Health and Human Services Public Hearing

By Naoko Yoshida on Wed, Sep 10, 2008 12:53 am

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“One of the most heart breaking things for me is the great number of homeless veterans,” said Ralph Cooper, executive director of Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse. “As you can tell, I’m getting older and my gray hair tells the truth. You can’t imagine how painful it is for me to talk with men and women who served in Vietnam, men and women who are young, coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq and they are homeless. How disgraceful is that?”

Last Wednesday, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) held a public hearing for budget for fiscal year 2010 at Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury. About seventy members of health services organizations and their supporters attended the four-hour hearing. People with crutches, canes, and wheelchairs were in attendance, and the hearing was interpreted in sign language and with a caption screen.

Representatives from organizations providing community-based health services asked for more funding for each line item to commissioners from 17 state agencies, including EOHHS, Office of Health Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families, and Office of Disability Policy and Programs. People with disabilities advocated for themselves and shared their personal stories.

The EOHHS budget represents about 48 percent of the $13.5 billion state budget for 2009. It covers the whole spectrum: MassHealth, elderly care, veterans’ services and mental retardation. Sixty percent of the budget goes to MassHealth and the remaining forty percent is divided between Purchase of Service (POS) from outside vendors and state governmental services.

Concerns about providing services and living independently stood out in the testimonies.

“With the price of fuel growing higher and higher without more financial support, elderly homes’ owners will be torn between heating and eating,” said Sarah Anshaw, a board member of the Central Boston Elder Services. She also mentioned her concern about this November’s ballot question to do away with the state income tax.

“It’s important to get the state agencies to get the information out, get the message out and explain … it passes what happens and if it fails what happens, because people do not realize that a few more dollars in their pocket means that the services that they expect to come from the state will be going or will be drastically curtailed,” she said.

Many praised last year's government achievements. The Community First agenda has promoted the use of home and community-based care as an alternative to institutional care (in hospitals or nursing homes) since 2003. It's enabled citizens to be empowered to live independently. And in FY 09, the budget for community-based services for elderly and disabled individuals under age 65 was provided for the first time.

However, people are still concerned about the lack of funding that results in high turnovers of staff because of low-pay of health service providers, long waiting lists of people who have not gotten support they need and the gap between the services in the city of Boston and surrounding communities throughout Commonwealth.

EOHHS Secretary JudyAnn Bigby was happy with how the hearing went. “What really impressed me more than saying they need more money for their line items was people who came with their personal stories that really illustrate how our program is effective,” she told the Dig.

EOHHS' priorities for the coming year are tackling issues of homelessness and developing the community first strategy.