Earlier this week, in a party-line vote, members of the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) voted to cap all community long-term care (LTC) programs (e.g. Family Care, IRIS, PACE, Partnership). They also refused to add community long-term care funding for children.

Although JCF did add a very small number of “crisis slots” for people on waitlists who are in “urgent need” of services (as determined by the Department of Health Services ), this funding is not expected to serve the number of people who will be forced into nursing homes under the cap.

Four JCF members (Taylor, Jauch, Grigsby, Shilling) introduced a motion to lift the cap, but it failed with 12 members voting to freeze community long-term care (Darling, Grothman, Vos, Meyer, LeMahieu, Nygren, Kleefisch, Harsdorf, Leibham, Hopper, Strachota, Olsen).

Today, advocates continue to ask legislators to lift the cap on community long-term care services because they are more cost effective than institutions and better for people. 

You still have an opportunity to tell legislators – both your own and JCF members – how you feel about this week’s vote. The decision to freeze long-term care now moves to the full legislature.

Your representative will soon have one last chance to lift the cap.

Please use this link to find your legislator’s contact info.