PORTSMOUTH, Ohio – Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Julie Monroe and Board President Carla Salyer, along with Scioto County Board of DD’s Superintendent, Matt Pucell, met with state Sen. Joe Uecker, R-Miami Township, October 3 to discuss disability policy and funding ahead the upcoming two-year state budget process.
The meeting, which was attended by officials from the Brown, Lawrence, and Scioto County Boards of DD, was held at the Scioto board offices in Portsmouth and included a tour of local facilities.
Supports for Ohioans with developmental disabilities are funded by a combination of local, state, and federal dollars. Much of the state’s portion of that funding is decided every two years during Ohio’s biennial budget process, during which lawmakers draw up the state’s two-year spending plan. The 2020-21 state budget will be written in the first half of 2019.
“We’re always happy and thrilled to meet with our local officials to discuss how we can expand and improve services to people with developmental disabilities,” said Tim Nunnery, Communications and Resource Development Director for LCDD. “Having Sen. Uecker come from the state level to meet with us and discuss these topics reassures us - and hopefully those we serve - that we have the support of our officials and that they do care about their livelihood.”
Monroe, Salyer and Purcell spoke to Uecker about several other DD-related topics, including state funding for DD programs and the ongoing statewide shortage of direct service professionals (DSPs) to care for people with developmental disabilities in home and community-based settings.
Uecker represents Ohio’s 14th Senate District, which includes Adams, Brown, Clermont and Scioto Counties and part of Lawrence County. He is serving his second term in the Ohio Senate. Uecker is chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Local Government. He previously served four terms in the Ohio House of Representatives.
Lawrence County Developmental Disabilities serves more than 500 county residents, including babies and toddlers through Early Intervention, school age children and young adults enrolled in the Early Childhood Center’s preschool program and Open Door School, and adults with developmental disabilities through Service and Support Administration.
County boards offer a variety of supports for people with developmental disabilities, including early intervention, school age services, and employment services. Established 50 years ago by the Ohio General Assembly, Ohio’s 88 county boards of DD now support more than 93,000 people with developmental disabilities statewide.