PHOENIX — Families and advocates for Arizonans with disabilities rallied at the Arizona State Capitol on Wednesday, calling for a fix for a budget shortfall threatening crucial state services.
The Division of Developmental Disabilities is on track to run out of money in late April, a little more than two months before the state’s next budget kicks in. The program, which is short about $122 million, serves more than 59,000 people with developmental disabilities and their families.
“These services are not luxuries,” said Gabrielle Ficchi, the co-founder of Care 4 the Caregivers and a therapist. “They are what allow disabled people to be contributing, valued members of their society.”
Slashing funding for DDD won’t solve the problem, said Kathleen Muldoon, a parent of a disabled child and doctor.
“People with disabilities cannot reduce their needs by 25% to 50%,” she said. “Their medical conditions won't pause. Their care requirements won't shrink.”
Courtney Burnett said her daughter needs help with every task and depends on specialized care.
“We're not talking about inconveniences, as some representatives have indicated,” she said. “We're talking about a death sentence for people like my daughter and many others.”
Hobbs, Republican lawmakers continue to put blame on each other
Gov. Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers continued on Wednesday to point fingers at each other over the budget impasse, with both sides saying the other needs to come to the negotiating table.
Hobbs told reporters she is willing to work with Republican lawmakers on a solution.
“They won't send me anything to negotiate on,” she said. “They know where my position is. They have my budget, and they're just saying, ‘No, no, no, no.’”
But Republican House lawmakers say her staff has refused to meet with them, something House Appropriations Chair David Livingston confirmed to ABC15 Wednesday night.
Livingston, who represents Legislative District 28, sent Hobbs a letter Monday asking for discussions on the DDD budget.
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“Rather than engaging with the Legislature in good faith, you and your staff have chosen to issue public statements, assign blame, and demand more taxpayer dollars – without addressing the broken system that led us here," he wrote.
On Wednesday, Hobbs called on Republican lawmakers to send her a budget proposal, saying her plan kicked off the budget process.
“I presented my budget,” she said. “If they have other ideas, they should give me a budget instead. They said they want this to be part of the larger budget negotiations going on at the Capitol. Then get me a budget.”
She has also said lawmakers should pass funding legislation to cover the shortfall, noting that such “supplemental” funding measures were passed in every year of previous Gov. Doug Ducey’s term.
In a statement to ABC15, the Department of Economic Security, which oversees DDD, said it supports the Hobbs' budget plan but is also preparing for the possibility of no additional funding.
“DDD is in the process of working through several financial management and cash flow options to mitigate potential negative impacts should the legislature not agree to provide timely supplemental funding for this fiscal year,” the statement said.
DES said the increase in DDD’s costs has been driven by several factors, including “considerable growth” in the number of people served, more services being used, higher costs and reductions in federal funding.
‘These are real human lives’
Families that depend on DDD services say a two-month shutdown would be devastating to both them and Arizona's caregiver network.
Muldoon said the loss would “create a ripple effect of increased public spending, higher hospital costs, housing instability and economic strain on families and communities alike.”
They urged members of both parties to find a solution, saying it should not be a partisan issue.
“Remember, these are real human lives,” Burnett said, adding that disabled Arizonans are “more than a budget item. They can’t be put on a budget sheet.”
