October 21, 2024
Minutes
Minutes
Attendees via Zoom: Dr, Megan Welter, Dr. Sandy Flacke, Rep. Grayson Lookner, Andrea Richards, Betsy Hopkins, Carol Snyder, Darla Chafin, David Cowing, Erin Frazier, J. Richardson Collins, Jeanette Plourde, Jen Hayward, Jennifer Frey, Jennifer Putnam, Julianne Zaharis, Karen, Kim Humphrey, Kimberly Holmes, Kristie Worster, Laura Cordes, Liz Burgess, Lucas Cuellar, Margaret Cardoza, Melissa Bliss, Rachel Dyer, Robin Levesque, Ruth Hughes, Ryan Gallant, Sara Fleurant, Shelley Zielinski, Stacy Lamontagne, Titus O’Rourke, Vickey Merrill, Cullen Ryan, a few people who joined after the meeting began and left prior to the conclusion of the meeting.
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted.
Featured Speakers: Dr. Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education, and Dr. Sandy Flacke, Deputy Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education/Part 619 Coordinator, Maine Department of Education (DOE). www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed Topic: An update on Maine’s plan to transition oversight of educational plans for preschool-aged children with disabilities from the Child Developmental Services (CDS) agency to the local public-school systems.
Cullen: I am pleased to welcome Dr. Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education, and Dr. Sandy Flacke, Deputy Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education/Part 619 Coordinator with the Maine Department of Education (DOE). Dr. Welter and Dr. Flacke will be providing an update on Maine’s plan to transition oversight of educational plans for preschool-aged children with disabilities from the Child Developmental Services (CDS) agency to the local public-school systems. Thank you both for being here and presenting this information!
Dr. Megan Welter: Before we get started, I want to introduce Erin Frazier, Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education. To begin the presentation, I’m going to review the progression of the Legislation regarding this (LD 345 and LD 2214).
Begin Presentation (Click here for the presentation)
Key for abbreviations in the presentation: CDS = Child Development Services; OSEP = Office of Special Education Programs (Federal); FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education; SAU = School Administrative Unit; ESSER ARP = Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief American Rescue Plan; MOU: Memorandum of Understanding; IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Dr. Welter: The language from LD 345 was duplicated in LD 2214 (the Governor’s Supplemental Budget), which spoke to this Administration’s support of changes to CDS. LD 2214 became Public Law in 2023. It was not an emergency bill, so it became law 90 days after adjournment – I mention this because the timing played a role. When people saw that LD 345 didn’t pass many were concerned but it was included in the Governor’s Supplemental Budget which did become Public Law.
The transition we’re talking about is asking our school districts to take on this responsibility not only for 4-year-olds, but 3-year-olds. Birth until age 3 will still fall under CDS.
The law recognizes that CDS has paid 100% of the costs for special education for these services. When thinking about funding people think of the State’s share and the local share. Over the years we’ve seen the local responsibility go up. The Department and Legislature recognized we’d want that funding level be at that 100% it’s been at. We’ve been working on a funding formula that will honor that as well as address youth who require more support (children with higher behavioral needs, etc.).
Dr. Sandy Flacke: As you can imagine this will take a huge team and a huge lift to implement.
Erin Frazier: We have been identifying and mapping our system of providers.
Dr. Flacke: We have been meeting with SAU representatives (cohort 1), gathering information, building up what they have/are doing, and assessing overall readiness to take on education for this age group.
Cullen: Thank you all, this is great!
Discussion:
-A provider asked if they could speak to the waitlist for services for this age group.
Erin: We’re monitoring that. There are no waitlists for birth to age 3. There are unmet needs for 3- to 5-year-olds. We have been working hard to provide any supports we can, meeting regularly with families, etc. The referral rates with CDS have increased. We’re working hard to expand and partner with SAUs to ensure these important services are provided to children prior to when they enter school. What we’re hearing from cohort 1 is the unimaginable joy at ensuring that the children in their communities are receiving what they need, which we’re excited to share in the near future.
Dr. Welter: The service needs are different all over the state, which makes this a complex question to answer.
Erin: We’re working on increasing speech therapists, school psychologists, etc. We’re looking at the data across the sites to identify those unmet needs.
Dr. Flacke: SAUs in cohort 1 reported that children were receiving their services and timelines were being met except for one school that unexpectedly had a speech therapist leave – but there’s already a plan in place for a new speech therapist to start.
-It was asked how the legislative changes ensure that the SAUs will choose to participate.
Erin: The SAUs must transition by the 4-year mark. Many SAUs have struggled with children not receiving services prior to entering school. This has been a situation that everyone has been aware of for years. Everyone has said this is the right thing to do – it’s a moral imperative. Now that this has become law, there is more incentive to ensure they’re ready to provide these services. The biggest concern, which is staffing cost, is fully covered by the State. The SAUs, teachers, etc. have been admirably jumping in to solve these issues. They haven’t worked with 3-year-olds before, but the success stories we’re hearing are flooring us. The work has been amazing. The incentive is the timeline and the fiscal support. We’re hoping the success the first cohort is experiencing will be motivating/incentivizing for others.
-A special purpose preschool owner asked if there’s extra funding to lease space – which has been an identified issue for people wanting to start but haven’t been able to in southern Maine/biggest districts.
Erin: CDS pays for all of the services for Portland Public School for this age group, even though they’re not in the cohort. Our big cities have complex issues going into this – we’re trying to understand the mixed delivery system. There’s a lot of collaboration taking place.
Dr. Welter: There was concern about timing in our biggest districts, primarily the movement of money and having authority for their School Board to accept the funding etc. That was one big hang-up with the enactment of the bill happening in late summer when budgets had already been figured out. There isn’t a specific line devoted to leased space – but that is something we’re looking at and that’s part of the discussion around the Revolving Renovation Fund.
Dr. Flacke: There is some interest in cohort 2 from some of the larger districts.
-A self-advocate stated that she’s glad to see such a thorough job in organizing this transition plan. She stated that she was a teacher for high-needs preschoolers and that the segregation was so engrained it was very difficult to integrate this population. She asked how this group is being included with their peers. She also asked if the schools are working on PTA-type groups.
Erin: We have a major inclusion initiative happening, which is why we changed our name to OSSIE, including pre-school aged children. Increasing inclusion throughout school is imperative and this work begins in preschool. In the preschool development grant, there is a subsection that requires inclusion. We are addressing inclusion, and we feel the same way. Regarding the PTA question, our schools are first working with families and standing up this programming. We’re encouraging great communication with family members.
Dr. Welter: What I’m hearing is: How do we ensure parents of children who have disabilities get to interact and work with parents of their children’s peers. That is absolutely a focus we centered the work around – least restrictive environment and inclusion. Right now, we have two separate systems, one for children with IEPs and one for children without IEPs. Right now, we’re trying to break down that wall.
Laura Cordes: I want to thank the Department for all of their work on this transition and redesign. Thank you for ensuring a daily rate for special purpose preschools – this is imperative for schools keeping their doors open. Through MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers) we represent about half the providers of special purpose preschools, and we’ve already seen exciting progress. I had one question about the 100% State funding, which is critical and got this over the finish line. I know we can’t speak to what things will look like five years from now, but does the state intend to continue this 100% funding long-term?
Erin: Yes. Currently the State pays 100% and the intent is for the State to continue this 100% funding level.
Laura: How would families who don’t have children already in the school system get connected?
Erin: I will say we have a specialist on our early learning team who supports mixed delivery programs. We’re working to strategically provide connections within the SAUs and cohort so they can start making those connections.
Dr. Flacke: It’s one of the first things we talk about when a district reaches out expressing interest in being in cohort 2 – these are the providers in your community/district this is who you would be working with etc.
-It was asked if they could speak to the students who had been underserved how the conversations went/are going regarding compensatory education (Comp Ed).
Erin: The way we’ve been dealing with Comp Ed is through CDS – they’re having compensatory education conversations.
-It was asked if the transition out of public education was referenced in the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) visit. IDEA requires two transitions: the transition into public schooling and out of public schooling.
Dr. Flacke: Yes, this was part of the review during their visit. There will not be a report from the OSEP for a few months.
Dr. Welter: Thank you for the opportunity to present on this today. This has been a wonderful collaboration. We all want the same thing, and we want to move mountains so that our kids can get the public education they need. The transition goes until July 1, 2028. We’re working on setting up systems so that this work only moves forward and doesn’t backslide.
Cullen: Thank you all for being here today and for sharing all of this information! This has been a monumental shift, and as with any large system change this will take some time, but this is a valiant undertaking and thank you for your work on it. It might be good for you to come back and provide updates on this as it’s progressing. Thank you all again for taking the time to be here today – 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
Betsy Hopkins: We are hoping to post the new Rate Study (Sections 18, 20, 21, 29, and proposed Lifespan) in mid-November – the rate study will be available for public comment for at least two weeks. Additionally, OADS and OMS (Office of MaineCare Services) are working to post a draft of the Lifespan waiver for at least 30 days later this fall/early winter. This will include the proposed new services in the Lifespan waiver as well as the proposed rates.
-Lifespan Provider Readiness Project - Kickoff Meeting: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) and the National Disability Institute in a presentation and QA session regarding the start of the Lifespan Provider Readiness Project.
The project will provide technical assistance to providers in anticipation of the waiver, which may include stipends to qualified provider applicants. The goal will be to support a cohort of providers who commit to offering services under the proposed Lifespan Waiver; for them to be fully licensed, onboarded and approved by the Lifespan start date. Lifespan is estimated to start in later 2025.
We invite you to attend this session to learn about the project, and to ask questions. The meeting will be recorded for reference, and the presentation slides and the meeting recording will be available on the Lifespan Provider web page following the meeting.
All attendees are required to register for the session using the link below. A link to join the Zoom session will be sent to your email after you have registered.
Date/Time: October 31, 2024, 1:00-2:30 PM
Registration Link: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMof-ioqzMvHdKtw6nsEU_J6yEoMVX44bE4
If you need an accommodation, such as real time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL) or other language interpretation, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected]
The opportunity for providers to apply for those grants/supports will occur right after the kickoff meeting.
-Maine Innovation Summit May 19 and 20, 2025, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland – Announcing Keynote Speakers:
The State of Maine, Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Aging and Disability Services announces its keynote speakers for the 2025 Innovation Summit May 19-20, 2025, in Portland, Maine. This state and national-level conference will provide a chance to showcase innovations in delivery of services for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or autism as well as those with conditions such as cerebral palsy, or seizure disorder, or other similar conditions. It will also feature a Tech Expo with vendor exhibits, and assistive technology demos where people can try out new equipment.
Keynote Speaker Monday May 19th: Hope Dittmeier, Executive Director of Mattingly Edge, Service provider in Louisville, KY.
Topic: Choosing the Leading Edge of Innovation
Mattingly Edge has transformed itself into an agency supporting people to live their best lives based on a person’s goals and support needs - without a building. Hope will provide concrete examples of how her organization accomplishes this and will share the positive benefits that have been derived from their practice – for the people they support, for the people working at the agency, and for the community.
Bio: Hope Leet Dittmeier earned a master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1983 and continues to be a lifelong learner. Her 40-year career has focused on helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities access the good things in life that are typically denied to marginalized people – homes of their own, good jobs, a robust network of family and friends. Hope has served in a variety of roles including family member, Personal Futures Planning Facilitator, Regional Administrator, Early Interventionist, Family Support Specialist, trainer, and Executive Director. Hope developed an SRV-derived curriculum for practitioners, Endeavor for Excellence, that she taught in Ireland for three years. Her proudest accomplishment is leading the transition of a large, congregated adult day program into a service that only provides individualized, customized support that empowers disabled people to live typical lifestyles. She was recently honored to receive the Nonprofit Visionary Leadership Award in Louisville. Hope is a fierce advocate for full inclusion. When not working, Hope’s favorite thing to do is to spend time with her five-year-old grandson, Axl.
Keynote Speaker Tuesday May 20th: Stacy DiStefano, CEO of Consulting for Human Services, Inc.
Topic: Innovation and Managing Change in Human Services
Bio: Stacy DiStefano is a seasoned Human Services Executive with extensive experience as a mental health clinician, business strategist, and operations leader. As a trained solution focused therapist, and a trusted strategic advisor, Stacy is a passionate leader who built a career inspiring teams as VP of Innovation for Resources for Human Development, COO of Open Minds, and COO of Chimes International. Stacy has led high revenue multi-state service lines, including behavioral health, substance use disorder, intellectual developmental disabilities, autism, and supported housing.
In addition to leading CFHS, Stacy is an Advisory Board member for RxDiet, Floreo, and Bluebird Leaders. Stacy holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology, and a Master’s in Counseling, and is a highly regarded public speaker, and board and executive team facilitator.
More about the Summit:
-A provider stated that “at least two weeks” is a startling timeframe to comment on the rates.
Betsy: We’re in a tight timeframe with that because we have to have the public comments and complete them within the context of the Lifespan waiver. We’re required to provide two weeks, and I have no doubt people will have more time, but this is part of a domino effect.
Cullen: Thank you for being here and for providing all of this information, Betsy!
DHHS – Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS), Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs - No Update
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr - No Update
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed
Titus O’Rourke: I speak to Transition Maine, which speaks to students’ transition plans which start as early as age 14. I am working one-on-one with the SAUs to develop their transition framework. We’re looking at opportunities to review/expand our data but apparently that will take a lot of legwork and legislative movement. We are meeting with other states to see how their B-14 initiatives can inform our B-13 indicators, as B-14 results speak directly to how well B-13 indicators perform.
(B-13: Quality Transition Individualized Education Program (IEP) Indicator. B-14: Post-School Outcomes Transition Indicator. Asks four major questions around students’ participation in post-secondary opportunities whether that’s working or education: For students who are successful, did school help and how? For students who aren’t successful, could school have done anything different/better? What kinds of supports do young adults need most after high school? What changes are needed to better support students, families, schools, agencies)
Last year, the Transition Maine initiative had its first inaugural I Belong Summit. We had close to 200 students participate. This year the plan is to expand that, hosting it in Lewiston as well as Aroostook County. Within five years we hope to host these summits at every community college. The Summit is an opportunity for students to explore, but it also allows providers a chance to learn so that they can better assist with student-led transition plans.
-A self-advocate stated that nothing is more powerful than having a student who previously graduated share their progress and experience.
Titus: We have the Executive Student Transition (EST) Committee, comprised of students ages 10 to 26 years old, that all have voice and guide the work within Transition Maine. They plan it, I just support it. If you have students you would like to participate: Peer advocates can only be paid for the day ($150 for the day of, with setup the day before); our self-advocates they can join the EST Committee, but they have to be interviewed by the students – they are paid $24/hour for up to 20 hours/month.
-A self-advocate stated that all of this is wonderful.
Titus: The Inclusion Symposium is this Wednesday to further develop their inclusion frameworks. The Inclusion Conference will be in April. The PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) Conference is taking place in November and registration has opened.
Cullen: Thank you, Titus, for being here and for sharing these updates!
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Lucas Cuellar: We continue to do outreach and monitoring, to residential and nonresidential settings (especially in light of the Lee case discussed at last month’s meeting).
-It was asked if Lucas could speak to the Blue Envelope program (Blue Envelope Program was designed to help build a relationship between Law Enforcement Professionals and community members with a disability or condition where additional accommodations or awareness could be helpful.)
Lucas: What you’re talking about is personally very interesting to me. I’ll bring this back to my colleagues at DRM, and I would love to speak with you about it.
Jeanette: The interaction between School Resource Officers and students is slightly different but it is still challenging and avenues to explore how to better these relationships would be great. I look forward to discussing this with you both further.
-A parent stated that other community members would benefit from additional support in light of the Lee case (a case of very significant abuse reported in the Bangor Daily News and discussed at last month’s meeting which details).
Betsy: I totally hear you. We’ve heard from many families around the state about their deep concerns. I’ll say that the Department’s response right now has been really focused on the situation there and supporting the individuals and families there in a variety of different ways, as well as taking a look at what the situation was and our system response. We want to open up something more to individuals and families, which would be our next step later this year. I know it doesn’t feel like it’s enough but we’re trying to be planful about how we approach this situation.
Cullen: I’m hoping you could clarify – by the end of this year you mean like November/December?
Betsy: Yes, by the end of this calendar year.
Lucas: I will need to circle back to this, but we are in conversation with the Sexual Assault Response Centers to provide support for people that need it, I think beyond the sort of typical response when people call about sexual assault (SA), to expand their support/response more broadly. This is a moment for coalition building; I would love to see families get together and have that space to talk together.
Cullen: We could use November’s Coalition meeting as a venue to have that conversation and an in-depth, therapeutic discussion around this, if it’s the will of the group.
Laura: MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers), DRM, MECASA (Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault), and SUFU (Speaking Up for Us) are all looking at SA/SA response in the ID/DD community. Having that update in this group would be great. If there are additional resources that might be needed, the Coalition is a great group to brainstorm. I’m hoping that the Department will be able to share what they’ve learned once the legal case has closed.
-A parent stated that she is in the process of filing a case against a hospital due to their unnecessary/cruel restraint and abuse of her daughter (restraining her hands when she is nonverbal and requires her hands to communicate, as one example) while in their care. She urged people to do everything they can and advocate for everything they can for their loved ones, as it’s apparent that there is still a long way to go for adequate, compassionate care for people with disabilities in the healthcare system. The group collectively expressed their devastation/anger at this terrible revelation and offered support to the parent.
Cullen: I had a dream just last night regarding my son and something similar and knowing that these cruel practices are happening is truly terrifying. Thank you all for this difficult, important discussion. Though the subject matter is hard to talk about, we will continue these dialogues at future meetings so that we can continue to work towards a system of care that treats people with disabilities with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
State Legislature Update:
Laura Cordes – MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers): Cloture will be in mid-to-late December- which is when bills must be filed. There is an effort this year to prevent legislators from filing placeholders (concept drafts). There is a budget-deficit projected of close to a billion dollars (General Fund & Highway Fund combined). When the Legislature resumes, they will be planning the Biennial Budget. The Department has indicated their concern with being able to fund/sustain the new rates being proposed as well as the codified rates system. That’s a long way of saying it’s unknown if there will be funding for cost-of-living adjustments, rate adjustments, wage increase, waitlists, etc.
Cullen: This means that bills with fiscal notes will not be sitting well.
Cullen: As this group knows, the entire 132nd Legislature will be elected in November. Every seat in the Legislature is up for election/re-election with about 1/3 of seats expected to turn over. Please reach out to candidates running for office, continue to raise your voice and tell your stories so that people elected to the Legislature are educated on the needs of people with disabilities in Maine and well-poised to make good decisions in the 132nd Legislature. Sharing personal stories is the most effective forms of advocacy and is essential to ensure we move the needle forward. Thank you all!
Other Business: None
The next meeting will be on ***Monday, November 18, 2024, 12-2:00pm, *** via Zoom*.
***Please note this is the third Monday of the month due to the holiday***
Featured Speaker and Topic: TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2024 the October and November meetings will be the 3rd Monday due to the holidays)
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].
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted.
Featured Speakers: Dr. Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education, and Dr. Sandy Flacke, Deputy Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education/Part 619 Coordinator, Maine Department of Education (DOE). www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed Topic: An update on Maine’s plan to transition oversight of educational plans for preschool-aged children with disabilities from the Child Developmental Services (CDS) agency to the local public-school systems.
Cullen: I am pleased to welcome Dr. Megan Welter, Associate Commissioner of Public Education, and Dr. Sandy Flacke, Deputy Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education/Part 619 Coordinator with the Maine Department of Education (DOE). Dr. Welter and Dr. Flacke will be providing an update on Maine’s plan to transition oversight of educational plans for preschool-aged children with disabilities from the Child Developmental Services (CDS) agency to the local public-school systems. Thank you both for being here and presenting this information!
Dr. Megan Welter: Before we get started, I want to introduce Erin Frazier, Director of the Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education. To begin the presentation, I’m going to review the progression of the Legislation regarding this (LD 345 and LD 2214).
Begin Presentation (Click here for the presentation)
Key for abbreviations in the presentation: CDS = Child Development Services; OSEP = Office of Special Education Programs (Federal); FAPE: Free Appropriate Public Education; SAU = School Administrative Unit; ESSER ARP = Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief American Rescue Plan; MOU: Memorandum of Understanding; IDEA = Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Dr. Welter: The language from LD 345 was duplicated in LD 2214 (the Governor’s Supplemental Budget), which spoke to this Administration’s support of changes to CDS. LD 2214 became Public Law in 2023. It was not an emergency bill, so it became law 90 days after adjournment – I mention this because the timing played a role. When people saw that LD 345 didn’t pass many were concerned but it was included in the Governor’s Supplemental Budget which did become Public Law.
The transition we’re talking about is asking our school districts to take on this responsibility not only for 4-year-olds, but 3-year-olds. Birth until age 3 will still fall under CDS.
The law recognizes that CDS has paid 100% of the costs for special education for these services. When thinking about funding people think of the State’s share and the local share. Over the years we’ve seen the local responsibility go up. The Department and Legislature recognized we’d want that funding level be at that 100% it’s been at. We’ve been working on a funding formula that will honor that as well as address youth who require more support (children with higher behavioral needs, etc.).
Dr. Sandy Flacke: As you can imagine this will take a huge team and a huge lift to implement.
Erin Frazier: We have been identifying and mapping our system of providers.
Dr. Flacke: We have been meeting with SAU representatives (cohort 1), gathering information, building up what they have/are doing, and assessing overall readiness to take on education for this age group.
Cullen: Thank you all, this is great!
Discussion:
-A provider asked if they could speak to the waitlist for services for this age group.
Erin: We’re monitoring that. There are no waitlists for birth to age 3. There are unmet needs for 3- to 5-year-olds. We have been working hard to provide any supports we can, meeting regularly with families, etc. The referral rates with CDS have increased. We’re working hard to expand and partner with SAUs to ensure these important services are provided to children prior to when they enter school. What we’re hearing from cohort 1 is the unimaginable joy at ensuring that the children in their communities are receiving what they need, which we’re excited to share in the near future.
Dr. Welter: The service needs are different all over the state, which makes this a complex question to answer.
Erin: We’re working on increasing speech therapists, school psychologists, etc. We’re looking at the data across the sites to identify those unmet needs.
Dr. Flacke: SAUs in cohort 1 reported that children were receiving their services and timelines were being met except for one school that unexpectedly had a speech therapist leave – but there’s already a plan in place for a new speech therapist to start.
-It was asked how the legislative changes ensure that the SAUs will choose to participate.
Erin: The SAUs must transition by the 4-year mark. Many SAUs have struggled with children not receiving services prior to entering school. This has been a situation that everyone has been aware of for years. Everyone has said this is the right thing to do – it’s a moral imperative. Now that this has become law, there is more incentive to ensure they’re ready to provide these services. The biggest concern, which is staffing cost, is fully covered by the State. The SAUs, teachers, etc. have been admirably jumping in to solve these issues. They haven’t worked with 3-year-olds before, but the success stories we’re hearing are flooring us. The work has been amazing. The incentive is the timeline and the fiscal support. We’re hoping the success the first cohort is experiencing will be motivating/incentivizing for others.
-A special purpose preschool owner asked if there’s extra funding to lease space – which has been an identified issue for people wanting to start but haven’t been able to in southern Maine/biggest districts.
Erin: CDS pays for all of the services for Portland Public School for this age group, even though they’re not in the cohort. Our big cities have complex issues going into this – we’re trying to understand the mixed delivery system. There’s a lot of collaboration taking place.
Dr. Welter: There was concern about timing in our biggest districts, primarily the movement of money and having authority for their School Board to accept the funding etc. That was one big hang-up with the enactment of the bill happening in late summer when budgets had already been figured out. There isn’t a specific line devoted to leased space – but that is something we’re looking at and that’s part of the discussion around the Revolving Renovation Fund.
Dr. Flacke: There is some interest in cohort 2 from some of the larger districts.
-A self-advocate stated that she’s glad to see such a thorough job in organizing this transition plan. She stated that she was a teacher for high-needs preschoolers and that the segregation was so engrained it was very difficult to integrate this population. She asked how this group is being included with their peers. She also asked if the schools are working on PTA-type groups.
Erin: We have a major inclusion initiative happening, which is why we changed our name to OSSIE, including pre-school aged children. Increasing inclusion throughout school is imperative and this work begins in preschool. In the preschool development grant, there is a subsection that requires inclusion. We are addressing inclusion, and we feel the same way. Regarding the PTA question, our schools are first working with families and standing up this programming. We’re encouraging great communication with family members.
Dr. Welter: What I’m hearing is: How do we ensure parents of children who have disabilities get to interact and work with parents of their children’s peers. That is absolutely a focus we centered the work around – least restrictive environment and inclusion. Right now, we have two separate systems, one for children with IEPs and one for children without IEPs. Right now, we’re trying to break down that wall.
Laura Cordes: I want to thank the Department for all of their work on this transition and redesign. Thank you for ensuring a daily rate for special purpose preschools – this is imperative for schools keeping their doors open. Through MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers) we represent about half the providers of special purpose preschools, and we’ve already seen exciting progress. I had one question about the 100% State funding, which is critical and got this over the finish line. I know we can’t speak to what things will look like five years from now, but does the state intend to continue this 100% funding long-term?
Erin: Yes. Currently the State pays 100% and the intent is for the State to continue this 100% funding level.
Laura: How would families who don’t have children already in the school system get connected?
Erin: I will say we have a specialist on our early learning team who supports mixed delivery programs. We’re working to strategically provide connections within the SAUs and cohort so they can start making those connections.
Dr. Flacke: It’s one of the first things we talk about when a district reaches out expressing interest in being in cohort 2 – these are the providers in your community/district this is who you would be working with etc.
-It was asked if they could speak to the students who had been underserved how the conversations went/are going regarding compensatory education (Comp Ed).
Erin: The way we’ve been dealing with Comp Ed is through CDS – they’re having compensatory education conversations.
-It was asked if the transition out of public education was referenced in the federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) visit. IDEA requires two transitions: the transition into public schooling and out of public schooling.
Dr. Flacke: Yes, this was part of the review during their visit. There will not be a report from the OSEP for a few months.
Dr. Welter: Thank you for the opportunity to present on this today. This has been a wonderful collaboration. We all want the same thing, and we want to move mountains so that our kids can get the public education they need. The transition goes until July 1, 2028. We’re working on setting up systems so that this work only moves forward and doesn’t backslide.
Cullen: Thank you all for being here today and for sharing all of this information! This has been a monumental shift, and as with any large system change this will take some time, but this is a valiant undertaking and thank you for your work on it. It might be good for you to come back and provide updates on this as it’s progressing. Thank you all again for taking the time to be here today – 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
Betsy Hopkins: We are hoping to post the new Rate Study (Sections 18, 20, 21, 29, and proposed Lifespan) in mid-November – the rate study will be available for public comment for at least two weeks. Additionally, OADS and OMS (Office of MaineCare Services) are working to post a draft of the Lifespan waiver for at least 30 days later this fall/early winter. This will include the proposed new services in the Lifespan waiver as well as the proposed rates.
-Lifespan Provider Readiness Project - Kickoff Meeting: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) and the National Disability Institute in a presentation and QA session regarding the start of the Lifespan Provider Readiness Project.
The project will provide technical assistance to providers in anticipation of the waiver, which may include stipends to qualified provider applicants. The goal will be to support a cohort of providers who commit to offering services under the proposed Lifespan Waiver; for them to be fully licensed, onboarded and approved by the Lifespan start date. Lifespan is estimated to start in later 2025.
We invite you to attend this session to learn about the project, and to ask questions. The meeting will be recorded for reference, and the presentation slides and the meeting recording will be available on the Lifespan Provider web page following the meeting.
All attendees are required to register for the session using the link below. A link to join the Zoom session will be sent to your email after you have registered.
Date/Time: October 31, 2024, 1:00-2:30 PM
Registration Link: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMof-ioqzMvHdKtw6nsEU_J6yEoMVX44bE4
If you need an accommodation, such as real time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL) or other language interpretation, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected]
The opportunity for providers to apply for those grants/supports will occur right after the kickoff meeting.
-Maine Innovation Summit May 19 and 20, 2025, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland – Announcing Keynote Speakers:
The State of Maine, Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Aging and Disability Services announces its keynote speakers for the 2025 Innovation Summit May 19-20, 2025, in Portland, Maine. This state and national-level conference will provide a chance to showcase innovations in delivery of services for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities or autism as well as those with conditions such as cerebral palsy, or seizure disorder, or other similar conditions. It will also feature a Tech Expo with vendor exhibits, and assistive technology demos where people can try out new equipment.
Keynote Speaker Monday May 19th: Hope Dittmeier, Executive Director of Mattingly Edge, Service provider in Louisville, KY.
Topic: Choosing the Leading Edge of Innovation
Mattingly Edge has transformed itself into an agency supporting people to live their best lives based on a person’s goals and support needs - without a building. Hope will provide concrete examples of how her organization accomplishes this and will share the positive benefits that have been derived from their practice – for the people they support, for the people working at the agency, and for the community.
Bio: Hope Leet Dittmeier earned a master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling in 1983 and continues to be a lifelong learner. Her 40-year career has focused on helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities access the good things in life that are typically denied to marginalized people – homes of their own, good jobs, a robust network of family and friends. Hope has served in a variety of roles including family member, Personal Futures Planning Facilitator, Regional Administrator, Early Interventionist, Family Support Specialist, trainer, and Executive Director. Hope developed an SRV-derived curriculum for practitioners, Endeavor for Excellence, that she taught in Ireland for three years. Her proudest accomplishment is leading the transition of a large, congregated adult day program into a service that only provides individualized, customized support that empowers disabled people to live typical lifestyles. She was recently honored to receive the Nonprofit Visionary Leadership Award in Louisville. Hope is a fierce advocate for full inclusion. When not working, Hope’s favorite thing to do is to spend time with her five-year-old grandson, Axl.
Keynote Speaker Tuesday May 20th: Stacy DiStefano, CEO of Consulting for Human Services, Inc.
Topic: Innovation and Managing Change in Human Services
Bio: Stacy DiStefano is a seasoned Human Services Executive with extensive experience as a mental health clinician, business strategist, and operations leader. As a trained solution focused therapist, and a trusted strategic advisor, Stacy is a passionate leader who built a career inspiring teams as VP of Innovation for Resources for Human Development, COO of Open Minds, and COO of Chimes International. Stacy has led high revenue multi-state service lines, including behavioral health, substance use disorder, intellectual developmental disabilities, autism, and supported housing.
In addition to leading CFHS, Stacy is an Advisory Board member for RxDiet, Floreo, and Bluebird Leaders. Stacy holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology, and a Master’s in Counseling, and is a highly regarded public speaker, and board and executive team facilitator.
More about the Summit:
- The Call for Papers process is now open. Information and the proposal submission form can be found at https://www.innovationsummitme.com/speak . The submission deadline is October 31,
- Attendee registration is expected to open in January 2025.
- If you would like to be on the mailing list for potential presenters, vendors, or attendees, or have questions please email: [email protected].
-A provider stated that “at least two weeks” is a startling timeframe to comment on the rates.
Betsy: We’re in a tight timeframe with that because we have to have the public comments and complete them within the context of the Lifespan waiver. We’re required to provide two weeks, and I have no doubt people will have more time, but this is part of a domino effect.
Cullen: Thank you for being here and for providing all of this information, Betsy!
DHHS – Children’s Behavioral Health Services (CBHS), Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs - No Update
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr - No Update
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed
Titus O’Rourke: I speak to Transition Maine, which speaks to students’ transition plans which start as early as age 14. I am working one-on-one with the SAUs to develop their transition framework. We’re looking at opportunities to review/expand our data but apparently that will take a lot of legwork and legislative movement. We are meeting with other states to see how their B-14 initiatives can inform our B-13 indicators, as B-14 results speak directly to how well B-13 indicators perform.
(B-13: Quality Transition Individualized Education Program (IEP) Indicator. B-14: Post-School Outcomes Transition Indicator. Asks four major questions around students’ participation in post-secondary opportunities whether that’s working or education: For students who are successful, did school help and how? For students who aren’t successful, could school have done anything different/better? What kinds of supports do young adults need most after high school? What changes are needed to better support students, families, schools, agencies)
Last year, the Transition Maine initiative had its first inaugural I Belong Summit. We had close to 200 students participate. This year the plan is to expand that, hosting it in Lewiston as well as Aroostook County. Within five years we hope to host these summits at every community college. The Summit is an opportunity for students to explore, but it also allows providers a chance to learn so that they can better assist with student-led transition plans.
-A self-advocate stated that nothing is more powerful than having a student who previously graduated share their progress and experience.
Titus: We have the Executive Student Transition (EST) Committee, comprised of students ages 10 to 26 years old, that all have voice and guide the work within Transition Maine. They plan it, I just support it. If you have students you would like to participate: Peer advocates can only be paid for the day ($150 for the day of, with setup the day before); our self-advocates they can join the EST Committee, but they have to be interviewed by the students – they are paid $24/hour for up to 20 hours/month.
-A self-advocate stated that all of this is wonderful.
Titus: The Inclusion Symposium is this Wednesday to further develop their inclusion frameworks. The Inclusion Conference will be in April. The PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention System) Conference is taking place in November and registration has opened.
Cullen: Thank you, Titus, for being here and for sharing these updates!
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Lucas Cuellar: We continue to do outreach and monitoring, to residential and nonresidential settings (especially in light of the Lee case discussed at last month’s meeting).
-It was asked if Lucas could speak to the Blue Envelope program (Blue Envelope Program was designed to help build a relationship between Law Enforcement Professionals and community members with a disability or condition where additional accommodations or awareness could be helpful.)
Lucas: What you’re talking about is personally very interesting to me. I’ll bring this back to my colleagues at DRM, and I would love to speak with you about it.
Jeanette: The interaction between School Resource Officers and students is slightly different but it is still challenging and avenues to explore how to better these relationships would be great. I look forward to discussing this with you both further.
-A parent stated that other community members would benefit from additional support in light of the Lee case (a case of very significant abuse reported in the Bangor Daily News and discussed at last month’s meeting which details).
Betsy: I totally hear you. We’ve heard from many families around the state about their deep concerns. I’ll say that the Department’s response right now has been really focused on the situation there and supporting the individuals and families there in a variety of different ways, as well as taking a look at what the situation was and our system response. We want to open up something more to individuals and families, which would be our next step later this year. I know it doesn’t feel like it’s enough but we’re trying to be planful about how we approach this situation.
Cullen: I’m hoping you could clarify – by the end of this year you mean like November/December?
Betsy: Yes, by the end of this calendar year.
Lucas: I will need to circle back to this, but we are in conversation with the Sexual Assault Response Centers to provide support for people that need it, I think beyond the sort of typical response when people call about sexual assault (SA), to expand their support/response more broadly. This is a moment for coalition building; I would love to see families get together and have that space to talk together.
Cullen: We could use November’s Coalition meeting as a venue to have that conversation and an in-depth, therapeutic discussion around this, if it’s the will of the group.
Laura: MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers), DRM, MECASA (Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault), and SUFU (Speaking Up for Us) are all looking at SA/SA response in the ID/DD community. Having that update in this group would be great. If there are additional resources that might be needed, the Coalition is a great group to brainstorm. I’m hoping that the Department will be able to share what they’ve learned once the legal case has closed.
-A parent stated that she is in the process of filing a case against a hospital due to their unnecessary/cruel restraint and abuse of her daughter (restraining her hands when she is nonverbal and requires her hands to communicate, as one example) while in their care. She urged people to do everything they can and advocate for everything they can for their loved ones, as it’s apparent that there is still a long way to go for adequate, compassionate care for people with disabilities in the healthcare system. The group collectively expressed their devastation/anger at this terrible revelation and offered support to the parent.
Cullen: I had a dream just last night regarding my son and something similar and knowing that these cruel practices are happening is truly terrifying. Thank you all for this difficult, important discussion. Though the subject matter is hard to talk about, we will continue these dialogues at future meetings so that we can continue to work towards a system of care that treats people with disabilities with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
- HR 7024 The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act – On 8/1, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (formerly S 1557/ HR 3238 The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act) was brought to the Senate floor for a vote, and it failed to pass. The legislation passed the House of Representatives earlier this year by a wide bipartisan vote of 357 to 70. The provisions in H.R. 7024 would finance the construction of over 200,000 new affordable homes nationwide. As a result, these provisions would finance 1,500 new rental homes in Maine generating new jobs throughout Maine.
- FY 25 Budget – Congress passed, and the President signed a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that extends funding for the federal government until 12/20 and includes minimal needed spending adjustments for certain programs to ensure they receive adequate funding to operate for the duration of the CR (known as “anomalies”). Congress will have to negotiate final FY 25 spending prior to the expiration of this CR. Advocates are requesting the highest funding increases possible for programs related to housing.
- House T-HUD Bill: On 7/10 the House Appropriations Committee passed its proposal to cut funding for HUD programs in FY 25 spending bill. Overall, the proposal would fund HUD at $73.2 billion – $2.3 billion, or about 3%, less than the FY 24 funding level. No housing-related amendments were passed.
- Senate T-HUD Bill: In August, the Senate’s THUD Appropriations Committee approved its FY 25 draft spending bill. Overall, the bill provides $78.2 billion for HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs, an increase of $8.2 billion – or more than 10% – over FY24-enacted levels. The bill proposes:
- $35.3B for $2.9B increase for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program ($2.9B increase vs FY 24 and $3 billion more than the funding proposed in the House THUD bill). The funding provided may be sufficient to cover the full cost of renewing existing TBRA voucher contracts.
- Increased funding for: Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), and Section 202 Housing for the Elderly.
- The American Housing and Economic Mobility (AHEM) Act of 2024 – Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) reintroduced the American Housing and Economic Mobility (AHEM) Act in the Senate and House on 7/9. The bill would provide the large-scale investments required to construct nearly 3 million new units of affordable housing. If enacted, the AHEM Act would provide:
- More than $44 billion dollars in the national Housing Trust Fund (HTF) annually for 10 years, resulting in $445 billion in total investments to build, repair, and operate nearly 2 million homes for households with low incomes.
- More than $1 billion in the construction of new rental housing and homeownership opportunities in rural communities.
- S 570/H.R. 1342, Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2023 – Introduced by Senator Cardin, this bill requires state Medicaid programs to cover dental and oral health services for adults. It also increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for such services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must develop oral health quality and equity measures and conduct outreach relating to such coverage. Additionally, the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report on specified information relating to adult oral health care.
- S 2767/HR 5408 SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act – This bipartisan, bicameral bill was reintroduced in the Senate and House. The bill will 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. After advocacy from Maine Senator Collins signed on to this bill.
- HR 7055 The Eliminating the Marriage Penalty in SSI Act (EMPSA) – This bill excludes a spouse's income and resources when determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and disregards marital status when calculating the SSI benefit amount, for an adult who has a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability. (SSI is a federal income supplement program designed to help aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet basic needs.).
- S 1557/ HR 3238 The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act – Senator Angus King cosponsored bipartisan legislation to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country – including thousands in Maine. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to provide more homes for low-income people, support small businesses trying to attract workers, and fill the state’s gap of more than 20,000 affordable housing units. It appears this bill has strong bipartisan support, increasing its likelihood for passage.
- S 1332 / HR 2941 The Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act – The Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act would give a standard occupational classification to Direct Support Professionals, an important first step toward professionalizing this career and improving salaries and training. The Senate passed this bill the week of 5/6. The House has yet to approve its companion bill.
- S4120 / HR 7994 The Long-term Care Workforce Support Act – This bill would increase FMAP and offer grants to all DSPs and caregivers for the elderly and for people with I/DD and autism. VOR worked with members of the Senate Aging and Disability Policy Committee and other peer organizations to improve this bill from its original form. It is not perfect, and it contains one major flaw to which we continue to object (the permanent reauthorization of the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program) but we will continue to work to improve this bill and remove its flaws.
- HR 7267 Disability Community Act of 2023 – This bill would amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide a temporary higher Federal medical assistance percentage for Federal expenditures under the Medicaid program that are associated with the cost of compliance with certain Federal regulations with respect to services furnished in certain intermediate care facilities or home and community-based services furnished to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- S 7302 The Credit for Caregiving Act of 2024 (Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO)) – This bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a nonrefundable credit for working family caregivers. In the case of an eligible caregiver, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable year an amount equal to 30 percent of the qualified expenses paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year to the extent that such expenses exceed $2,000. The tax credit does not exceed $5,000 per year.
- HR 3380 - HEADs UP Act of 2023 (Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA)) – This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to support health centers that provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities, including dental care. Grant recipients must provide specialized treatment to individuals with developmental disabilities, as necessary.
- HR 553 Workplace Choice and Flexibility for Individuals with Disabilities Act (Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6)) – This bill would amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to clarify the definition of competitive integrated employment.
- HR 1296 Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act (Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6)) – To amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure workplace choice and opportunity for young adults with disabilities.
State Legislature Update:
Laura Cordes – MACSP (Maine Association for Community Service Providers): Cloture will be in mid-to-late December- which is when bills must be filed. There is an effort this year to prevent legislators from filing placeholders (concept drafts). There is a budget-deficit projected of close to a billion dollars (General Fund & Highway Fund combined). When the Legislature resumes, they will be planning the Biennial Budget. The Department has indicated their concern with being able to fund/sustain the new rates being proposed as well as the codified rates system. That’s a long way of saying it’s unknown if there will be funding for cost-of-living adjustments, rate adjustments, wage increase, waitlists, etc.
Cullen: This means that bills with fiscal notes will not be sitting well.
Cullen: As this group knows, the entire 132nd Legislature will be elected in November. Every seat in the Legislature is up for election/re-election with about 1/3 of seats expected to turn over. Please reach out to candidates running for office, continue to raise your voice and tell your stories so that people elected to the Legislature are educated on the needs of people with disabilities in Maine and well-poised to make good decisions in the 132nd Legislature. Sharing personal stories is the most effective forms of advocacy and is essential to ensure we move the needle forward. Thank you all!
Other Business: None
The next meeting will be on ***Monday, November 18, 2024, 12-2:00pm, *** via Zoom*.
***Please note this is the third Monday of the month due to the holiday***
Featured Speaker and Topic: TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2024 the October and November meetings will be the 3rd Monday due to the holidays)
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].