications resulting in the loss of jobs and health services to the people in New York who need it most.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Ask for your legislators' help.  Ask them to contact their leadership to urge them to oppose the 6% cut to OPWDD community based services.  Tell them that the 6% cut is $120 million in State funding BUT because this is a cut to Medicaid, New York will lose an additional $120 million in Federal matching funds.  Therefore the cut to OPWDD community based services is $240 million. Ask them to speak up on behalf of people who have a developmental disability.  

Contact Governor Cuomo directly and let him know how these cuts will hurt our already vulnerable friends and family members with developmental disabilities.  A link to contact Gov. Cuomo follows:

www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php

Please sign the petition below and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Use the links below to send this out via Facebook, Twitter and email to get this urgent message out to as many supporters as possible within the next two weeks.  

Thank you for Your Support.

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Update on March 21, 2013

Dear Friends, It is imperative that we keep pressure on Gov. Cuomo and continue to tell him that we will not accept any funding cuts for disability services.  The budget negotiations are still on-going.  There continues to be a divide between our legislators …

Update on March 19, 2013

Hello Everyone- We are in the final stretch and we really need your help.  Please call your legislators and and tell them it is imperative that they keep their promise to fight to restore full funding for programs for people with developmental disabilities to …

Update on March 14, 2013

Hello- Just a quick update to let all of our supporters know that we need your help. Negotiations on the 2013-14 State Budget continue in Albany. NYSACRA has learned the mental hygiene budget, specific to the restoration of the 6% cut to the not for profit …
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