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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution addresses the value of center-based employment for
12 individuals with a disability.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This concurrent resolution:
15 ▸ addresses the value of and need for an individual with a disability to have options
16 among the settings in which the individual chooses to receive services and
17 employment opportunities;
18 ▸ urges the state of Utah to preserve the option for an individual with a disability to
19 choose the setting in which the individual receives services and employment
20 opportunities, including those in a center-based setting; and
21 ▸ urges the Congress of the United States to request that the Centers for Medicare and
22 Medicaid Services reconsider changes concerning funding for participation in a
23 program offered by a center-based employment provider.
24 Special Clauses:
25 None
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27 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
28 WHEREAS, center-based employment providers are private nonprofit, state, or local
29 government entities that provide employment and other opportunities to an individual with a
30 disability;
31 WHEREAS, an individual with a disability learns job skills, earns wages, interacts with
32 peers, and gains a sense of accomplishment at a center-based employment program;
33 WHEREAS, an individual with a disability accesses a variety of community-based
34 vocational and personal options at a center-based employment program;
35 WHEREAS, the goal of a center-based employment program is to prepare an individual
36 with a disability for competitive employment;
37 WHEREAS, by providing services unique to the individual and the local community in
38 which the individual is located, and by working in partnership with business and industry,
39 center-based employment programs remain an integral part of local economies;
40 WHEREAS, many Utah residents with a disability choose to participate in a
41 center-based employment program;
42 WHEREAS, parents, guardians, and caregivers of individuals with a disability support
43 and attest to the benefits of center-based employment programs and the employment provided
44 by center-based employment programs;
45 WHEREAS, some individuals with a disability may not be well-suited for competitive
46 employment, but could succeed in a center-based employment program;
47 WHEREAS, a center-based employment program provides a safety net for an
48 individual with a disability who is not successful in competitive employment;
49 WHEREAS, there is growing concern that regulations adopted by the Centers for
50 Medicare and Medicaid Services significantly change the home and community-based services
51 Medicaid waiver program and will reduce opportunities for an individual with a disability to
52 participate in a center-based employment program;
53 WHEREAS, an individual with a disability should be free to choose the setting in
54 which the individual receives services or employment, including a program or employment by
55 a center-based employment provider in Utah;
56 WHEREAS, there is a place for both integrated and center-based employment services
57 to meet the needs of all individuals with a disability in Utah; and
58 WHEREAS, the inability to receive federal funds is not a sufficient reason to
59 discontinue state funding for center-based employment programs:
60 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
61 Governor concurring therein, urges that the option for individuals with disabilities to choose
62 the settings in which they receive services and employment opportunities, including those in
63 center-based settings, be preserved.
64 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor
65 concurring therein, urges the Congress of the United States to request that the Centers for
66 Medicare and Medicaid Services reconsider the changes concerning funding for participation in
67 a program offered by a center-based employment provider and permit an individual with a
68 disability to freely choose the setting in which the individual wishes to receive employment
69 services.
70 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to Utah's
71 congressional delegation and the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.