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Adults with intellectual disabilities may wait years for services. Shapiro's budget would help

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Adults with intellectual disabilities may wait years for services. Shapiro's budget would help


This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.

Tristan Rovito finally moved out of his mother’s house this month. The 25-year-old had wanted to leave since at least 2019, and his mother, Becky Bowling of Carlisle, had been trying to make that happen for a while.

But for Rovito, flying the nest was not as simple as finding an apartment and a couple of roommates. He has autism and low vision, which limit his social and communication skills, and his ability to care for himself.

Before the move, Bowling had been his caregiver around the clock, but the work was difficult and required her to quit her job. The situation was not sustainable, she told How We Care, which is why she needed her son to live on his own in a group home.

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“I feel like my mom needs to have a lot of breaks from me,” said Rovito, who admits he was also itching for a change.

Both of them are thrilled that Rovito now lives in a group home, the entire cost of which is covered by a waiver from Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services program.

A group home is a supervised residence for adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. It’s staffed by direct support professionals who assist Rovito and his two roommates with tasks like light housework, personal hygiene, and meal preparation.

“It’s going good,” said Rovito, who reports that his new roommates are nice and that he looks forward to spending more time with his girlfriend.

It took a long wait for him to get these services, a common experience in Pennsylvania.

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Because the level of need exceeds what’s appropriated in the state budget, adults with autism and intellectual disabilities in the commonwealth spend months, if not years, waiting for waivers that pay for services, to which they’re entitled as Medicaid beneficiaries. April data from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services show nearly 13,000 adults are on waitlists to receive these services. A 2022 report from DHS found that the median amount of time that people spend on all waiver waitlists is 2.6 years.

Once Rovito got the approval to be added to a waiver waitlist, it took nine months for a group home spot to open up. He describes these months of limbo as a “nightmare.”

“That period of time was really hard on both of us,” seconded Bowling. During the nine-month wait, she said they wondered “‘You know, is it going to happen?’”

Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal includes $78 million that would allow the Office of Developmental Programs to increase the number of waiver slots by 1,500 so that people like Rovito don’t need to wait so long for spots at group homes, as well as other services. The waiver program gives families access to a range of services, including various therapies, shift nursing, job counseling, respite for caregivers, and assistance with daily living tasks such as personal hygiene, transportation, and budgeting.

Legislative leaders, including Democrats who control the state House and Republicans who run the state Senate, are currently negotiating what the final budget deal will look like ahead of the June 30 deadline.

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“The governor put a lot on the table with his budget proposal. While accommodating all his requests is not feasible, this is an area I certainly feel a need to address to the best of our ability,” said state Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) in an emailed statement.



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Pennsylvania

Sinkhole opens behind Walgreens at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

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Sinkhole opens behind Walgreens at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania


Sinkhole opens behind Walgreens at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania – CBS Philadelphia

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Emergency crews have closed off several areas to cars and pedestrians after a large sinkhole opened up in Montgomery County.
The sinkhole is behind a Walgreens along East Dekalb Pike and South Henderson Road in King of Prussia.
This area of King of Prussia has had several other sinkholes open in the past year.
Upper Merion Township police said to avoid the area until further notice.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania ranks third for police misconduct settlement cases

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Pennsylvania ranks third for police misconduct settlement cases


Perry’s story may help understand some of the findings of a Whitley Law Firm study, originating in North Carolina, that analyzed police misconduct settlement figures nationwide, documenting patterns and covering numerous jurisdictions.

According to the study, Pennsylvania has paid more than $59 million total for four police misconduct settlements, from 2010 to 2014, ranking the commonwealth third-highest (an average of $14.8 million per settlement) in the nation for large payout amounts.

New York leads the nation in settlement costs, averaging $73 million per case and ultimately exceeding $1.1 billion in total settlements.

A closer look at Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, the study showed the city paid $54 million for police misconduct cases settled between 2010 and 2014.

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The family of Walter Wallace Jr. received a $2.5 million settlement in 2021, a year after Wallace was fatally shot by police while experiencing a mental health crisis near his home in Cobbs Creek.

However, Wallace family attorney Shaka Johnson called the payment “cheap” in some respects, noting that the family has the right to use the funds to honor Walter’s memory. His death, which occurred months after the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota, further fueled demands for police reform. Floyd’s death in May 2020 sparked nationwide protests and calls for accountability.

Similarly, Wallace’s killing deeply affected Philadelphia residents, prompting demands for changes in law enforcement policies, training and accountability measures.

The Whitley study underscores the steep costs of misconduct settlements and the systemic issues they expose. The report highlighted the need for preventative issues, such as improved policies and police training, to reduce wrongful deaths.

“Every dollar spent on a misconduct settlement is a dollar that could have been invested in community resources, safety initiatives, and police training,” the report states. “It’s critical that we work to ensure these settlements become rare, not routine.”

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The cases of Wallace and Floyd stand as stark reminders of the urgent need for systemic reforms to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Michael Collins, senior director of state and local policy for social justice nonprofit Color of Change, blames the high number of misconduct payment settlements on strong police unions in this country.

Michael Collins (Courtesy Color of Change)

 

“The Fraternal Order of Police, which acts to protect indefensible cop behavior, they will negotiate as part of the contract ways in which account is very watered down,” Collins told WHYY News in an interview. “They will, you know, protect officers who are tied to, like, white supremacists. They will protect officers who have previously engaged in misconduct, they will erect obstacles that do not occur for investigations into regular members of the public.”

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Pennsylvania

Woman walking dog hit, killed by SUV driver in Pennsylvania

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Woman walking dog hit, killed by SUV driver in Pennsylvania


Woman walking dog hit, killed by SUV driver in Pennsylvania – CBS Pittsburgh

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A woman and her dog were hit and killed by the driver of an SUV in McCandless on Tuesday night.

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