Don’t balance Illinois budget at expense of most vulnerable | Opinion

We’re sending a strong message to Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Legislature.

Don’t balance the state budget at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens — people with intellectual developmental disabilities.

Goldie B. Floberg Center and the families of the people we serve were encouraged to hear news that Governor Pritzker’s proposed state budget includes a $0.50 per hour raise for direct support professionals. These professionals provide 24/7/365 care for people with intellectual developmental disabilities in group homes.

As an organization long-providing services in our community, we know direct support professionals are more than worthy of increased wages for the great work they do. In turn, better wages are essential in helping nonprofit organizations like ours to meet the labor shortage. In fact, our direct support professional vacancy rate has decreased over the past two years due to better wages and that is good for everyone.

However, there is a disturbing catch hidden in the budget details which turns this “raise” into a moot point and the budget into a threat to people with disabilities.

The proposed budget includes sharp cuts to the number of direct support professional service hours allocated for people with disabilities receiving care.

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How are service hours allocated, you may wonder?

More on that below, but fewer service hours equate to less funding for the important, hands-on support these people need to live safe and healthy lives (hygiene, toileting, nutrition, transportation, behavioral guidance, to name a few of the services provided).

At Goldie Floberg, this won’t be just a small financial adjustment.

The additional funding for the $0.50/hour pay increase — about $130,000 — would be completely wiped out by $147,800 cut in service hours. Plus, when we factor the real costs of implementing the raise, like required overtime pay (to address the vacancy rate mentioned above), we face a net loss of over $145,000.

That’s big for our nonprofit organization. The state budget proposal effectively cuts funding for essential disability services under the guise of a pay raise to the tune of $32 million in direct support professional funded hours across the state. That’s huge for people with disabilities everywhere.

But this isn’t just about budgets. It’s about people.

Consider Tom, a gentleman Goldie Floberg has supported for many years. Tom is nonverbal, legally blind, relies on the use of a wheelchair and depends completely on his direct support professionals for everything from daily hygiene to dressing and eating meals to transportation to medical appointments.

Under a similar proposal to slash direct support hours last year (which required public outcry to overturn), Tom would have lost nearly $23,000 in annual support — more than anyone else we served, despite his obvious, profound needs.

Why? We can’t say, because the state’s formula for deciding these hours is kept secret, even from Tom and his family.

Yes, that is right. People with intellectual developmental disabilities, their families, and organizations like Goldie Floberg have no idea how the State of Illinois determines funding.

The formula, which up to several years ago was shared with openness, transparency, and provided to the public, is unknown and has not been disclosed even after multiple requests. Good government and effective social services cannot happen in that kind of vacuum.

Our community shares values of supporting its members, especially the most vulnerable among us.

Balancing Illinois’ state budget should not come at the expense of essential care for our neighbors with intellectual developmental disabilities. The proposed service hour cuts undermine the stability and well-being of individuals who rely on direct support professionals for safe and healthy living and threatens the network of local agencies which provide this crucial support.

We urge Rockford residents to become more aware of this critical issue hidden within the state budget.

We appeal to Governor Pritzker and the members of the Illinois State Legislature. The proposed direct support professional wage increase is necessary, but it must not be met with devastating cuts (made by secret recipe) to the very service hours which allow people with disabilities to live safely and with dignity in our community.

John Pingo is president and chief executive of the Goldie B. Floberg Center in Rockford, Illinois.