It’s working – we’ve stopped the worst cuts!
We are in the final two weeks of the 2026 legislative session and I’m writing now with genuinely good news.
We did it.
When this legislative session began, we faced a proposal to change eligibility which would cut off up to 10% of those served by DDCS Medicaid waivers from services – and prevent others from becoming eligible.
Then, out of nowhere, came a second gut punch: a proposal to slash early intervention services for infants and toddlers. These were serious threats to our community, but as of right now, neither one is moving forward. We stopped them.
This happened because of our committed advocates and your persistent advocacy.
Just in the last month, hundreds of advocates showed up. You wrote your legislators and you made it crystal clear that these cuts were unacceptable and harmful.
Even more, a flurry of opinion editorials and news coverage in Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver, and Spokane made the human cost of these cuts very real, and lawmakers listened. The budget deliberations aren’t over, but let’s take a moment to own this victory.
These wins are never guaranteed. The IDD community is always vulnerable when budgets get tight, and the fact that we beat back two significant cuts in one session is something worth celebrating.
I’m fired up. And we cannot stop now, because here’s the new fight:
The recently released House budget includes a proposal to completely eliminate Speech, Physical and Occupational Therapy services for all adult Medicaid recipients. No alternative. Complete elimination. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who depend on these therapies to function, to communicate, to live with dignity — this cannot happen.
We need you to make one call right now.
Pick up the phone, dial 1-800-562-6000, and tell your lawmakers: “No cuts to therapies for Medicaid recipients.” Two minutes is all it takes.
Our team is on the ground in Olympia watching budget conversations and working shoulder-to-shoulder with partners across the state. We are not letting up and I hope you won’t either.
This April, The Arc of Washington celebrates 90 years of advocacy. I’m proud that to be proud of a movement almost a century in the making to continue fighting for people with IDD to live full, meaningful lives in their homes, schools, and communities. That legacy lives in every call you make, every letter you write, every time you show up.
Thank you for being part of this community. We are — without question — stronger together.
In community,
Stacy Dym
Executive Director, The Arc of Washington State
