From BAABA: How to talk to your legislators: A behavior analytic persective
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matt potak
Apr 11, 2011, 8:39:48 AM4/11/11
to Potak, Matt
Hello everyone,
This is an extremely poignant time to respond to our legislators concerning the rate cuts enacted on all Medicaid Waiver providers. Moreover, as a community of behavior analysts, we must offer a response that is unified and that accurately represents our own unique perspective within this community of affected providers. This situation affects us immediately in that we must manage the needs of our clients that have lost supports, homes, meaningful day activities. This takes time and energy on an individual level for all of us. Simultaneously, we must consider that these cuts leave our field as a whole extremely vulnerable to a sustained reduction in pay and quality of service, and that we must respond quickly and accurately. BCBA's and BCaBA's must unite and understand that the rate cuts in Florida have a negative long-term outcome for our field. Universities with behavior analysis programs will lose applicants, businesses will lose behavior analysts to other states, and our clients will be left with diluted services.
I am asking for each of you to contact your legislators this week, even if you already have done so. Legislators will be finalizing the budget talks this week, and this is the time to respond. Phone contacts are perhaps the most effective right now based on qualitative data received from several analysts. On April 10th an emergency quorum of BAABA was held in order to formulate effective talking points that accurately represent our own perspective, while also establishing the immediate effects levied our consumers. Please review the attached document that includes these talking points that will be important to use when speaking with your legislators. Additionally, I have attached documents that include lists of legislators to contact, including the committee members that are voting on the funds appropriated to Agency for Persons with Disabilities. It is more effective to focus your contact to republican members of the House and Senate, because their position is typically opposed to what we are asking for.
Now is the time to respond. If massive rate cuts are supported in this state with respect to the provision of behavior analysis services, we will be reversing great progress made by our field. We need to ask that these cuts be rescinded, and that the agency rates be restored. Please join this fight to protect behavior analysis services in the state of Florida.
Sincerely,
David Engelman, MA, BCBA
Co-Owner, ABA Solutions, Inc.
deng...@gmail.com
(727) 492-1253
This is an extremely poignant time to respond to our legislators concerning the rate cuts enacted on all Medicaid Waiver providers. Moreover, as a community of behavior analysts, we must offer a response that is unified and that accurately represents our own unique perspective within this community of affected providers. This situation affects us immediately in that we must manage the needs of our clients that have lost supports, homes, meaningful day activities. This takes time and energy on an individual level for all of us. Simultaneously, we must consider that these cuts leave our field as a whole extremely vulnerable to a sustained reduction in pay and quality of service, and that we must respond quickly and accurately. BCBA's and BCaBA's must unite and understand that the rate cuts in Florida have a negative long-term outcome for our field. Universities with behavior analysis programs will lose applicants, businesses will lose behavior analysts to other states, and our clients will be left with diluted services.
I am asking for each of you to contact your legislators this week, even if you already have done so. Legislators will be finalizing the budget talks this week, and this is the time to respond. Phone contacts are perhaps the most effective right now based on qualitative data received from several analysts. On April 10th an emergency quorum of BAABA was held in order to formulate effective talking points that accurately represent our own perspective, while also establishing the immediate effects levied our consumers. Please review the attached document that includes these talking points that will be important to use when speaking with your legislators. Additionally, I have attached documents that include lists of legislators to contact, including the committee members that are voting on the funds appropriated to Agency for Persons with Disabilities. It is more effective to focus your contact to republican members of the House and Senate, because their position is typically opposed to what we are asking for.
Now is the time to respond. If massive rate cuts are supported in this state with respect to the provision of behavior analysis services, we will be reversing great progress made by our field. We need to ask that these cuts be rescinded, and that the agency rates be restored. Please join this fight to protect behavior analysis services in the state of Florida.
Sincerely,
David Engelman, MA, BCBA
Co-Owner, ABA Solutions, Inc.
deng...@gmail.com
(727) 492-1253
--
Matt Potak, M.S., BCBA
Behavior Analysis Solutions Inc.
www.shapingbehavior.com
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