United Cerebral Palsy 2015 Ranking Of Best States For Disability Services

UCP Releases Case for Inclusion Rankings and Report

as shared by United Cerebral Palsy (UCP).

PRESS RELEASE | July 16, 2015                                  

           

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP)

Posted by Shelly DeButts

Arizona, Maryland, Missouri, New York & Hawaii Top 2015 List

Washington, D.C. (July 16, 2014) – United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) released the 2015 Case for Inclusion today, an annual report and interactive website used to track state-by-state community living standards for Americans living with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD).

The Case for Inclusion examines data and outcomes for all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), ranking each on a set of key indicators, including how people with disabilities live and participate in their communities, if they are satisfied with their lives, and how easily the services and supports they need are accessed. By taking these factors into account, UCP is able to publish this comprehensive analysis of each state’s progress or failures in providing critical services to individuals living with disabilities.

In addition to rankings, the report digs deeper into two critical issues facing people with disabilities and their families: waiting lists for services and support and transitioning from high school into an adult life in the community. Two case studies examine how states are approaching those issues.

Since 2006, the rankings have enabled families, advocates, the media and policymakers to measure each state’s progress or lack of improvement and gain insight into how the highest-ranking states are achieving their success. To enhance the usability of the report, UCP publishes tables of the data from which the report was compiled on an interactive website where visitors can compare and contrast results among selected states.

“Ultimately, the goal of all of this is to promote inclusion and enhance the quality of life for all Americans,” said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “UCP is committed to shining a light on how well states are actually serving people with disabilities and, by extension, their families and communities. Also, we want to provide the proper national context for this data so that we can truly use it to drive progress.”

To download and read the entire Case for Inclusion report or explore the data tables, visit cfi.ucp.org.

Significant Takeaways from the 2015 Ranking

Promoting Independence

1. All States still have room for improvement, but some States have consistently remained at the bottom since 2007, including Arkansas (#49), Illinois (#47), Mississippi (#51) and Texas (#50) primarily due to the small portion of people and resources dedicated to those in small or home-like settings in these four states. Mississippi and Texas also do not participate in NCI.

2. 32 States, down from 38, meet the 80/80 Home and Community Standard, which means that at least 80 percent of all individuals with ID/DD are served in the community and 80 percent of all resources spent on those with ID/DD are for home (less than 7 residents per setting) and community support. Those that do not meet the 80/80 standard are Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia.

3. As of 2013, 14 States report having no state institutions to seclude those with ID/DD, including Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Another 10 States have only one institution each (Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming). Since 1960, 220 of 354 state institutions have been closed (5 more in the past year alone), according to the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living. Another 13 more are projected to close by 2016 in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey (3), New York (2), Oklahoma (2), Tennessee (2) and Virginia (2)

4. 26 States, up from 18, now report meeting the 80 percent Home-Like Setting Standard, which means that at least 80 percent of all individuals with ID/DD are served in settings such as their own home, a family home, family foster care or small group settings like shared apartments with fewer than four residents. The U.S. average for this standard is 79 percent. Just eight States meet a top-performing 90 percent Home-like Setting Standard: Arizona, California, Colorado, D.C., Hawaii, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

5. Ten States, up from seven last year, report at least 10 percent of individuals using self-directed services, according to the National Core Indicators survey in 29 States. These States include Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Utah and Virginia.

Tracking Health, Safety and Quality of Life

6. 42 States, up from 39 last year, participate in the National Core Indicators (NCI) survey, a comprehensive quality-assurance program that includes standard measurements to assess outcomes of services. A total of 29 States, a 50% increase from last year, reported data outcomes in 2014.

Keeping Families Together

7. Only 14 States report that they are supporting a large share of families through family support (at least 200 families per 100,000 of population). These support services provide assistance to families that are caring for children with disabilities at home, which helps keep families together, and people with disabilities living in a community setting. These family-focused state programs were in Arizona, California, Delaware, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Alabama and Pennsylvania reported that they were providing higher levels of family support in last year’s ranking.

Promoting Productivity

8. Just 8 States, down from 10 last year, report having at least 33 percent of individuals with ID/DD working in competitive employment. These States include Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire (newly added), New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia (newly added). Louisiana, Nebraska, Oregon and Virginia reported that they met this threshold in last year’s ranking, but reported a decrease in competitive employment this year.

9. 14 States report successfully placing at least 60 percent of individuals in vocational rehabilitation in jobs, with fifteen States reporting the average number of hours worked for those individuals placed being at least 25 hours and three States reporting at least half of those served getting a job within one year. Only California met the standard on all three success measures this year compared to last year’s ranking, when Nebraska and South Dakota were the only two states to report meeting all three thresholds.

Serving Those in Need

10. Waiting lists for residential and community services are high and show the unmet need. More than 322,000 people, 5,000 more than last year, are on a waiting list for Home and Community-Based Services. This requires a daunting 44 percent increase in States’ HCBS programs. 16 States, a decrease from 22 last year, report no waiting list or a small waiting list (requiring less than 10 percent program growth).

http://ucp.org/ucp-releases-case-for-inclusion-rankings-and-report/

About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) educates, advocates and provides support services through an affiliate network to ensure a life without limits for people with a spectrum of disabilities. Together with nearly 100 affiliates, UCP has a mission to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities by supporting more than 176,000 children and adults every day—one person at a time, one family at a time. UCP works to enact real change—to revolutionize care, raise standards of living and create opportunities—impacting the lives of millions living with disabilities. For more than 60 years, UCP has worked to ensure the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in every facet of society. Together, with parents and caregivers, UCP will continue to push for the social, legal and technological changes that increase accessibility and independence, allowing people with disabilities to dream their own dreams, for the next 60 years, and beyond. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.