Budget shortfall and the consequences on services and benefits

Statement from Julie Reiskin, ED, CCDC

Hello Everyone,

This week we expect to hear about Medicaid and other state government service cuts. We want everyone to be aware that when news breaks about cuts and changes, often rumors and misinformation become rampant throughout the web and social media. That is why we wanted to let you know ahead of time what we think may be coming and where you can go to trust what you read.

Due to the pandemic, the state is currently showing a budget shortfall of over $3 billion. The Joint Budget Committee and the Office of State Planning and Budget (OSPB) are releasing options for the state regarding necessary cuts in services. Most likely, they will release different scenarios-or tiers of reductions.

CCDC will do everything in our power to fight any cut that affects life or liberty. Additionally, we will not allow our community to be disproportionately pushed even deeper into poverty. But, along with everyone else, we will need to accept some changes. We have asked the Medicaid agency to continue to include us in the ongoing discussions, and those in leadership have assured us that we will.

When the memos and documents come out, we will summarize, explain the impact for our community, and, when appropriate, provide commentary regarding the support of these ideas. We must approach this horrible financial situation as a community through leadership and with an equity lens. We have always been the ones to show how to make necessary cuts work. Why? Because we know where there is waste and what is essential.

As soon as available, we will publish this information on our COVID-19 web pages and include them in the update alerts. We ask for your continued feedback to ensure we have a complete understanding of the community needs.

We have multiple ways for you to let us know your thoughts:

• Email us at covid@ccdconline.org
• Join the conversation at one or both of our two open chat opportunities: Wednesdays at 7 pm or Saturdays at 10 am.
• Check the Virtual Events for information on these and other discussions/information options.

Let’s talk about what is going on. (Remember, all our chats and virtual events have closed captioning.)

We also have an ask of you. Please, refrain from engaging in social media campaigns until we know the details of the solid proposals. Remember, some memos will outline possible cuts that may not be up for consideration. Instead, this is one way an agency can tell the legislators about all the possible options. Always check with us before getting too worried.

We are not saying everything will be great, and it won’t be. We are just saying, let’s show our usual community leadership as we respond to this latest problem.

Julie Reiskin and the Staff of CCDC