RALEIGH, NC — Governor Roy Cooper announced an additional 2,000 developmental disability waiver slots in the budget released on March 2, 2017.

As part of the budget, Governor Cooper is proposing to fully fund an additional 1,000 North Carolina Innovations Waiver slots, effective January 1, 2018, to reduce the wait list for this program for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD). This is funded through the targeted reinvestment of community services funding in the base budget.

Additionally, the Governor has proposed to expand the DD Innovations Waiver with an additional 1,000 slots for “lower-acuity individuals,” effective January 1, 2018, to be designed for individuals who do not need the full range or intensity of services offered under the current waiver, but who will benefit from service at their specific level of need.

“This is great news for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families,” said Chris Egan, executive director of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD). “Time and time again, we have seen the success people with I/DD can have in their community of choice when they receive the right services and supports.”

Governor Cooper also proposed to:

• Expand Medicaid eligibility to cover an additional 624,000 individuals.
• Include expansion of the Children’s Developmental Services Agencies (CDSAs).
• Invest $1 million in state-of-the-art adaptive equipment and assistive technology to support inclusion and integration.
• Identify $20 million for school system personnel - which may impact students with I/DD in terms of teaching assistants, behavioral support staff and nurses.

The budget process now moves to the Senate, then the House, followed by Conference committee with the goal of a final budget by the end of June. For more information on Governor Roy Cooper’s budget, please visit http://bit.ly/2mkPpmj.

About the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities:
The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) works to assure that people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families participate in the design of and have access to needed community services, individualized supports and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity and inclusion in all areas of community life. Through its Five Year Plan, the Council identifies and funds innovative projects and initiatives that promote the goals of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) for all North Carolinians.

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