May 12, 2025
Minutes
Minutes
Attendees via Zoom: Jennifer Putnam, Betsy Hopkins, Sara Fleurant, Brenda Smith, Carol Snyder, David Cowing, Elizabeth Burgess, J Richardson Collins, Jamie Whitehouse, Julianne Zaharis, K Berry, Laura Cordes, Libby Stone-Sterling, Lily Lin, Lucas Cuellar, Margaret Cardoza, Maggie Hoffman, Mark Kemmerle, Meagan Mayo, Michaela York, Rachel Dyer, Robin Levesque, Ryan Gallant, Shane Ashe, Shelley Zielinski, Stacy Lamontagne, Vickey Merrill, and possibly a few people who joined after the meeting began and left prior to the conclusion of the meeting.
Jennifer Putnam introduced herself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted.
Featured Speaker: Betsy Hopkins, Associate Director, Developmental Disability and Brain Injury Services, DHHS-OADS. Topic: An update on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives.
Jennifer: I am very pleased to have Betsy Hopkins, Associate Director of Developmental Disability and Brain Injury Services with DHHS-OADS presenting an update on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives. Thank you for being here today, Betsy!
Betsy Hopkins: Thank you for having me! About three to four years ago, when I first came on board, we heard a lot about gaps in the system for behavioral support needs. We commissioned the University of NH START Program to complete a Systems Gaps Analysis (SGA) for us and to make recommendations for improving behavioral support needs. We produced a plan to address the gaps that rose to the top, which I’m going to review in the presentation today along with other information on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives.
Begin Presentation (Click here for the presentation).
Betsy thoroughly reviewed each slide in the presentation. Please see the presentation for everything that she covered.
Betsy: The CCBHC (Certified Community behavioral Health Clinics) model is one that the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) has done a lot of work to stand up in Maine. We’ve been thrilled with our work with OBH and OMS (Office of MaineCare Services) to ensure that people with ID/DD are included in these models. All of the CCBHCs have accessed the START training which we believe is very helpful. The presentation includes links to more information on CCBHCs, including some supports and training that we put together for the CCBHCs with support needs of people with ID/DD.
Discussion:
-A self-advocate stated that she has spoken with Members of the HHS Committee of the Legislature. They were interested in having a Commission established to address the gaps in the system. She stated that there might be a way that this Commission could work with OADS regarding this work as it could be helpful and mutually beneficial.
-A member thanked OADS for bringing all of this information to the Coalition. He stated he’s appreciative of the collaboration between OADS and OBH on the CCBHCs and thanked them for that work. He stated that this may sound critical, but it’s not intended that way, but at the peer level there’s still a chasm that exists regarding the CCBHCs. Closing that chasm would be advantageous. He stated for example, when CCBHCs are brought up in groups where the audience is ID/DD-based they have no idea what he’s talking about. Messaging towards people who need the services would be helpful. He added that he’s tried through his connections, including at OBH, to have a presentation similar to this to no avail. There still seems to be silos between OBH and OADS in this regard. Additionally, the CCBHCs are all required have to have a Board and that it is constituted in a certain way including a large percentage of people with lived experience. He inquired with CCBHCs about this lived experience percentage and whether people with ID/DD were included/outreached no avail. There’s a tremendous amount of work that’s gone into all of this, which is commendable, but more work remains when it comes to interfacing and sharing information with people with ID/DD.
Betsy: Thank you for bringing this up. I knew we hadn’t gotten out there and shared enough information about this. March 1st was a soft-launch date for the CCBHCs, and I agree we really need to get the message out there. The last thing we wanted to do was get out the information and then the CCBHCs weren’t equipped to handle the response.
-A Member stated that an update at a future meeting on this, specifically an update on the Boards including people with ID/DD, would be great.
-A parent stated that the ID/DD world includes a wide range of complexities, as does the mental health world. He added that physical health also comes into play and can be an underlying cause of behavioral issues.
Jennifer: Thank you for being here, Betsy, and for providing such an informative presentation. Well done!
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Sara Fleurant:
Housing Support Funds: Overview: Each year, funds are available to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism in covering their housing costs. Historically, the Department provided rental subsidies through individual contracts with home providers on behalf of individuals residing in waiver-funded group homes. These subsidies were designed to supplement the amount paid by individuals to providers, covering costs not included by Medicaid, such as room and board.
The Department received feedback from providers of waiver-funded group homes indicating that the Room and Board Subsidy was not an effective method of support. Over two years, the Department communicated with providers to inform them that it was exploring more effective ways to distribute these funds. During this time, a Housing Survey was conducted with individuals, family members, and waiver-funded group home providers. Additionally, listening sessions were held to share survey results and gather feedback.
With this input, the Department has developed a new approach to distribute these funds directly to individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism through a one-time payment. This direct payment method empowers individuals to remain in or move to the housing option of their choice. By providing Housing Support Funds directly to participants, the program offers a more flexible resource, enabling individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism to make their own decisions and address their housing needs independently.
How Housing Support Funds Work: Housing Support Funds are one-time lump-sum payments distributed throughout the year to individuals needing assistance with rent, security deposits, or utility costs. If an individual has a representative payee, the funds are sent directly to that payee on their behalf. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be applied for annually. Receiving funds one year does not guarantee funding or the same amount in subsequent years. All applications are subject to OADS’ approval. Along with a completed application, individuals requesting funds must provide proof of a provider room and board agreement, lease agreement, or mortgage. For more details on Housing Support, please see our Housing Support Fun FAQ Guide (PDF).
To apply for Housing Support funds, complete a Housing Support Funds Application (PDF).
Please join us for a discussion on Housing Support Funds. OADS will be holding two zoom meetings to discuss the Housing Support Funds program that has replaced the Room and Board Subsidy.
May 29, 2025, at 4:00 pm (for individuals receiving waiver services, family members, and advocacy groups)
Please register in advance here.
Meeting ID: 848 2876 0896
Passcode: 91975803
May 30, 2025, at 10:00 am (for providers, case managers, guardians, and representative payees)
Please register in advance here.
Meeting ID: 816 3043 4836
Passcode: 39648640
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please send this invitation to anyone who may be interested. If you require accommodation, such as real-time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL), or other language interpretation, contact April Keyes at [email protected].
Readiness Grants: Readiness grants have been well under way these last few months. We will be finishing our work with providers on these by the end of June. OADS is capturing all the training developed during this time and it will be available on our website at the end of the grant period.
Direct Support Curriculum: The Direct Support Curriculum is in the process of being updated. Once there is a draft ready, OADS will share a copy of curriculum for providers and others to give feedback.
Innovation Summit – happening next week! DHHS and the Office of Aging and Disability Services presents Innovation Summit: A Path for Maine. The Innovation Summit: A Path for ME will be held in Portland, Maine, from May 19 to May 20, 2025, bringing together individuals, families, service providers, advocates, vendors, and professionals committed to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, brain injuries, or other similar conditions. This dynamic event promises two days of learning, networking, and community building, focused on improving access, services, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The Innovation Summit is completely full – with more than 500 people registered to attend. However, the Tech Expo, which is open for the day is free and available to anyone who would like to attend.
For questions about the Innovation Summit, please visit www.InnovationSummitME.com for more information.
Jennifer: Thank you for being here and for these updates!
DHHS – Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS), Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/childrens-behavioral-health - No Update
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr
Libby Stone-Sterling had to leave the meeting early, but sent the following update via email:
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS)/VR will be at the OADS Innovation Summit next week and we’ll be excited to see folks there and will be presenting on the PEERS curriculum for individuals with Autism. We’ll also have a tech table to show a few of our new VR tools!
The Pathways to Partnerships transition project (presented on at the February meeting) is very busy and accepting grant enrollment in the Houlton and Belfast school districts.
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed - No Update
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Lucas Cuellar: We’re holding Developmental Services Grievance Process trainings. We just completed one last week, and there is one scheduled in June.
The White House leaked a proposed budget that includes many cuts, including state disability rights organizations, developmental disability councils, university and Head Start programs, etc. We have developed a sign-on letter to send to our Delegation in opposition to these proposed budget cuts. The deadline for signing on is 5/23. Please see the sign-on letter for more information.
We are also holding trainings on health self-advocacy for young adults, with a training on June 5th.
Disability Pride will take place on 7/18 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Mill Park in Augusta.
Jennifer: Thank you for providing these updates!
Federal & Housing Updates:
It continues to be a very stressful time with a lot of unknowns. As we have been discussing, there’s an effort to thwart a lot of government programs. We continue to see a lot being thrown out there all at once to create confusion. There continue to be more questions than answers. It is helpful that we can come together as a Coalition and share information and get through all of this together.
Despite any and all attempts to undermine our work, advocacy efforts remain important. We have the benefit of a Delegation that appears to be firmly on the side of trying to stop these efforts. The biggest threat that we’re facing, is potential cuts to Medicaid, specifically and most recently in the FY 26 Budget Reconciliation Bill which has now been passed by both Chambers of Congress, albeit by narrow-thin margins. The entire Maine Delegation attempted to thwart efforts to include cuts to Medicaid in this reconciliation bill by voting against it, which deserves thanks.
Medicaid is also the target of cuts through various other congressional efforts, including Medicaid per capita cap and block grant proposals, floating around Congress (see below for more information). We will continue to monitor this closely. We will also continue to closely watch Executive Orders and other policy proposals which would affect housing, services, and other resources for people with ID/DD. When things arise, we will be sure to make you aware through action alerts.
Executive Orders – President Trump initiated a series of Executive Orders (EOs) which, if implemented/upheld by the courts, could make more difficult for everyone to access to an affordable, accessible home. Per NLIHC, the new Administration’s first actions include:
FY 26 Budget Resolution – On 4/10 the House passed the Senate’s budget resolution. It passed the House with a vote of 216-214, with two Republicans voting against the bill. It passed the Senate by a vote of 51-48, with all Senate Democrats and two Republicans – Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Rand Paul (KY) – voting against. Per CBPP: The Senate Reconciliation Bill would provide extensive tax cuts to the highest income earners and corporations — and pays for it in part by raising health care and food costs through cuts in Medicaid and SNAP. The tax cuts called for in the budget plan far exceed the programmatic cuts and would raise deficits substantially. The budget sets up $5.3 trillion in tax cuts or more, mostly occurring over nine years since most of the 2017 tax cuts do not expire until 2026. That is $1.5 trillion more than the cost of the expiring 2017 tax cuts Senate Republicans are seeking to extend. And the $5.3 trillion figure could go still higher with potential cuts to Medicaid or other support that low-income families need under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee. These potential cuts would increase family expenses and make it ever harder for people already facing unaffordable rents to keep up with rent. It would also make it harder for people experiencing homelessness to afford to move into a home.
President Trump’s “Skinny” Budget – Per the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC): On 5/2, President Trump released a “skinny” budget request indicating the Administration is looking at drastic cuts to HUD programs in its full FY 26 spending request, expected later this month. In total, the “skinny” budget indicates a full request that will cut domestic spending by more than 22%, including significant cuts to affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs. Not only would the President’s Budget include drastic cuts to HUD programs, but it would also redesign some of them entirely. The Budget includes a $26.72 billion reduction to HUD’s rental assistance programs – including Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities – by combining them and block granting them into one program, State Rental Assistance Block Grants. The proposal is estimated to amount to an unprecedented 43% cut to HUD rental assistance, would impose a two-year time limit on receiving rental assistance for “able-bodied adults,” and “encourage States to provide funding to share in the responsibility to ensure that similar levels of recipients can benefit from the block grant.”
Congressional Medicaid Proposals (including per capita cap and block grant proposals) – There are various Medicaid proposals floating around in Congress currently, including Medicaid Per Capita Cap policy proposals. Per CBPP: Recent proposals from Republican congressional leaders and a conservative think tank would impose a per capita cap on federal Medicaid funding or, similarly, turn Medicaid into a block grant. These proposals would dramatically change Medicaid’s funding structure, deeply cut federal funding, and shift costs and financial risks to states. Should this happen, faced with large and growing reductions in federal funding, states could cut eligibility and benefits, which could put millions of people at risk of losing health coverage and access to Medicaid-funded services. There are also various proposals from Republican Congressional leaders that would impose work requirements for Medicaid. Per CBPP: that 36 million Medicaid enrollees — including people in every state — could be at risk of losing their coverage under various proposals.
Potential SNAP cuts – Prominent Republican lawmakers have proposed cuts and other policy changes to SNAP that could gain traction in Congress. If implemented, this could cut food assistance for millions of people in the country, per CBPP: “SNAP is our nation’s most effective and important tool to fight hunger, reaching over 40 million children, parents, older adults, disabled people, workers, and other low-income people each month, or about 1 in 8 people in the U.S., including 1 in 5 children. Research shows SNAP reduces food insecurity and is linked to improved health, education, and economic outcomes and to lower medical costs for participants. It also supports workers in low-paid jobs and has ripple effects in the economy overall and in individual communities as SNAP benefits are redeemed in stores across the U.S.”
Federal Bills Introduced in the new Congress:
State Legislature Update
If you’ve been in this space you’ve seen the MCHQS 132nd Maine Legislature First Regular Session 2025 Resource Document, which is a Google Document that can be edited – please let Laura Cordes know if you have any edits.
Supplemental Budget – click here for the General Fund Language; click here for Part A. The Legislature was unable to pass the Supplemental Budget (LD 209). The bill is now officially dead.
MaineCare announced a plan to cap payments which will begin for the majority of providers in the ID/DD sector later this month. Payments will be delayed – for instance if you submit seven bills, six may be paid and the seventh will be delayed (this is just an example). The Department has been very thoughtful in its attempt to not have capped payments affect providers that rely on MaineCare funding. However, we just don’t know how this is going to work.
LD 609 “Continued Operations Biennial Budget”: The Legislature passed a simple “continued operations” budget to ensure that funding went into effect by the start of the State Fiscal Year (7/1/25) since they were unable to pass a Budget with a majority necessary to enact the Budget as an emergency bill.
Current Status: Signed by the Governor. Will take effect: June 20, 2025.
Includes: The baseline budget for each existing program and a subset of initiatives and language parts contained in the Governor’s Biennial Budget proposal. This bill, as enacted, does include one-time funding for MaineCare Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs).
LD 210 Biennial Budget: This is the original Biennial Budget bill. The Legislature is still working on details related to other Budget initiatives not included in LD 609.
Bills of Interest: More than 2,000 bills were filed. The list of working titles submitted before Cloture is available online. Committees are expected to vote bills out of their committees by 5/9/25. Some of the bills listed are still Legislative Requests (LRs) and may merge with other bills. Some of these bills may look familiar from previous Legislative Sessions. Most bills have been printed, with Public Hearings underway.
The bills listed below are not a comprehensive list. Please see the Google Doc for the full list of bills.
LD 46 An Act To Establish A Grant Program To Increase Postsecondary Educational Opportunities For Students With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities Or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Summary: This bill establishes a grant program in the Department of Education to increase postsecondary educational opportunities and support employability for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities or autism spectrum disorder.
Current Status: Education Committee voted OTP-AM. (The Committee amended the bill and changed the fiscal note to $100,000. This will only fund one grant versus the original five. This still faces votes in the House and Senate, and due to having a fiscal note it would go to the Special Appropriations Table prior to enactment. There is still a long way to go.
LD 263 Resolve, to Provide Rural Nonmedical Transportation Services to the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities Receiving Home and Community Benefits Under MaineCare.
Summary: This resolve requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a pilot project lasting 18 months that provides nonmedical transportation services to individuals receiving services pursuant to rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 19, Home and Community Benefits for the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities, in an amount up to $2,000, in addition to currently permissible medical transportation services. The department is required to submit a report regarding the costs, effectiveness and future viability of the pilot project to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services no later than December 3, 2025.
Current Status: This bill is now dead.
LD 51 An Act to Increase Oversight of Fatalities of and Serious Injuries to Adults Subject to Public Guardianship.
Summary: Under current law, the Aging and Disability Mortality Review Panel reviews deaths of and serious injuries to adults receiving services in home-based and community-based services programs, including participants in those programs who are subject to public guardianship. This bill expands the charge of the panel to review all deaths of and serious injuries to adults subject to public guardianship, whether or not they are enrolled in home19 based and community-based services programs. It also amends the membership of the panel.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 2/4; Work Session held 5/1. HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 279 An Act To Address The Shortage Of Direct Care Workers For Children With Disabilities In Maine.
Summary: This bill allows for the reimbursement of a parent providing in-home personal care services to the parent's child by allowing the parent to register as a personal care agency if the parent has made reasonable but unsuccessful efforts to obtain regular in-home personal care services and has passed a background check.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/24; Work Session scheduled for 5/8 – HHS Committee voted ONTP.
LD 768 An Act to Update the Laws Governing the Licensing of Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
Summary: This bill updates the provision of law governing the licensing of intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or ICF/IIDs, to establish specific licensing requirements in statute. Under current law, there are no licensing standards for these facilities, only authority for the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules governing licensing standards. The bill both codifies existing department rules governing the licensing of ICF/IIDs and updates these licensing standards to align with similar licensing laws. The bill updates related statutory language and a headnote. The bill also amends the provision of law governing the reporting of sentinel events at health care facilities by removing ICF/IIDs from the list of health care facilities that are required to make reports to the department under this provision.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/13 – HHS Committee.
LD 834 An Act to Update the State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income.
Summary: Increases the minimum state supplemental income benefit to $65 per month for individuals and $97.50 per month for couples (150% of the individual amount).
Starting October 1, 2026, requires the benefit to be annually adjusted based on the cost-of-living increase in the federal payment standard.
Current Status: HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 840 An Act to Modernize the State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income by Removing Marriage Disincentives. Summary: Replaces provisions of law that currently provide that payments to couples, both of whom receive the supplement, are 150% of the benefit for an individual with provisions of law providing that payments to the couples are 200% of the benefit for an individual.
Current Status: Passed to be Enacted in each Chamber – Placed on the Special Appropriations Table.
LD 769 An Act Regarding Access to Behavioral Health Supports for Adults with Certain Disabilities.
Summary: This bill amends the law governing access to behavioral health support for adults with an intellectual disability or autism by replacing a complex multiparty review process with a clinical review requirement. It also removes the authority to use restraints on adults except as an emergency short-term step to protect the adult from imminent injury to that adult or others. It also codifies existing rules on safety devices, making it clear that such devices are not considered positive behavioral health support plans and therefore do not require the same level of review as positive behavioral health support plans. Also, to conform with current practice, the bill repeals a provision of law regarding the authority of providers of residential services to establish house rules in residential units owned or operated by the provider.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/18; Work Session on 4/16 – HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 1509 Resolve, to Maintain Access to Home and Community-based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Brain Injury.
Summary: This resolve directs the Department of Health and Human Services to propose and implement the rates as determined by the department's rate study begun in 2023 and carried out pursuant to the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3173‑J for services provided by home and community-based services providers under rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapters II and III, Sections 18, 20, 21 and 29 to adults with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder or brain injury.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23 – HHS Committee.
LD 1097 An Act to Provide De-escalation and Behavior Intervention Training for School Personnel.
Summary: This bill directs a school administrative unit to provide, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year and every 3rd year thereafter, at least 4 hours of training to each of its school administrators, teachers and education technicians in topics related to de-escalation and behavior intervention. It directs the Department of Education to maintain a list of trainings and a list of experts who can help school administrative units provide training. It requires school administrative units to offer training to all new school administrators, teachers and education technicians within 60 days of hiring. It requires the department to convene teachers and other educators and experts to develop best practices for trainings and distribute the best practices to all school administrative units in the State no later than September 1, 2026.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session 5/9 – Education & Cultural Affairs Committee: Divided Report.
LD 1398 An Act Regarding Behavioral Health Support for Students in Public Schools.
Summary: This bill sets student-to-clinical mental health provider and student-to-school counselor ratios for the purpose of the calculation of salary and benefit costs in the essential programs and services school funding formula.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session scheduled for 5/16 at 10:00am – Education & Cultural Affairs Committee.
LD 1606 An Act to Require Data Collection and Major Substantive Rulemaking for the Lifespan Waiver Providing Home and Community-based Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Related Conditions.
Summary: This bill requires the rulemaking for the lifespan waiver to be major substantive. Current law requires only the initial rulemaking to be major substantive. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to collect data related to unmet needs identified in individuals' personal plans and related to residential transitions between group homes, shared living and self-directed residential arrangements. The department is required to publish an annual report with the data on its publicly accessible website and submit the report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session scheduled for 5/14 at 1:30pm – – HHS Committee.
LD 1634 An Act Regarding MaineCare Waiting Lists.
Summary: This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to require that for any service covered under the MaineCare program, an individual enrolled in the MaineCare program may not be required to wait for services longer than 6 months from the time the services are requested. If at any time a provider's waiting list exceeds the 6-month waiting limit for those individuals, the department must submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters a corrective action plan to reduce waiting times within 3 months from the time the department becomes aware of this occurrence.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session 5/1 – HHS Committee voted ONTP.
Key Committees and Committee Members, with contact information, are also included in the Google Doc. As a reminder, if you can’t attend Public Hearings when they occur, I would encourage you to submit testimony online , ideally on or before the day of the hearing.
There is a lot of chaos going on – at every level. Please continue to raise your voice and tell your stories so that lawmakers can make good policy decisions on the needs of people with disabilities in Maine. It will continue to be a very busy, chaotic stretch but thank you for rallying and raising your voice over the next several months. We are all better for it.
Other Business: None.
The next meeting will be on Monday, June 9, 2025, 12-2:00pm, via Zoom*.
Featured Speaker and Topic: TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2025 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].
Jennifer Putnam introduced herself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted.
Featured Speaker: Betsy Hopkins, Associate Director, Developmental Disability and Brain Injury Services, DHHS-OADS. Topic: An update on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives.
Jennifer: I am very pleased to have Betsy Hopkins, Associate Director of Developmental Disability and Brain Injury Services with DHHS-OADS presenting an update on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives. Thank you for being here today, Betsy!
Betsy Hopkins: Thank you for having me! About three to four years ago, when I first came on board, we heard a lot about gaps in the system for behavioral support needs. We commissioned the University of NH START Program to complete a Systems Gaps Analysis (SGA) for us and to make recommendations for improving behavioral support needs. We produced a plan to address the gaps that rose to the top, which I’m going to review in the presentation today along with other information on OADS Behavioral Health Initiatives.
Begin Presentation (Click here for the presentation).
Betsy thoroughly reviewed each slide in the presentation. Please see the presentation for everything that she covered.
Betsy: The CCBHC (Certified Community behavioral Health Clinics) model is one that the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) has done a lot of work to stand up in Maine. We’ve been thrilled with our work with OBH and OMS (Office of MaineCare Services) to ensure that people with ID/DD are included in these models. All of the CCBHCs have accessed the START training which we believe is very helpful. The presentation includes links to more information on CCBHCs, including some supports and training that we put together for the CCBHCs with support needs of people with ID/DD.
Discussion:
-A self-advocate stated that she has spoken with Members of the HHS Committee of the Legislature. They were interested in having a Commission established to address the gaps in the system. She stated that there might be a way that this Commission could work with OADS regarding this work as it could be helpful and mutually beneficial.
-A member thanked OADS for bringing all of this information to the Coalition. He stated he’s appreciative of the collaboration between OADS and OBH on the CCBHCs and thanked them for that work. He stated that this may sound critical, but it’s not intended that way, but at the peer level there’s still a chasm that exists regarding the CCBHCs. Closing that chasm would be advantageous. He stated for example, when CCBHCs are brought up in groups where the audience is ID/DD-based they have no idea what he’s talking about. Messaging towards people who need the services would be helpful. He added that he’s tried through his connections, including at OBH, to have a presentation similar to this to no avail. There still seems to be silos between OBH and OADS in this regard. Additionally, the CCBHCs are all required have to have a Board and that it is constituted in a certain way including a large percentage of people with lived experience. He inquired with CCBHCs about this lived experience percentage and whether people with ID/DD were included/outreached no avail. There’s a tremendous amount of work that’s gone into all of this, which is commendable, but more work remains when it comes to interfacing and sharing information with people with ID/DD.
Betsy: Thank you for bringing this up. I knew we hadn’t gotten out there and shared enough information about this. March 1st was a soft-launch date for the CCBHCs, and I agree we really need to get the message out there. The last thing we wanted to do was get out the information and then the CCBHCs weren’t equipped to handle the response.
-A Member stated that an update at a future meeting on this, specifically an update on the Boards including people with ID/DD, would be great.
-A parent stated that the ID/DD world includes a wide range of complexities, as does the mental health world. He added that physical health also comes into play and can be an underlying cause of behavioral issues.
Jennifer: Thank you for being here, Betsy, and for providing such an informative presentation. Well done!
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Sara Fleurant:
Housing Support Funds: Overview: Each year, funds are available to assist individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism in covering their housing costs. Historically, the Department provided rental subsidies through individual contracts with home providers on behalf of individuals residing in waiver-funded group homes. These subsidies were designed to supplement the amount paid by individuals to providers, covering costs not included by Medicaid, such as room and board.
The Department received feedback from providers of waiver-funded group homes indicating that the Room and Board Subsidy was not an effective method of support. Over two years, the Department communicated with providers to inform them that it was exploring more effective ways to distribute these funds. During this time, a Housing Survey was conducted with individuals, family members, and waiver-funded group home providers. Additionally, listening sessions were held to share survey results and gather feedback.
With this input, the Department has developed a new approach to distribute these funds directly to individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism through a one-time payment. This direct payment method empowers individuals to remain in or move to the housing option of their choice. By providing Housing Support Funds directly to participants, the program offers a more flexible resource, enabling individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism to make their own decisions and address their housing needs independently.
How Housing Support Funds Work: Housing Support Funds are one-time lump-sum payments distributed throughout the year to individuals needing assistance with rent, security deposits, or utility costs. If an individual has a representative payee, the funds are sent directly to that payee on their behalf. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be applied for annually. Receiving funds one year does not guarantee funding or the same amount in subsequent years. All applications are subject to OADS’ approval. Along with a completed application, individuals requesting funds must provide proof of a provider room and board agreement, lease agreement, or mortgage. For more details on Housing Support, please see our Housing Support Fun FAQ Guide (PDF).
To apply for Housing Support funds, complete a Housing Support Funds Application (PDF).
Please join us for a discussion on Housing Support Funds. OADS will be holding two zoom meetings to discuss the Housing Support Funds program that has replaced the Room and Board Subsidy.
May 29, 2025, at 4:00 pm (for individuals receiving waiver services, family members, and advocacy groups)
Please register in advance here.
Meeting ID: 848 2876 0896
Passcode: 91975803
May 30, 2025, at 10:00 am (for providers, case managers, guardians, and representative payees)
Please register in advance here.
Meeting ID: 816 3043 4836
Passcode: 39648640
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please send this invitation to anyone who may be interested. If you require accommodation, such as real-time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL), or other language interpretation, contact April Keyes at [email protected].
Readiness Grants: Readiness grants have been well under way these last few months. We will be finishing our work with providers on these by the end of June. OADS is capturing all the training developed during this time and it will be available on our website at the end of the grant period.
Direct Support Curriculum: The Direct Support Curriculum is in the process of being updated. Once there is a draft ready, OADS will share a copy of curriculum for providers and others to give feedback.
Innovation Summit – happening next week! DHHS and the Office of Aging and Disability Services presents Innovation Summit: A Path for Maine. The Innovation Summit: A Path for ME will be held in Portland, Maine, from May 19 to May 20, 2025, bringing together individuals, families, service providers, advocates, vendors, and professionals committed to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, brain injuries, or other similar conditions. This dynamic event promises two days of learning, networking, and community building, focused on improving access, services, and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
The Innovation Summit is completely full – with more than 500 people registered to attend. However, the Tech Expo, which is open for the day is free and available to anyone who would like to attend.
For questions about the Innovation Summit, please visit www.InnovationSummitME.com for more information.
Jennifer: Thank you for being here and for these updates!
DHHS – Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS), Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/childrens-behavioral-health - No Update
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr
Libby Stone-Sterling had to leave the meeting early, but sent the following update via email:
Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS)/VR will be at the OADS Innovation Summit next week and we’ll be excited to see folks there and will be presenting on the PEERS curriculum for individuals with Autism. We’ll also have a tech table to show a few of our new VR tools!
The Pathways to Partnerships transition project (presented on at the February meeting) is very busy and accepting grant enrollment in the Houlton and Belfast school districts.
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed - No Update
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Lucas Cuellar: We’re holding Developmental Services Grievance Process trainings. We just completed one last week, and there is one scheduled in June.
The White House leaked a proposed budget that includes many cuts, including state disability rights organizations, developmental disability councils, university and Head Start programs, etc. We have developed a sign-on letter to send to our Delegation in opposition to these proposed budget cuts. The deadline for signing on is 5/23. Please see the sign-on letter for more information.
We are also holding trainings on health self-advocacy for young adults, with a training on June 5th.
Disability Pride will take place on 7/18 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at Mill Park in Augusta.
Jennifer: Thank you for providing these updates!
Federal & Housing Updates:
It continues to be a very stressful time with a lot of unknowns. As we have been discussing, there’s an effort to thwart a lot of government programs. We continue to see a lot being thrown out there all at once to create confusion. There continue to be more questions than answers. It is helpful that we can come together as a Coalition and share information and get through all of this together.
Despite any and all attempts to undermine our work, advocacy efforts remain important. We have the benefit of a Delegation that appears to be firmly on the side of trying to stop these efforts. The biggest threat that we’re facing, is potential cuts to Medicaid, specifically and most recently in the FY 26 Budget Reconciliation Bill which has now been passed by both Chambers of Congress, albeit by narrow-thin margins. The entire Maine Delegation attempted to thwart efforts to include cuts to Medicaid in this reconciliation bill by voting against it, which deserves thanks.
Medicaid is also the target of cuts through various other congressional efforts, including Medicaid per capita cap and block grant proposals, floating around Congress (see below for more information). We will continue to monitor this closely. We will also continue to closely watch Executive Orders and other policy proposals which would affect housing, services, and other resources for people with ID/DD. When things arise, we will be sure to make you aware through action alerts.
Executive Orders – President Trump initiated a series of Executive Orders (EOs) which, if implemented/upheld by the courts, could make more difficult for everyone to access to an affordable, accessible home. Per NLIHC, the new Administration’s first actions include:
- Directing federal agencies to terminate all diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices and policies and rescind previous executive actions expanding DEI efforts to underserved communities.
- Institute a hiring freeze which would prevent HUD from hiring essential staff.
- Denying fair housing and civil rights protections to LGBTQ individuals.
- Directing federal agencies to prevent sanctuary jurisdictions, or jurisdictions that limit or deny cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, from receiving federal investments. If this EO is used to deny states and localities access to federal funding, it could undermine local governments’ ability to help families purchase a home and build more affordable rental housing.
FY 26 Budget Resolution – On 4/10 the House passed the Senate’s budget resolution. It passed the House with a vote of 216-214, with two Republicans voting against the bill. It passed the Senate by a vote of 51-48, with all Senate Democrats and two Republicans – Senators Susan Collins (ME) and Rand Paul (KY) – voting against. Per CBPP: The Senate Reconciliation Bill would provide extensive tax cuts to the highest income earners and corporations — and pays for it in part by raising health care and food costs through cuts in Medicaid and SNAP. The tax cuts called for in the budget plan far exceed the programmatic cuts and would raise deficits substantially. The budget sets up $5.3 trillion in tax cuts or more, mostly occurring over nine years since most of the 2017 tax cuts do not expire until 2026. That is $1.5 trillion more than the cost of the expiring 2017 tax cuts Senate Republicans are seeking to extend. And the $5.3 trillion figure could go still higher with potential cuts to Medicaid or other support that low-income families need under the jurisdiction of the Senate Finance Committee. These potential cuts would increase family expenses and make it ever harder for people already facing unaffordable rents to keep up with rent. It would also make it harder for people experiencing homelessness to afford to move into a home.
President Trump’s “Skinny” Budget – Per the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC): On 5/2, President Trump released a “skinny” budget request indicating the Administration is looking at drastic cuts to HUD programs in its full FY 26 spending request, expected later this month. In total, the “skinny” budget indicates a full request that will cut domestic spending by more than 22%, including significant cuts to affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs. Not only would the President’s Budget include drastic cuts to HUD programs, but it would also redesign some of them entirely. The Budget includes a $26.72 billion reduction to HUD’s rental assistance programs – including Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities – by combining them and block granting them into one program, State Rental Assistance Block Grants. The proposal is estimated to amount to an unprecedented 43% cut to HUD rental assistance, would impose a two-year time limit on receiving rental assistance for “able-bodied adults,” and “encourage States to provide funding to share in the responsibility to ensure that similar levels of recipients can benefit from the block grant.”
Congressional Medicaid Proposals (including per capita cap and block grant proposals) – There are various Medicaid proposals floating around in Congress currently, including Medicaid Per Capita Cap policy proposals. Per CBPP: Recent proposals from Republican congressional leaders and a conservative think tank would impose a per capita cap on federal Medicaid funding or, similarly, turn Medicaid into a block grant. These proposals would dramatically change Medicaid’s funding structure, deeply cut federal funding, and shift costs and financial risks to states. Should this happen, faced with large and growing reductions in federal funding, states could cut eligibility and benefits, which could put millions of people at risk of losing health coverage and access to Medicaid-funded services. There are also various proposals from Republican Congressional leaders that would impose work requirements for Medicaid. Per CBPP: that 36 million Medicaid enrollees — including people in every state — could be at risk of losing their coverage under various proposals.
Potential SNAP cuts – Prominent Republican lawmakers have proposed cuts and other policy changes to SNAP that could gain traction in Congress. If implemented, this could cut food assistance for millions of people in the country, per CBPP: “SNAP is our nation’s most effective and important tool to fight hunger, reaching over 40 million children, parents, older adults, disabled people, workers, and other low-income people each month, or about 1 in 8 people in the U.S., including 1 in 5 children. Research shows SNAP reduces food insecurity and is linked to improved health, education, and economic outcomes and to lower medical costs for participants. It also supports workers in low-paid jobs and has ripple effects in the economy overall and in individual communities as SNAP benefits are redeemed in stores across the U.S.”
Federal Bills Introduced in the new Congress:
- The Home Accessibility Tax Credit Act: Introduced by Senators King and Welch, this bill would establish a refundable tax credit for eligible home modifications designed to improve accessibility — saving both Americans with the highest risk of falling, as well as taxpayers, from the high medical costs associated with falls.
- HR 2540 SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act: This is a bipartisan (expected to be bicameral) bill that would amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to update the resource limit for supplemental security income eligibility. This bill would update SSI’s asset limits for the first time since the 1980s to ensure people with disabilities and seniors are able to prepare themselves for a financial emergency without putting the benefits that they rely on to live at risk.
- S 343/HR 869 Keep our PACT Act: This bill would require full funding of part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
- HR 1634 Think DIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act: This bill would provide for a memorandum of understanding between the Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes.
- HR 1757 EMPSA Act: This bill would amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to provide that the supplemental security income benefits of adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities shall not be reduced by marriage.
- S 466 Fairness for Disabled Young Adults Act: This bill would amend title II of the Social Security Act to increase the age threshold for eligibility for child's insurance benefits on the basis of disability.
- S 1515 / HR 2725 The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025: Representatives Darin LaHood (R-IL), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) reintroduced this bill on 4/8. The Senate companion bill was reintroduced on 4/29. This bill has more than 120 cosponsors in the House, half from each party, and 33 in the Senate (including Senator Collins), signifying great bipartisan support. Per NLIHC: The AHCIA would increase the allocation of credits by 50% over two years, adjust rules to facilitate the production and preservation of more homes financed with tax-exempt bonds, and enact reforms to make LIHTC a better tool for development in underserved communities. If enacted, the AHCIA would reform the tax credit to provide additional incentives to developers to build homes affordable to extremely low-income households most impacted by the housing crisis, as well as underserved rural and Native American communities.
State Legislature Update
If you’ve been in this space you’ve seen the MCHQS 132nd Maine Legislature First Regular Session 2025 Resource Document, which is a Google Document that can be edited – please let Laura Cordes know if you have any edits.
Supplemental Budget – click here for the General Fund Language; click here for Part A. The Legislature was unable to pass the Supplemental Budget (LD 209). The bill is now officially dead.
MaineCare announced a plan to cap payments which will begin for the majority of providers in the ID/DD sector later this month. Payments will be delayed – for instance if you submit seven bills, six may be paid and the seventh will be delayed (this is just an example). The Department has been very thoughtful in its attempt to not have capped payments affect providers that rely on MaineCare funding. However, we just don’t know how this is going to work.
LD 609 “Continued Operations Biennial Budget”: The Legislature passed a simple “continued operations” budget to ensure that funding went into effect by the start of the State Fiscal Year (7/1/25) since they were unable to pass a Budget with a majority necessary to enact the Budget as an emergency bill.
Current Status: Signed by the Governor. Will take effect: June 20, 2025.
Includes: The baseline budget for each existing program and a subset of initiatives and language parts contained in the Governor’s Biennial Budget proposal. This bill, as enacted, does include one-time funding for MaineCare Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs).
LD 210 Biennial Budget: This is the original Biennial Budget bill. The Legislature is still working on details related to other Budget initiatives not included in LD 609.
Bills of Interest: More than 2,000 bills were filed. The list of working titles submitted before Cloture is available online. Committees are expected to vote bills out of their committees by 5/9/25. Some of the bills listed are still Legislative Requests (LRs) and may merge with other bills. Some of these bills may look familiar from previous Legislative Sessions. Most bills have been printed, with Public Hearings underway.
The bills listed below are not a comprehensive list. Please see the Google Doc for the full list of bills.
LD 46 An Act To Establish A Grant Program To Increase Postsecondary Educational Opportunities For Students With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities Or Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Summary: This bill establishes a grant program in the Department of Education to increase postsecondary educational opportunities and support employability for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities or autism spectrum disorder.
Current Status: Education Committee voted OTP-AM. (The Committee amended the bill and changed the fiscal note to $100,000. This will only fund one grant versus the original five. This still faces votes in the House and Senate, and due to having a fiscal note it would go to the Special Appropriations Table prior to enactment. There is still a long way to go.
LD 263 Resolve, to Provide Rural Nonmedical Transportation Services to the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities Receiving Home and Community Benefits Under MaineCare.
Summary: This resolve requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a pilot project lasting 18 months that provides nonmedical transportation services to individuals receiving services pursuant to rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter II, Section 19, Home and Community Benefits for the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities, in an amount up to $2,000, in addition to currently permissible medical transportation services. The department is required to submit a report regarding the costs, effectiveness and future viability of the pilot project to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services no later than December 3, 2025.
Current Status: This bill is now dead.
LD 51 An Act to Increase Oversight of Fatalities of and Serious Injuries to Adults Subject to Public Guardianship.
Summary: Under current law, the Aging and Disability Mortality Review Panel reviews deaths of and serious injuries to adults receiving services in home-based and community-based services programs, including participants in those programs who are subject to public guardianship. This bill expands the charge of the panel to review all deaths of and serious injuries to adults subject to public guardianship, whether or not they are enrolled in home19 based and community-based services programs. It also amends the membership of the panel.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 2/4; Work Session held 5/1. HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 279 An Act To Address The Shortage Of Direct Care Workers For Children With Disabilities In Maine.
Summary: This bill allows for the reimbursement of a parent providing in-home personal care services to the parent's child by allowing the parent to register as a personal care agency if the parent has made reasonable but unsuccessful efforts to obtain regular in-home personal care services and has passed a background check.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/24; Work Session scheduled for 5/8 – HHS Committee voted ONTP.
LD 768 An Act to Update the Laws Governing the Licensing of Intermediate Care Facilities for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
Summary: This bill updates the provision of law governing the licensing of intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, or ICF/IIDs, to establish specific licensing requirements in statute. Under current law, there are no licensing standards for these facilities, only authority for the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt rules governing licensing standards. The bill both codifies existing department rules governing the licensing of ICF/IIDs and updates these licensing standards to align with similar licensing laws. The bill updates related statutory language and a headnote. The bill also amends the provision of law governing the reporting of sentinel events at health care facilities by removing ICF/IIDs from the list of health care facilities that are required to make reports to the department under this provision.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/13 – HHS Committee.
LD 834 An Act to Update the State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income.
Summary: Increases the minimum state supplemental income benefit to $65 per month for individuals and $97.50 per month for couples (150% of the individual amount).
Starting October 1, 2026, requires the benefit to be annually adjusted based on the cost-of-living increase in the federal payment standard.
Current Status: HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 840 An Act to Modernize the State Supplement to Supplemental Security Income by Removing Marriage Disincentives. Summary: Replaces provisions of law that currently provide that payments to couples, both of whom receive the supplement, are 150% of the benefit for an individual with provisions of law providing that payments to the couples are 200% of the benefit for an individual.
Current Status: Passed to be Enacted in each Chamber – Placed on the Special Appropriations Table.
LD 769 An Act Regarding Access to Behavioral Health Supports for Adults with Certain Disabilities.
Summary: This bill amends the law governing access to behavioral health support for adults with an intellectual disability or autism by replacing a complex multiparty review process with a clinical review requirement. It also removes the authority to use restraints on adults except as an emergency short-term step to protect the adult from imminent injury to that adult or others. It also codifies existing rules on safety devices, making it clear that such devices are not considered positive behavioral health support plans and therefore do not require the same level of review as positive behavioral health support plans. Also, to conform with current practice, the bill repeals a provision of law regarding the authority of providers of residential services to establish house rules in residential units owned or operated by the provider.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 3/18; Work Session on 4/16 – HHS Committee voted OTP-AM.
LD 1509 Resolve, to Maintain Access to Home and Community-based Services for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Brain Injury.
Summary: This resolve directs the Department of Health and Human Services to propose and implement the rates as determined by the department's rate study begun in 2023 and carried out pursuant to the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 3173‑J for services provided by home and community-based services providers under rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapters II and III, Sections 18, 20, 21 and 29 to adults with intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder or brain injury.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23 – HHS Committee.
LD 1097 An Act to Provide De-escalation and Behavior Intervention Training for School Personnel.
Summary: This bill directs a school administrative unit to provide, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year and every 3rd year thereafter, at least 4 hours of training to each of its school administrators, teachers and education technicians in topics related to de-escalation and behavior intervention. It directs the Department of Education to maintain a list of trainings and a list of experts who can help school administrative units provide training. It requires school administrative units to offer training to all new school administrators, teachers and education technicians within 60 days of hiring. It requires the department to convene teachers and other educators and experts to develop best practices for trainings and distribute the best practices to all school administrative units in the State no later than September 1, 2026.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session 5/9 – Education & Cultural Affairs Committee: Divided Report.
LD 1398 An Act Regarding Behavioral Health Support for Students in Public Schools.
Summary: This bill sets student-to-clinical mental health provider and student-to-school counselor ratios for the purpose of the calculation of salary and benefit costs in the essential programs and services school funding formula.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session scheduled for 5/16 at 10:00am – Education & Cultural Affairs Committee.
LD 1606 An Act to Require Data Collection and Major Substantive Rulemaking for the Lifespan Waiver Providing Home and Community-based Services for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Related Conditions.
Summary: This bill requires the rulemaking for the lifespan waiver to be major substantive. Current law requires only the initial rulemaking to be major substantive. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to collect data related to unmet needs identified in individuals' personal plans and related to residential transitions between group homes, shared living and self-directed residential arrangements. The department is required to publish an annual report with the data on its publicly accessible website and submit the report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session scheduled for 5/14 at 1:30pm – – HHS Committee.
LD 1634 An Act Regarding MaineCare Waiting Lists.
Summary: This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to require that for any service covered under the MaineCare program, an individual enrolled in the MaineCare program may not be required to wait for services longer than 6 months from the time the services are requested. If at any time a provider's waiting list exceeds the 6-month waiting limit for those individuals, the department must submit to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters a corrective action plan to reduce waiting times within 3 months from the time the department becomes aware of this occurrence.
Current Status: Public Hearing held 4/23; Work Session 5/1 – HHS Committee voted ONTP.
Key Committees and Committee Members, with contact information, are also included in the Google Doc. As a reminder, if you can’t attend Public Hearings when they occur, I would encourage you to submit testimony online , ideally on or before the day of the hearing.
There is a lot of chaos going on – at every level. Please continue to raise your voice and tell your stories so that lawmakers can make good policy decisions on the needs of people with disabilities in Maine. It will continue to be a very busy, chaotic stretch but thank you for rallying and raising your voice over the next several months. We are all better for it.
Other Business: None.
The next meeting will be on Monday, June 9, 2025, 12-2:00pm, via Zoom*.
Featured Speaker and Topic: TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2025 the October meeting will be the 3rd Monday due to the holiday)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].