MA Ranks Poorly In National Report On Developmentally Disabled

Massachusetts is among the nation’s worst states when it comes to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. That’s according to a new report published Thursday by the American Network of Community Options and Resources, known as ANCOR, and United Cerebral Palsy.

In the annual report, “The Case of Inclusion,” the authors assess every state based on 30 measures they say illustrate how well state programs serve people with developmental disabilities. The metrics are broken down into five key areas: promoting independence, promoting productivity, keeping families together, serving those in need and tracking health, and safety and quality of life.

The “promoting independence” category accounted for half of all possible points because, the authors stressed, “if a person is living in the community, it is a key indicator of inclusion.”

Massachusetts ranked 35th in the country, with 69 points out of a possible 100. That figure represents a huge drop from the state's 4th-place national ranking in 2007. Researchers said the change resulted largely from "stagnant or declining investments in state programs that help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities lead more independent and productive lives."

The report noted, for example, that in 2018 Massachusetts spent an average of $3,066 per family on efforts to keep families together—less than one-third of the national average of $11,060. The state also ranked 41st in two important indicators: reaching those in need and tracking their health, safety and quality of life.

The top-performing states were scattered throughout the West, Midwest and parts of the Northeast. Arizona ranked No.1 on the list, with 86 out of a possible 100 points, followed by Oregon and Vermont.

Here are the 10 best states:

1. Arizona, 86
2. Oregon, 85.1
3. Vermont, 83.3
4. Missouri, 81.7
5. Kentucky, 81.2
6. Hawaii, 81.0
7. New Hampshire, 80.0
8. Ohio, 79.4
9. California,79.1
10. South Dakota, 79.0

“Individuals with I/DD, including the young and the aging, want and deserve the same opportunities and quality of life as all Americans. Yet some states do much better than others in demonstrating the needed political will and implementing the sound policies and focused funding necessary to achieve this ideal,” the report stated.

Interestingly, just 40 points separate the highest- and lowest-ranking states, and just 14 points separate the No. 1 performer from No. 25. That likely explains why several states were able to make significant gains in this year’s report. The researchers highlighted Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Nebraska and Oregon as success stories. Washington, D.C. led the way, jumping 38 spots, followed by Missouri (37), Ohio and Kentucky (both 35).

These states dramatically improved their rank by significantly increasing the number of people served in home-like settings, closing state institutions and reporting outcomes for the National Core Indicators survey, which assesses the quality of such services. Several also added a Medicaid buy-in program to support coverage when individuals work and increase their earnings.

Also of note in the report, the researchers found that despite significant progress over the last 10 years to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities integrate into their communities, those efforts have stalled — or even regressed — in recent years. Just 29 states said that 80 percent or more of these individuals were served in a home-like setting. This includes a family home, their own home or a small group setting. Furthermore, just 15 states have closed all their large state institutions and the number of people nationwide on wait lists for HCBS services actually increased by 75,000 from the 2016 report to nearly 424,000.

Most of the data used in the report is from 2016, while the most recent data comes from credible, national sources, the authors said.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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