Coalition of Disability Advocates Urges Legislature to Reject Proposed Medicaid Changes

/in , /by Stacy Dym

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

February 4, 2026

CONTACT: Stacy Dym, media@arcwa.org, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State

Disability advocates urge rejection of proposed changes to eligibility for Medicaid-funded community services

OLYMPIA, WA – A statewide alliance of sixty-seven private and non-profit organizations are standing together to oppose Governor Ferguson’s proposal to change functional eligibility criteria for support from Development Disabilities Community Services (DDCS). The group, including the statewide membership of the Community Advocacy Coalition for Developmental Disabilities, is urging the legislature to reject the proposed changes as a false cost-saving tactic that would instead shift costs to crisis systems, reduce federal matching revenue, and remove preventative support that allows people with disabilities to successfully participate in their community. The group sent a letter outlining their opposition and concerns to Senate and House Budget Committee Chairs on January 27, 2026. The full text of the letter can be viewed below or at this link.

To be eligible for state Medicaid Waiver or Personal Care Services through DDCS, individuals must demonstrate functional eligibility – that means that every potential client must undergo an assessment to evaluate whether the meet the established criteria that determines the level and type of care they require. Governor Ferguson’s proposed changes to the criteria would narrow eligibility and cut services for 4,000-5,000 people, including 2,000 to 2,500 people with developmental disabilities on the current caseload.

In their letter to budget writers, advocates identified multiple harmful impacts of changing functional eligibility criteria, including:

  • Lost federal revenue from Medicaid matching dollars
  • Cost-shifting to crisis systems by removing preventative support systems
  • Increasing burnout and burden on family caregivers
  • Delayed access for early intervention in children

Stacy Dym, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State and one of the lead members of the coalition, said about the proposal, “Our state has rightly made the investment to shift care for people with developmental disabilities into a predominantly community-based model. Home and community-based care is the more affordable, the most aligned with research on best outcomes, and the more preferred option for people with disabilities and their families when compared with segregated institutional options. The legislature must stay the course and avoid the false promise of cutting costs by cutting services. For people with developmental disabilities, the need for support does not go away when funding does – it just shifts the stress and chaos into the hospital or emergency services that are not prepared to provide person-centered, personalized care.”

About The Arc of Washington State

In 1936, The Arc of Washington State was formed by parents of institutionalized children with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) who believed their children deserved more – to be included in their communities and to pursue fulfillment and happiness just like everyone else. The Arc has played a pivotal role in changing the public perception of disability and demanding better opportunities for every child’s future. The Arc’s mission is to promote and protect the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively support their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes. Learn more about The Arc of Washington State at arcwa.org.

About the Community Advocacy Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (CAC)

The Community Advocacy Coalition for Developmental Disabilities (CAC) is a grassroots coalition for developmental disabilities that advocates with a common voice for meaningful community living for people with developmental disabilities at the state and local levels. CAC membership consists of any community-based organization that is a nonprofit 501c3, a private business, a chapter of a statewide nonprofit organization, or a governmental association, council, coalition, board or commission that have a primary focus to support, serve and advocate for people with developmental disabilities. The CAC is comprised of over 50 different member organizations that agree to support the core values of the CAC and agree to abide by the group’s responsibilities/rules.

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The full text of the letter can be viewed below or at this link.

CAC Letter to Legislature - 2026.1.27

DD Advocacy Blog: We rallied in Olympia!

/in /by Cathy

On a beautiful but cold Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of individuals with disabilities, families, providers, and advocates from across Washington State gathered on the Capitol steps to raise their voices in unity. Their message was clear and urgent: protect the right to community living and preserve the essential services people with disabilities need to live full, independent lives.

A Threat to Essential Services

With looming threats to disability services, advocates are sounding the alarm — disability services are essential and must be protected from cuts.

The Governor’s proposed budget includes a change that would lower eligibility for long-term care services beginning in 2028, including access to home and community-based waivers and personal care services. While presented as a cost-saving measure, this proposal would have devastating consequences for thousands of Washingtonians.

The Impact

We are only beginning to understand the full impact of this proposal. Early estimates suggest that between 2,000 and 2,500 people currently receiving Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS) would lose all services.
In addition, another 2,000–2,500 individuals served by the Home and Community Living Administration (HCLA) could also lose vital supports — many of whom are people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who opted to receive services through HCLA instead of DDCS.

Although the cuts are aimed at individuals with lower support needs, the real-world impact would be severe. Sometimes, people just need a small amount of support to thrive:

  • A job coach who helps them maintain stable employment
  • A home care worker who visits weekly to provide transportation to get to the store, meal prep, and help around the house
  • A few hours of respite that give families the chance to rest and recharge

When these supports disappear, lives unravel. People may lose their jobs, homes, and independence. Families face burnout. Individuals could end up homeless, hospitalized, institutionalized, or even incarcerated — all of which cost the state far more in the long term.

These proposed changes would:

What Comes Next

We are waiting for both the House and Senate to release their budget proposals to see whether they will adopt similar eligibility cuts. The next few weeks are critical.

What You Can Do

Your voice matters. You can help protect community living and essential supports for people with IDD.

Here’s how:

  • Reach out to your legislators, especially those serving on the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Ways & Means Committee.
    Tell them clearly:

“Do NOT make changes to long-term care eligibility. Protect community services and the right to independent living for people with disabilities.”

  •  Stay informed. Track the budget process and follow our budget side by side for comparisons of the House and Senate proposals to see how they will impact people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Community Services Save Lives and Save Money

 

Community-based supports prevent crises, maintain stability, and avoid higher state costs down the line.

Say NO to costly cuts to Medicaid long-term care eligibility.
Say YES to inclusion, independence, and dignity for all Washingtonians.

MEDIA: Legislators call for bipartisan support of community living

/in , /by Katie Gustainis

Senator Chris Gildon (R) and Representative Janice Zahn (D) have called for bipartisan support of their bill the reduce inefficiencies and make investments in community living go farther for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read the whole editorial at this link: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-should-offer-people-with-disabilities-dignity-choice/

Here’s how WA can preserve services for people with disabilities

January 9, 2026, The Seattle Times, by Chris Gildon and Janice Zahn

Washington cannot afford to waste taxpayer dollars on redundant bureaucracy, especially when such inefficiencies get in the way of providing direct services for people in need. This could not be more true when it comes to direct support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It must be a priority during our upcoming 60-day legislative session as we work to manage a difficult state budget situation.

Our goal is simple: streamline oversight of Supported Living services so limited Medicaid funds go further, caregivers spend more time with clients and taxpayers see real value for every dollar spent. That’s why we are working together on bipartisan legislation (SB 6024 and HB 2230) to cut wasteful redundancies, preserve rigorous and focused oversight and direct more of the budget to where it will do the most good.

Because state law requires a balanced budget, and as lawmakers we face another multibillion‑dollar shortfall in 2026, our choice is clear: Either cut services for vulnerable Washingtonians or make existing programs more efficient so we can preserve and strengthen care without relying on new money.

Roughly 4,700 Washingtonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities live in their own homes with the help of Supported Living services. These services are almost entirely funded by Medicaid, which covers the wages of direct support professionals — often providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week — as well as the administrative systems that connect people with the right support in their communities. There are about 14,000 trained DSPs in our state, and a Supported Living home with three clients relies on 10 direct support professionals to provide care, though many homes have fewer than three clients so that each setting is appropriate for each client’s behavioral health. For example, DSPs help with daily care such as personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning, managing prescriptions, budgeting, grocery shopping and supporting connections in the community. This model is less costly than state‑run facilities, keeps people in their familiar neighborhoods and is already subject to multiple layers of public oversight.

Public oversight of Medicaid programs like Supported Living is important for protecting the interests of taxpayers and the well-being of Supported Living clients. However, over the years, many disparate new policies and agency programs have created overlap and redundancies in this oversight…(Read the rest at this link)

 

MEDIA: Editorial by Stacy Dym urges protection of community services

/in , , /by Katie Gustainis

The Seattle Times published a powerful guest editorial by Stacy Dym, Executive Director of The Arc of Washington State. Read the beginning here and the rest at this link: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/wa-should-offer-people-with-disabilities-dignity-choice/

WA should offer people with disabilities dignity, choice

December 18, 2025, The Seattle Times, by Stacy Dym

“Pink-painted walls. A cat. The freedom to eat popcorn while you watch your favorite TV show. These aren’t luxuries, but they felt that way to my sister when she was finally moved from a state institution for the developmentally disabled into a community-based group home almost 40 years ago.

Thanks to the expansion of state home and community-based services (HCBS), she was allowed to waive her so-called “right” to live in a restrictive institutional environment. Instead, she could choose a home in the community that gave her freedoms most of us take for granted while still providing the care she needed.

Dignity, for her, was as simple as a choice.

Today, 78% of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Washington state live with family for the majority of their lifetime. This is largely because there’s nowhere else for them to go.

Although large institutions are no longer the norm, home and community-based services have never received a comparable level of investment in our state. Today, almost one-third of people with IDD who’ve been identified by the state are still waiting for a chance to live in the community.

When family resources run dry, caregivers age or someone gets sick (and they will), crisis is imminent. For people with complex health or behavioral needs, many get stuck for years in the hospital, state institutions or unfit environments that were never meant to be permanent placements.

Now, as our Legislature stares over a fiscal cliff, people with developmental disabilities and their families are terrified about what lies ahead…” (Read the rest at this link).