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Congressional Testimony
March 22, 2001, Thursday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 3307 words
COMMITTEE:
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
SUBCOMMITTEE:
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION
HEADLINE: TESTIMONY LABOR HHS APPROPRIATIONS
TESTIMONY-BY: CARL SUTER , DIRECTOR
AFFILIATION: COUNCIL OF STATE ADMINISTRATORS OF
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION
BODY: Testimony on behalf
of the COUNCIL OF STATE ADMINISTRATORS OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION before the
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
Education and Related Agencies of the Committee on
Appropriations of the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, March
22, 2001 at 9:30 a.m. As presented by: Carl Suter Director Vocational
Rehabilitation Program Dept./ Human Services/ORS Springfield, 111. Mr. Chairman,
and members of the Committee, I am the Director of the Vocational Rehabilitation
Program for the State of Illinois and a Member of the Council of State
Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (the CSAVR). On behalf of the CSAVR,
I appreciate having the opportunity to appear before this committee today to
share with you our deep concerns regarding the funding of the State Grant
Program of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. First, let me explain who
we are so that you will better appreciate why I am here with you today. The
Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation is comprised of the
chief administrative officers of the State Rehabilitation Agencies in the
states, the territories, and the District. These agencies provide services to
eligible persons with mental and/or physical disabilities in order that they can
take their place in competitive employment. You in Congress created the Public
Vocational Rehabilitation Program nearly 80 years ago this year. Indeed, this is
truly one of your success stories in which I hope all of you take pride. While
the Rehabilitation Act is the cornerstone of our Nation's commitment to
assisting eligible people with disabilities to obtain competitive employment and
to live independent and productive lives, it is severely under funded. Indeed,
nearly 30 % of the States received less than a cost of living this present
fiscal year. While Congress may have thought it was funding each of the States
at least at the cost-of-living rate, this was not the case. I cannot believe
that Congress meant this to happen, but it did! And I might add that more and
more States are being added to that group every year. When one considers that a
Louis Harris and Associates study estimates that two out of every three adults
with a disability are unemployed, and that the Rehabilitation Program has the
resources to provide services to render persons with disabilities employable to
only one in twenty eligible people, this under funding constitutes an
unacceptable tragedy for the millions of people with disabilities who need
services in order to become employed, yet are unable to receive them. The
arguments that it is better to put people to work and make them taxpayers as
opposed to living off the taxpayers on welfare, in Institutions, or worse, have
often been made. Common sense tells us these arguments are true. Instead, we are
told that we are considered an entitlement or mandatory spending and, therefore,
under a so-called "cap". This may well be. But the problem that is growing needs
to be addressed. As you know, the authorizing law provides that each state is to
receive an allotment based on whatever Congress appropriates if that State can
provide the matching resources. The law also provides that at least a cost of
living be added to the total appropriations each year and is to be considered a
minimum, not a "cap". As you know, the past few years, Congress has authorized
considerable additional resources for Special
Education. Now
those young men and women who have been in special
education
are turning to vocational rehabilitation for services as adults. This
"transition" is demanding increased resources to serve these individuals. We
believe that if we in fact can serve individuals with disabilities leaving
school, that will deflect them from having to get on SSI and can help them get
into the world of work and toward self- sufficiency. To illustrate this point,
in my home state of Illinois we have adopted a world class service initiative.
Part of this initiative deals with serving youth in Special
Education as they "transition" to life after school. Rick is a
young man of 20 with mental retardation who we began working with when he was in
Special
Education in high school. As a result of receiving
Vocational Rehabilitation services, Rick has been able to move from a world of
SSI into a world of competitive employment. Instead of receiving approximately
$550 per month on SSI and working in a sheltered workshop, he is now employed at
a local hospital making almost $9 per hour with benefits. Rick's story is
typical and one we could replicate many times over if we had the additional
funding. With the success that many of our states are having with Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (
TANF), it is important to
understand that vocational rehabilitation is also a key player in needing to
serve some of this population. Individuals with disabilities who have been on
the
TANF caseloads are also knocking on our doors in search of
assistance to help them secure
education and training that can
lead them to employment. As you may also be aware, many states are now focused
on implementing the Olmstead decision. Vocational rehabilitation will have a
major role in helping individuals with disabilities get jobs so as to help them
be integrated more fully into society. Through Illinois Governor Ryan's
community reintegration program, we are helping people with disabilities move
from nursing homes into the community. As we do that, one of the important
pillars in a person's life that needs to be established is employment. Elizabeth
is a 50-year-old woman from Robbins, Illinois who has struggled with mental
illness for years and has been living in a nursing home. Each month, Elizabeth
received only $30 of her Social Security benefits - the rest went directly to
the nursing home. Although she had not worked for over eight years, the Illinois
Vocational Rehabilitation program helped her get the training she needed so she
could go to work. Today, Elizabeth has accomplished two of her goals in life:
she has moved out of the nursing home into independent living and is working in
competitive employment. As you are also aware, Congress placed even greater
responsibility upon the State Vocational Rehabilitation Program, with the
passage and promises of the "Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA). The ADA
promises to expand opportunities for all Americans with disabilities. If
Congress in its wisdom really meant to do just that, does it not also need to
provide the means to accomplish this mission? It is our belief that it is vital
that the State Vocational Rehabilitation Program have the resources available to
assist people with disabilities to fully realize the promise of this landmark
legislation. Basic State Service Grants are the lifeblood of the Vocational
Rehabilitation Program, financing the provision of vocational rehabilitation
services to eligible individuals with mental and physical disabilities for
placement in competitive employment. Illinois, as most states, has been able to
get sufficient state funding in order to fully match the Federal appropriation.
Together, these funds pen-nit State Rehabilitation Agencies to provide, or to
contract with private organizations and agencies to provide, individualized,
comprehensive services to eligible persons with mental and/or physical
disabilities, for the purpose of rendering these individuals employed and
independent. Such services may include evaluation; comprehensive diagnostic
services; counseling; physical restoration; rehabilitation engineering; the
provision of various kinds of training and training supplies, tools and
equipment; prosthetic devices; placement; transportation; post-employment
services; and "any other service" necessary to rehabilitate an individual into
employment. For Fiscal Year 1999, the latest year for which the Federal
Government has statistics, the Rehabilitation Services Administration advises
that the $2,247,000,000 appropriated for Basic State Vocational Rehabilitation
provided services designed to lead to gainful employment for over 1.2 million
people with disabilities. Of this number, 230,000 were placed in competitive
employment. Despite this expenditure, there still are not sufficient funds to
serve all those eligible, disabled people who have the potential and desire to
work and who need rehabilitation and training services to obtain employment and
self-sufficiency. In carrying out the Congressional mandate to give priority of
service to the rehabilitation of individuals who are severely disabled, State
Agencies have found that the costs -- in time, effort, and money for services --
are much greater than the cost of rehabilitating people less severely disabled.
At the same time, it is alarming to note that the purchasing power of the
resources available has remained virtually stagnant since 1980. With these
statistics in mind, the CSAVR strongly urges that the Congress assist us in
facing this challenge by providing Federal appropriations for Basic State
Vocational Rehabilitation Services with a 10% (including the CPI, or
approximately $240 million) increase over the FY2001 appropriation. The CSAVR
estimates that nearly 125,000 more persons will receive services and over 25,000
more will be placed in competitive employment. The justification for higher
funding levels stems from the purpose for which the money is spent--the
prevention of an incalculable waste of human potential, a purpose on which no
price tag can be placed. Over the decades, Vocational Rehabilitation has more
than paid for itself by helping persons with disabilities become gainfully
employed; by increasing their earning capacity; by freeing family members to
work; and/or by decreasing the amount of welfare payments, health services, and
social services they might need; as well as by assisting them to become
taxpayers. Appropriating additional monies for Vocational Rehabilitation
Services has helped reduce the Federal Deficit. Indeed, the Congressional Budget
Office has stated that "a reduction of funds for rehabilitation ... would
generate increases in other parts of the federal and state budgets." Funds
appropriated for Vocational Rehabilitation are a sound investment of the
Public's money. OTHER PROGRAMS AUTHORIZED BY THE REHABILITATION ACT The
Rehabilitation Act is recognized as the most complete and well-balanced piece of
legislation in the human services field. In addition to the Basic State
Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program, the Act contains provisions for (1)
an innovation and expansion program; (2) a training program; (3) a research
program; (4) a comprehensive services for independent living program; (5) a
supported employment program; and, among others, (6) special projects and
demonstration efforts. The Council strongly supports adequate funding for all
Sections of the Act. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before this
important Subcommittee today and am available to answer any questions about this
Program and our recommendations.
LOAD-DATE: March 23,
2001, Friday