Individual Budgets:Better Lives with the Same Funding

Patricia Carver, Community Drive, Inc.

Jim Conroy, Center for Outcome Analysis

Our Topic Today

Somehow, we have to attach public dollars to people

Purpose: to support good lives We have to figure out how much for each person Right now, we do this by putting people into

categories Person-Centered Budgeting is a better way We should try & evaluate PCB in VA

How About You?

Do you have a Person-Centered Plan? How does it work? Does anyone ever talk about the money for

rent, staff, transportation? Anyone know how much your supports

cost?

How Do We Set Budgets Now?

Most often we estimateBased on the “kind of person”How much money a provider will needTo provide safe & decent living & workingWe do NOT usually “cost out” the price of

relationships, belonging, community Instead, we try to buy little more than health

& safety

Funding by “Kind of Person”

Most states have set up a funding formula Usually 4 to 10 “kinds of people” From High Need to Low Need Based on medical, behavioral, and self-help

levels of need But not the person’s existing connections,

or hopes & dreams & relationships

Jean Needs Just A Little Support

Jackie Needs Lots of Support

For Each “Type of Person,” A Fixed System Cost

Medically fragile……………………$220,000 Behaviorally challenging……………$200,000 Low self-care ability………………...$130,000 Medium ability……………………......$90,000 High ability……………………………$60,000 In-home support needs only…………..$25,000 Once the “Type of Person” or “Group” or “Band” is set,

the person’s funding future is determined And it’s pretty much forever. Is this person-centered?

Person-Centered Planning, But NOT Person-Centered Budgeting? Why?

And now the fastest growing method is the SIS, or Supports Intensity Scale

All the methods are crude estimates They are the farthest thing possible from Person-

Centered Why after 30 years …. Do we accept Person-Centered Planning ….. But NOT Person-Centered Budgeting?

Past Surprises – Share Surplus

New Hampshire’s self-determination pilot Families were invited to figure out money They set dollars to needs until…. They saw every real need met…. And they still had money left over…. They asked “I wonder if someone on the Waiting

List could use some of this?” This CANNOT happen in traditional funding!

Ray & Debbie

A Modest Proposal:Demonstrate & Evaluate

Why not try individual budgeting With some of the folks who are leaving

institutions Instead of assigning them to “funding

groups” Build their individual $$$ needs up from

the Person-Centered Planning process

Start With 168 Hours

Look at every hour in a week How much support from human beings will be

needed Add on other Add what they do during the day Add support coordination – how much, how often Total it up & compare to “Type of Person”

approach Here’s a tool for that: Simple Excel worksheet We may get a BIG SURPRISE

PLANNING GUIDE FOR COMPANIONS & OTHER SUPPORT

HOURS SUN. MON. TUES. WED. THU. FRI. SAT.

6-9 AM 9-1 PM 1-6 PM 6-10PM 10-6AM TOTAL HOURS CODE HOURS CODE HOURS CODE HOURS F=FAMILY P=PAID C=COMPN Fr=FRIENDS S=SELF TOTAL

SUPPORTS PLANNING GRIDSUPPORTS PLANNING GRID

Imagine This:

A person now in an institution Who is planning to move Adds Person-Centered Budgeting to the Person-

Centered Planning process Use simple tools to translate individual support needs

into dollars The institution costs $216,000 How much would a Person-Centered Budget come out

to? Evidence says: less than the current system!

Jim Conroy426-B Darby Road, Havertown PA

19083 484-454-3362, jconroycoa@gmail.com

www.eoutcome.org

Pat Carver5833 Community Drive

Brighton, MI 48116810-231-6364

www.communitydrive.org