Arizona’s Medicaid program provides the best services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to a national ranking released Wednesday.
The annual list produced by United Cerebral Palsy compares services and quality of life for people with disabilities all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Arizona, Michigan, California, New Hampshire and Vermont came in at the top of the list this year.
Meanwhile, for the sixth year in a row, Mississippi was dead last, with Illinois, Arkansas and Texas rounding out the low performers. (Find out where your state stands »)
The analysis looks at a number of factors including the way people with disabilities live and participate in their communities in each state, how satisfied people are with their lives and how easily they are able to access services and supports.
The latest ranking is based primarily on data from 2010, the most recent available.
Even though some states outperformed others in the ranking, those behind the report caution that all states have room for improvement. They point out that 268,000 Americans with disabilities are currently on waiting lists for Medicaid waivers which would allow them to receive home and community based services.
On a positive note, however, the analysis found that in 36 states at least 80 percent of residents with developmental disabilities are now being served in the community.
I am not surprised that North Carolina is 44. It is pathetic.
Who did they ask in Vermont and what were the questions? Inclusion by itself is not good autism care, particularly if the child with autism is in a regular class all the time but gets no help to adapt and overcome his/her problems. Many students with autism are just dropped in a regular class with no thought to what is best for the child. Many others are homeschooled because the class is just totally unsuitable. Adult services and employment support are terrible in Vermont.
I’m in Mich and WHAT. Where did you do take your survey in Yipsi. Mich has four famous citys for the worst in the nation. And what help did I get. No school. Oh thats right. The most organizations are probley in Mich. That do nothing. and mich was named one of the most corrupt in the US. RIGHT. AHhuh. Do you have any idea whats going on with the disabled in the detroit schools right now. This must be a survey in Yipsi where the state Mental ins used to be.
I am a Board of Director of Claudy’s House for Developmentally Challenged Adults. Our goal is to provide a loving Christian environment, group home for developmentally challenged adults. We are seeking to obtain our first home in Dallas, TX and subsequent homes in Flint, MI. After reading your list of where states rank for their services to the developmentally challenged population, we need to hurry up and get a house for our Texas residents.
Another thing for Texas NOT to be proud of! Another thing that Texas SHOULD be ashamed of!
How the … does California keep coming in top of the list? Who ever is making this list needs to reduce the standing of these states for gross inequality in services between higher and lower socioeconomic level, minority groups, and geographic area. I have worked in a number of states, mostly on the east coast, and there is no way that low income urban areas compare with those other states which are much lower on the list!! I would also like to note that there is a difference between receiving services and receiving treatment. Some state put most of their funds into early treatment and taper off their services as the child gets older. This works for allot of students who through intensive intervention become independent and thus need fewer services later on. I feel sick when I think parents are going to look at this list and move their families to California. If they are going to the OC or the Valley then they may get top notch services but otherwise the parents are in for a huge disappointment.
Whomever researched and compiled the data for this report completely missed the educational boat naming Michigan in the top tier of states providing the best services. Post to Michigan listservs and inquire about the programs and services. The responses will not be pretty, nor should they be. I am organizing an Occupy Michigan IEP Labor Day Rally due to the lack of programs and eroding services across school districts across our state.
And the disability community continues to stand around the government’s table with its hand out asking for more.
I’ve lived in both Washington State and California. In my experience Washington State was far better with it’s care then California. Further, I noticed this report was generated from 2010 data, why? Currently, California has become worse in the care they provide. I’m considering moving back to Washington due to the elitist medical treatment I’ve witnessed. I’ve been told I can no longer get the medical services I’ve been getting, due to state budget issues. It would be interesting to see how the top four states stack up to other countries, and seeing a more current date would be helpful and more accurate.
New York should be ashamed….the State is all talk, layers of bueracracy (with more to come thanks to the Union loving Gov. Cuomo) and little “hands on” …. I had to send my daughter to a pricey program out of state because NY had nothing to offer, unless you consider busing to the dollar store an “outing”…..it’s a disgrace. Where are these tax dollars going? Why doesn’t anyone at the STate level care? There are so few quality programs for the DD adult it is a shame…I can’t tell you how many group meetings I attended, where I brought along my daughter for socialization….board games, more board games. Are not the Disabled entitled to really fun activities like museum trips, concerts, etc. just like any adult population? How much BOWLING can a young adult do? Most of these young people, like my daughter are very high functioning and require more.
For what we pay to live in NY there should be more!
I agree that Michigan has a long way to go in helping students with disabilities obtain the appropriate supports and services that they need to be successful in school (as do many, if not all, of the states). However, this list ranks the states based on Medicaid services. Arguing against the ranking based on a lack of support in the educational system doesn’t make any sense; the schools were not a factor in the list.
Arizona ranks high because we have fewer institutions in operation. However, that in and of itself does not mean that people with Developmental Disabilities are really being “served” in their communities. Being at home watching television and occasionally going bowling, or in a small group home watching tv is not being INCLUDED in your community. Being required to go to the library once a week, because that is what your group home does and sitting in the reading room doing NOTHING for hours is not a quality of life.
I have reviewed the questions asked and UCP really needs to get into the 21st Century and ask questions that truly get at how people with disabilities and their families are SUPPORTED to live their fullest life in their communities. Do people with Developmental Disabilities have access to jobs and recreational opportunities that THEY choose? Do they have access to needed and desired services that they choose? For example, how many days or weeks do they have to budget to schedule an appointment? If they use mass transit how easy is it to access that transportation and how much time do they spend waiting in the waiting room because transportation requires them to waste half of their day by arriving early for the appointment and waiting to return home? If people with developmental disabilities live in group homes, do they know their neighbors? Are they included in neighborhood events, like block parties? These are all signs of being INCLUDED. The lack of institutions does not equate to a good quality of life. That is like saying all dogs have fur therefore everything with fur is a dog–it is illogical and thus to continue to tout this study as evidence that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a high quality of life in state’s like Arizona is false.
I am surprised that my State of New Hampshire is @ #4, given that the Tea Party Controlled NH State Legislature has been hell-bent in the last 18 months been trying to dismantle the social safety net us persons with physical & developmental disabilities rely upon for survival.
“Mary says:June 2, 2012 at 9:49 am
Being at home watching television ”
Well at least they have a home. Think of it this way, Mary: I believe everything you just said, yet I think Arizona is still probably the best state in the nation. Not good. Where I live they are homeless, zero new homes are being provided, and DD is used as a reason for Medicaid to deny services because there is zero coverage for anything caused by DD. So if you are dually dx’d they will deny all treatment by blaming DD for all your symptoms.
New Hampshire in Fourth?! you have got to be kidding me. Biased on lies !
We live in the state of Illinois which ranks at the bottom for helping children with disabilities. We have a son with CP and he is 15 years old. At some point we will have to find a home for him. Q-We are considering moving. Timing is bad though as far as selling your house. However, we are not going to let that stop us. What state would be best to move to that would help with assistance, funding and living quarters for disabled children? 2nd question which state would be best to retire in? The 2 might not go hand in hand but maybe there is a good match.
I agree with Texas in standings. When you speak to non-disabled they believe that they are doing enough. When you ask them if you as a person live with the services that Texas provides? They would say “no” and they say that no place is doing better and this how everyone does it. I would like to see people who non-disabled to live with less and make do or go hungry. Just because there needs to be a class action lawsuits for job equality. Or the people is faced legal indentured servitude and slavery by their own states with a salary nobody can live off of.
I have been dealing with the system in AZ for the last 18 years-since my son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. Whoever wrote this article didn’t do very good research. I’ve tried and tried to get my son disability services (DDD) here in AZ and he gets turned down every time. You have up to the age of 18 to apply and funny how NO ONE throughout the years told me this. I did apply for him right before he turned 18, and since AZ has the most restrictive guidelines to get with their programs, it’s hard to get on. They may have the so called “best” but if you’re not able to qualify, well, then there may as well be NONE. The state of MD goes by FUNCTION and not strictly by diagnosis and I was told he would get services there (I have family in MD). The four diagnoses for services in AZ are cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, and mental retardation; word has it that the IQ score was LOWERED! So if you have an IQ of 69, and the max is 65–guess what-you’re not qualified (rumor has it). For autism, they don’t consider any of the spectrum disorders, and if you have mental illness with your autism, they’ll deny you saying it’s the mental illness making you act autistic! My friend’s son had cerebral palsy (he has since passed on) and she was able to get wonderful services. But I guess you have to be severe in any of the four diagnoses to get services otherwise, too bad for you.
All I can PROMISE you is Texas is a living nightmare.My son has been on this HCS program since the late 90′s. And since 07 , they have gotten so bad I do not even get gloves to clean him with ! he at this moment has NOTHING , the providers charge for Day hab that he does not even go to , and my sister had to buy his wheelchair.at this moment we are getting NO help. and it has been since June of 2012. they even stold my son and took him to a group home! It took me a year to get him out , No help, the States right protecting officers are NOT for you . he brings a lot of money to them, I have Mega Police reports fro this place, he screamed to go home and they denied him.So he started dialing 911 . One tie just to go to the Pot cause the worker refused to put him on it. My son lost eye site in one eye ! we lost everything we had , even his medical transportation. they got in no trouble and my son almost died. And no one would even help get his things back. I HATE TEXAS , they are cruel and they are proud of it , Cause you DONT MESS WITH TEXAS! THEY ARE ALWAYS SUED BY THE doj , BUT NO ONE IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE, SO THEY PAY A FINIE AND GO ON WITH THE ABUSE.THERE IS TO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS PLACE , DO NOT EVER ,EVER COME TO TEXAS .