Cost of Providing Care Coalition
The Cost of Providing Care Coalition (COPC) represents over 250 not for profit community
provider agencies that span the spectrum of services for both the Department of Human
Services and the Department of Children and Families. COPC advocates for increases
in state contract funding commensurate with the CPI Northeast Urban Wage-Earners index.
Issue
On February 26, Governor Jon Corzine presented his fiscal plan for FY2009 that cut
more than $2.5 billion in spending. The governor's plan includes the annualization
of last year's increase, but does not include a new Cost of Providing Care increase
for the upcoming year. While we recognize the state's difficult fiscal environment,
we must continue to stress that additional resources are needed to meet skyrocketing
costs and to retain staff. The Cost of Providing Care Coalition will continue to demonstrate
to the administration and the Legislature the need for a 3.6% increase to enable them
to meet the needs of New Jersey's most vulnerable citizens. We are encouraged
that the fiscal plan signaled that the governor would have liked to include a COPC
increase to help agencies maintain quality services.
- Community providers deliver care to more than 500,000 individuals with developmental
disabilities, mental illness, and families and children who are at risk.
- The quality of services delivered to this population is in jeopardy because community
provider agencies are not being funded at a rate that keeps pace with inflation
and escalating costs.
- Although the costs associated with providing services, such as health insurance,
transportation, utilities, and worker's compensation, have increased dramatically;
community provider agencies have not received an adequate contract increase in nearly
15 years.
- New Jersey gives its State Departments increases every year to address the mandatory
increase in costs associated with providing services, however, community provider
agencies, which provide the actual community services on the State's behalf
are the only component that does not receive an annual increase.
- The Cost of Providing Care Coalition is calling on the New Jersey Legislature
to include a 3.6% cost of providing care increase in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget,
based upon the Consumer Price Index for the Northeast region, to ensure that agencies
can continue providing quality services to New Jersey's most vulnerable populations.
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