Cerebral Palsy

The average client for home-based services costs the state about $30,000 annually while the average institutionalized client costs closer to $130,000.Advocates for this population (who are often parents of children with developmental disabilities) are suggesting a different approach.

They want the Legislature to cover the shortfall for the next year.

(This would cost the state $75-million since matching federal dollars will provide the rest.) Then, over the next year, they want the agency to conduct studies to determine where dollars are wasted and how sensible cuts should be made.The agency is facing as much as a $104-million deficit this year, and under prior leadership, that shortfall was not timely reported to lawmakers.

Going forward, APD must prove that it can responsibly administer state resources.

That means adopting evidence-based cost containment strategies and looking for ways to constrain overutilization of services.

The agency should enlist the help of professionals who have experience doing these evaluations in other states.There isn't any doubt that Florida cannot afford to simply open its coffers wider every year for this vulnerable population.

But across-...

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