Speeches
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Testimony by Debra Honore
RSC/OCSEA Assembly President
Ohio Civil Service Employees Association /
AFSCME Local 11
Thursday, April 12, 2007
RSC Budget Testimony

Dear Chairman,

Good morning Chairman Stewart and Members of the House Finance Subcommittee on Human Services.

My name is Debra Honore and I have been employed at the Ohio Rehabilitation Services for 26 years.  I serve as the RSC/OCSEA Assembly President which represents 800 employees in the various bureaus.  RSC is the umbrella commission for three Bureaus:  Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bureau of Services for the Visually Impaired and Bureau of Social Security Determination.

The consumers that my agency serves are the disabled citizens of Ohio. The first contact consumers have with RSC when they call in to inquire about services are the support staff in field offices around the state that I represent.  At RSC, we develop individualized plans that lead to gainful employment for those with severe disabilities so they can keep jobs and become self-sufficient.  After an evaluation, our work can include physical or mental restoration, vocational training and job placement and follow-up.  The circumstances and the disabilities we encounter vary significantly and the plans we put into place are tailored to meet individual needs.

Last year, RSC served 54,423 Ohioans with disabilities, and successfully rehabilitated 8,677 individuals.  Of that number, 8,320 obtained or maintained competitive employment.

I am testifying today because the budget, as proposed, does not allow for the same maintenance of effort and federal matching dollars that currently support RSC’s budget, and failure to fully fund the agency will mean a loss of services to individuals with disabilities.

We currently have a waiting list of 400-600 statewide with an average wait time of one month.

The consequences of not maintaining the current level of services is significant.

1. We expect the waiting list to increase to 1,000 with an average wait time of six months.  This has impacts on other agency programs as well as on individual clients.  The state would likely pay more Workers’ Compensation benefits, and clients would receive more unemployment insurance benefits or other payments from ODJFS, as a result of waiting for services.
   
   
2. The delay in services would be more costly as more services would then be needed.  When a consumer has to wait longer, it is not uncommon for complications relating to their disabilities to make their situation more costly.  Early intervention impacts our ability to be successful and keeps our costs down.
   
   
3. We currently have 15 support staff positions around the state that are unfilled and at least 22 counselor positions waiting on funding.  The specialized response to our diverse clients does not permit us to skip steps and somehow reduce the backlog – our productivity is directly tied to the number of staff we have available to serve clients.

We recognize that the state budget is very tight and that very difficult choices need to be made by your committee to balance very diverse interests.  I believe the federal maintenance effort requires the state to provide matching dollars at the same level as the year prior. Otherwise, the state pays a federal penalty equal to the shortfall.

In the final analysis, the situation we face is this: We either pay now and provide services that we know will result in productive employment; or we face the real possibility of paying the federal government the same number of dollars and providing no service – and getting no return on our investment.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to address your committee.   

See Related

RSC leader makes plea to legislators

Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission