NCIL Reiterates Need for Increased Title VII Funding

April 26, 2007

The Honorable David Obey, Chairman
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health
and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
U.S. House of Representatives
2358 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Obey and Subcommittee Members:
I am writing on behalf of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) to thank you for your continued commitment to independent living and urge you to consider increasing funding for these critically needed and cost-saving consumer-directed services for people with disabilities.

NCIL is the oldest cross-disability, national grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. NCIL's membership includes centers for independent living, statewide independent living councils, people with disabilities, and other disability rights organizations. As a membership organization, NCIL advances independent living and the rights of people with disabilities through consumer-driven advocacy. NCIL envisions a world in which people with disabilities are valued equally and participate fully.

Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are non-profit, non-residential corporations, which are governed, staffed, and operated by people with disabilities. Centers primarily provide opportunities and services that enable people with disabilities to live more independently. Centers also provide systems change activities that result in sweeping improvements in the number of opportunities and services people with disabilities are able to access in their communities.

Part C-funded CILs are a bargain. With $74.6 million CILs moved 2,800 people out of nursing homes and institutions and prevented 22,000 people from entering them annually. Clearly, CILs save millions of dollars for the federal government by helping to promote accessible community living for people with disabilities. This includes moving people out of costly Medicaid funded nursing homes and other institutions. In addition, nationwide, CILs generated other revenue resources of
$ 267 million through grants, contracts, fee for service, state and other sources annually.

We remain gravely concerned about the reduction in funding for CILs. Funding was reduced from $75,392,000 in FY 2005 to $74,638,000 in FY 2006. Given the increased costs of living and inflation, the level funding in FY 2007 resulted in cuts for the 334 federally funded CILs that serve people with disabilities throughout the country. The average grantee receives approximately $207,000, which often includes funding for one or more satellite offices. These continued cuts come despite:

• Almost 30% of counties remain unserved. (Source: Rural Institute at the University of Montana);
• 7.5 million Americans with disabilities receive benefits under federal disability programs;
• 72 % of adults with disabilities who want to work are unemployed;
• The dramatically increasing size of the disability population as a direct result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the climbing rates of obesity and diabetes, and the growing aging population,  and;
• Most people with significant disabilities still are unable to benefit from the opportunities and services CILs provide because of the lack of funding.   

RECOMMENDATION: Increase by $25 million funding under Title VII, Part C of the Rehabilitation Act in the Fiscal Year 2007 appropriations bill.

CILs have not only served proportionately more people when Title VII, Part C funding was increased, but they also reduced people’s dependence on federal and state income support programs by providing services that enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of people with disabilities in their community.
An independent survey of CILs conducted by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in October 2002 found that people with disabilities who use CILs are overwhelmingly pleased with the services and are more independent as a result of accessing them. The results of the study are available online:  http://www.cessi.net/contracts/studies/doe_rsa_eilp.html

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Deb Cotter, of the NCIL policy staff at deb@ncil.org or (202) 207-0334, ext. 1008.

Sincerely,

John Lancaster                                      Kelly Buckland, President
Executive Director                                   NCIL Governing Board