The Department of Mental Retardation creates innovative opportunities for individuals with mental retardation to participate fully and meaningfully in their communities as valued members. The Department provides residential, day, work, family and individual support, and transportation services to more than 24,000 individuals.

Objectives

In Fiscal Year 1999, additional funding will allow the Department to serve up to 415 families and individuals currently on the waiting list for day and residential services. This is the second year of a three-year plan that was implemented by the Weld/Cellucci Administration to increase consumer access to these services.

In addition, a significant portion of the waiting list for day and residential services is made up of individuals who have turned 22 years of age, thus becoming ineligible for the Department of Education's special education programs. Additional expansion funding will allow the Department to provide day and residential services to 160 of the most needy of those individuals who turn 22 years of age during Fiscal Year 1999, and who would not otherwise receive state-sponsored day or residential services. The Administration is also recommending expansion funding targeted at those Turning 22 individuals who are not deemed most needy, but who would otherwise go on the waiting list for services; this funding will allow the Department to provide day programs to approximately 290 new consumers.

Budget Recommendations

The Fiscal Year 1999 budget recommendation includes four expansion items: 1) a $5 million increase for day and residential services targeted for individuals and families currently on the waiting list; 2) an increase of $4.4 million in the Turning 22 account to allow the Department to provide services to the 160 most needy individuals who turn 22 years of age during Fiscal Year 1999; 3) a $2.55 million increase, also in the Turning 22 account, to allow the Department to provide day programs to 290 Turning 22 individuals who would otherwise be placed on the waiting list for services; and 4) a $100,000 retained revenue account that will allow the Department to expend revenues from the sale of milk and other farm-related products at the Templeton Developmental Center. The cost of the new waiting list and Turning 22 services will be partially offset by an associated $4.78 million increase in federal Medicaid reimbursement revenue.

In addition, these recommendations include $6 million to improve salaries for the Department's lowest paid, contracted, direct care workers. In Fiscal Year 1998, this funding was appropriated as part of a reserve account in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

These recommendations also include six account consolidations to promote administrative efficiency: 1) the community-based adult day and work program account (5920-2025) will be consolidated into the residential and day community-based program account (5920-2000); 2) the community-based adult health services account (5920-2040) will be consolidated into the state-operated community-based adult residential programs account (5920-2010); 3) the school-related residential account (5920-8010) will be consolidated into the children and adolescent services account (5920-8000); 4) the account (5911-9999) that funded personnel "chargeback" costs, including workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and various health insurance costs will be consolidated into the Department's administration account (5911-1000); 5) the fuel account (5911-7777) will be consolidated into the state-operated community-based adult health services account (5920-2010) and the facility account (5930-1000); and 6) the transportation account (5911-2000) will be consolidated into the community support services account (5920-1000) and the residential and day community-based program account (5920-2000). To better reflect the Department's funding consolidations, the account structure in Fiscal Year 1999 will be as follows:

Fiscal Year 1999 Spending in Fiscal Year 1998 Account Structure

FY99 Account Structure			FY98 Account Structure
5911-1000	DMR Administration	17,519,064	5911-1000	5,658,589
			5911-9999	11,860,475
5920-1000	Community Support Services	59,259,724	5911-2000	19,205,536
			5920-1000	40,054,188
5920-2000	Residential, Day, and Work Community Programs	386,756,345	5911-2000	6,107,322
			5920-2000	305,492,023
			5920-2025	75,157,000
5920-2010	State-Operated Community Residential Services	85,198,490	5911-7777	1,143,342
			5920-2010	72,993,135
			5920-2040	11,062,013
5920-8000	Child and Adolescent Community Services	5,492,002	5920-8000	4,992,002
			5920-8010	500,000
5930-1000	State Facilities Maintenance and Operation	184,577,221	5911-7777	5,972,211
			5930-1000	178,605,010

Budgetary Direct Appropriations

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL RETARDATION ADMINISTRATION
5911-1000	For the administration of the department of mental retardation	17,519,064

COMMUNITY SUPPORT SERVICES
5920-1000	For the operation of the adult services program, including transportation	59,259,724

RESIDENTIAL, DAY, AND WORK COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
5920-2000	For residential and day adult services	386,756,345

STATE-OPERATED COMMUNITY-BASED RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
5920-2010	For state-operated community-based residential services for adults	85,198,490

RESPITE SERVICES AND INTENSIVE FAMILY AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
5920-3000	For respite services and intensive family and individual supports	42,180,372

SERVICES TO WAITING LIST UNSERVED OR UNDERSERVED CLIENTS
5920-4050	For services to clients identified by the department as unserved or underserved, so called, on the waiting list for services compiled by the department; provided, that the services funded by the amount appropriated herein shall not have an annualized cost of more than $10,750,000 in fiscal year 2000	10,750,000

TURNING 22 COMMUNITY SERVICES
5920-5000	For services to clients of the department who turn 22 years of age during fiscal year 1999; provided, that the services funded by the amount appropriated herein shall not have an annualized cost of more than $11,050,000 in fiscal year 2000	6,950,000

OLDER UNSERVED ADULT SERVICES
5920-6000	For services to the older unserved	6,750,000

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT COMMUNITY SERVICES
5920-8000	For child and adolescent services	5,492,002

STATE FACILITIES MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION
5930-1000	For facility operations for individuals with mental retardation	184,577,221

Budgetary Retained Revenues

TEMPLETON FARM RETAINED REVENUE
5982-1000	The department of mental retardation is hereby authorized to expend an amount not to exceed $100,000 accrued through the sale of milk and other farm-related products at the Templeton developmental center, for program costs of said center, including supplies, equipment, and maintenance of the facility; provided, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, for the purpose of accommodating timing discrepancies between the receipt of retained revenues and related expenditures, said department may incur expenses and the comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the lower of this authorization or the most recent revenue estimate therefor as reported in the state accounting system	100,000

Intragovernmental Service Spending

RESIDENTIAL SERVICES PROGRAM INTRAGOVERNMENTAL CHARGEBACK
5948-0012	For a residential services program, including the costs of residential services provided for the purposes of item 7061-0012	5,000,000
	Intragovernmental Service Fund 100%

Trust and Other Spending

5483-9101

WALTER E FERNALD STATE SCHOOL

7,000

5911-2001

DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL RETARDATION COMMISSIONER`S TRUST

1,500,000

5920-0002

BELCHERTOWN CAROUSEL TRUST

23,000

5920-0003

SELF-DETERMINATION FOR PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

25,000