The Department of Health Services (DHS) is holding two Town Hall Meetings this week to hear from the public on its 39 proposals to cut costs in Medicaid programs. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 19 in Madison (details) and the second meeting will be held on Friday, Oct. 21 in Milwaukee (details).

DHS Secretary Dennis Smith and Deputy Secretary Kitty Rhoades will be present at both meetings. This is an excellent opportunity for you to have your voice heard about lifting the caps on Family Care, changes to personal care and transportation services, and more.

Over the summer, Gov. Scott Walker stated that he wanted to lift the caps on Family Care by the end of the year. There is sufficient information available to justify lifting the caps and it is possible for reform to take place while people with disabilities continue to be served and receive the supports they need. Now is your chance to tell your story and make a difference on this and other issues related to proposed and existing Medicaid changes.

Advocates also are collecting stories from around the state on changes in how the functional screen is assessing eligibility for personal care, as well as proposed changes to personal care mileage reimbursement. If these changes affect you or your family, please complete a short survey on the impacts of the changes.

Those unable to attend the Town Hall Meetings can still have their voices heard by providing their comments about the proposed changes on the DHS website.

The subject of the Family Care caps has also been receiving a lot of media attention lately. During the past couple of weeks, newspaper editorials and radio stories have been featured in all of Wisconsin’s major media markets.