TEMPE — A state program that serves Arizonans with disabilities could run out of money as soon as April – putting benefits families depend on in jeopardy.
Holly Brittain said the Division of Developmental Disabilities is “a lifeline” for her Tempe family.
“Most parents get to take their kids to sports,” she said. “I get to take my kid to therapy.”
Brittain said she’s terrified of what will happen if her daughter loses her speech and occupational therapy.
"It would mean regression, 100%,” she said. “It would mean my daughter not talking, my daughter not honing fine motor skills.”
Gov. Katie Hobbs’ staff told lawmakers at the end of January that the Division of Developmental Disabilities is facing a shortfall and will need extra funding to pay claims in May and June.
The chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Livingston, R-Legislative District 28, is now asking the governor to provide a clear plan to control costs in the program.
“This administration has made major financial commitments without consulting the Legislature, and now families are staring down the consequences of an unsustainable program,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
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Livingston is calling for caps on the Parents as Paid Caregivers program, which pays parents for providing attendant care and related services to children with disabilities in their home.
The program began during the pandemic with federal dollars, but that funding is expiring. State funding for PPCG program was not in the budget passed last year, but Hobbs’ administration continued the program.
“I am most disturbed to learn that decisions made by your departments have threatened the operations of the State's Developmental Disabilities program,” Livingston wrote in his letter to the governor.
In the meantime, families like Brittain’s are caught in the middle.
“Come May 1, or whatever it is, what am I going to do with my child?” she said. “A lot of parents don't know.”
Livingston and other Republicans on the House Appropriations panel grilled the governor’s staff and the nonpartisan Joint Legislative Budget Committee about DDD’s funding woes on Jan. 29.
He called for cuts to DDD programs – remarks Brittain describes as devastating.
“It felt like he was talking directly to her, saying, you know, she's not worth the budget,” she said.
Livingston apologized Wednesday for his language, but has continued to criticize the sharp rise in costs for the PPCG program.
The governor and lawmakers need to work together to address the budget shortfall, Brittain said.
“I understand money is a big deal,” she said. “I understand that. But to take money from the most vulnerable of our children just is not OK.”
