Potential Budget Cuts to Brokerage Funding – Your Help is Needed!
Distressing news out of the capitol: lawmakers may be looking to cut $140 million from human services in order to fund a budget “hole.” The question is, what does a $140 million cut to human services look like? Though plan hours are not likely to be cut, vulnerable areas include provider pay rates and Brokerage funding for Personal Agents. Brokerage Personal Agents and direct support providers have worked to implement dozens of system changes over the past two years. With these changes has come a lot of additional workload and responsibilities, which is already cutting into the bottom line: time spent with Brokerage customers. Any reduction in funding is going to cut further into that time.
Now is the perfect time to flex your advocacy muscles. Advocacy is defined as “the act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy,” and if you’re a human, chances are you’ve been engaging in advocacy your entire life. Some people are certainly more comfortable speaking their minds than others. The trick to being a good advocate isn’t about becoming a perfect speaker, it’s about finding the right message for you. When you find a cause or idea that is true to your heart and soul, you will find that the words flow much more easily.