We are very pleased to have State Senator Daylin Leach blogging with us this week! He was an ally of mine as I traveled troubled waters navigating the waiver system when I got my first full-time job, so I can personally attest to Daylin’s commitment to this issue. In this post he shows how vital the waiver system is, but he also recognizes there are flaws in the system. Please feel free to leave your feedback on this post as he will continue to be engaged with us moving forward! I hope you enjoy!

Pennsylvanians with physical and mental disabilities often require services that cost more money than an average person can afford. Community-based services like behavioral support, occupational therapy, and transportation can be absolutely vital to their health, well-being, and success, but they can cost tens of thousands of dollars every year and millions of dollars over the course of one’s life. A person of average means simply cannot bear this cost alone.

As a society, we have decided to provide tax dollars to pay for these services. In Pennsylvania, a system of targeted Medicaid waivers is used to repurpose Medicaid funding (which is usually reserved for institutional care) so that it can be used to pay for community-based services. These waivers give disabled people the support they need to complete daily tasks, learn new skills, form lasting relationships, and contribute to their communities. In some cases, they are even able to start and maintain careers. Waivers enable them to push themselves – to find and to reach their full potential – just like non-disabled Pennsylvanians do every single day of their lives.

But we are not doing enough. Hundreds of Pennsylvanians all across the Commonwealth desperately need these waivers. Instead of getting the support they need, they have been forced onto waiting lists and have been left to make do with whatever help their families can provide. In Pennsylvania, we simply do not dedicate enough funding to the mentally and physically disabled who require community-based services; the demand far outweighs the supply. For all of those on the waiting list, “waiting” no longer means waiting for the government to act, for it’s clear that our political leaders are not interested. Instead, “waiting” has come to mean simply waiting for a current waiver recipient to pass away or move out of Pennsylvania, which makes that funding available to the waiting list. Pennsylvanians should not accept this.

Our state’s disabled population deserves more. They deserve a chance to live fulfilling lives and to reach their full potential. As Jimmy has said, we all have limitations, but we cannot let our limitations define us. We need to take that message to heart and fully fund Pennsylvania’s waiver system.

Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery/Delaware) was born in Philadelphia in 1961. He attended Temple University, where he graduated with a degree in political science, and earned a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1983. After law school, Daylin moved back to southeast Pennsylvania where he practiced law for 17 years focusing on general litigation. Daylin also taught constitutional law, legal ethics and First Amendment law as an adjunct professor at Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg colleges. He was elected into the Pennsylvania Senate in 2008.