Highlights of the DRAFT Iowa SPIL 2010-2013
Draft as of 5/17/2010
The Iowa State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) is the plan for how we are going to strengthen
and expand Iowa’s Independent Living (IL) Network so that Centers for Independent Living (CILs),
Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS), and Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) can
provide the direct services that are requested by Iowans with disabilities.
The CILs, IVRS, and IDB provide services to Iowans with disabilities, regardless of the type of
disability. The goal of services is to help people with disabilities to remain independent in the
community of their choice, and not be forced to live in nursing homes or other types of institutions.
The Iowa Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC), the CILs, IVRS, and IDB, through the
Plan outlined in the SPIL, help to build the Network so that the resources needed to provide services
are available.
Below is a narrative description of the current DRAFT of the new SPIL.
The SPIL is still a DRAFT and is subject to change pending input from all partners.
DRAFT Iowa SPIL 2010-2013 Overview as of 5/17/2010
Background Information
Iowa receives a very small amount of federal independent living funding. It is totally inadequate to
be able to serve all Iowans with disabilities across the state who need CIL services and resources to
be able to remain independent and not be forced to live in an institution.
Due to the severe recession and the state budget crisis, we also LOST ALL of the $250,000 in State
funds for CILs that we advocated for and received in 2008. This has been very discouraging to all
of us.
The current seven Iowa CILs only serve 35 of the 99 Iowa counties. Of those 35, they only
adequately serve 7 counties where their offices are located because they are so underfunded. The
other 28 counties they serve are very underserved as they do not have adequate funds to hire enough
staff to fully serve those other counties.
There are also 64 Iowa counties who have NO CIL services.
Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) and Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB) do have
Independent Living Programs that can and do serve people with disabilities in all counties in Iowa.
However, they are also very underfunded and cannot meet all the need.
Iowa SPIL DRAFT Narrative 5/17/10
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The goal and objectives of the new Draft SPIL we are working on is as follows:
DRAFT Iowa SPIL Goal and Objectives as of 5/17/2010
Goal:
By 2013, there will be an increase in the partnership, fiscal and programmatic
accountability, and services of the Iowa Independent Living (IL) Network.
By increasing the partnership, fiscal and programmatic accountability, and services of Iowa’s IL
network, the end result will be more quality CIL services and resources for Iowans with disabilities
all across Iowa.
The first objective is as follows:
A.
The Iowa Independent Living Network, which includes the CILs, the DSUs, the SILC,
grassroots organizations, consumer partners, and other stakeholders, have a preferred
vision for IL services in Iowa and a strategic plan to implement the vision for the entire
network.
Over the course of the next 3 year SPIL, we want to develop both a Preferred Vision and a Strategic
Plan for Iowa's Independent Living Network. This will strengthen the partnerships in the IL
Network and will include involving consumer partners in developing this vision and plan for what
Iowa's priorities are going to be for the IL Network.
The second objective is as follows:
B.
There will be sound accountability in program and fiscal management among CILs,
DSUs, and the SILC.
Another objective is to strengthen the programmatic and fiscal operations and accountability of the
current CILs, SILC, and DSUs (Designated State Units which are Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation
Services and Iowa Department for the Blind). The plan identifies several ways to do this.
One activity is for the CILs, the DSUs, and the SILC to work to develop consistency on how the
CILs and DSUs collect their data on consumer partner services and report out their data in the
federal 704 Reports annually. We need to make sure we are all doing this the same way,
consistently, as that data will be used to make the case as to why we need more funding for CILs to
adequately provide services and resources to consumer partners statewide.
Another activity is providing small amounts of funding to the CILs to help them with strengthening
their programmatic and fiscal operations. CILs would identify their own needs and then submit for
funding to help them with what they request for their need.
Iowa SPIL DRAFT Narrative 5/17/10
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The third objective is as follows:
C.
Consumers will have increased access to IL services through new funding resources
developed for CILs/Grassroots Groups.
This objective relates to working to find funding and other resources for CILs, and Grassroots
Groups wanting to start a CIL in an unserved county, to help strengthen their programmatic and
fiscal operations. This includes education of legislators and policy makers at the federal and state
levels on CIL operational needs, as well as additional funding that CILs can develop to strengthen
their fiscal and programmatic operations, such as grants, fee for services, fundraising.
DRAFT Iowa SPIL Funding Distribution Formula and Priorities as of 5/17/2010
The other critical piece of the SPIL is funding distribution.
This is the draft outline of how any NEW federal or state IL funds are to be distributed in Iowa.
The first priority of the federal Rehabilitation Act is to develop new Centers for Independent Living
when new federal funds become available. HOWEVER, the SPIL must outline what conditions
MUST EXIST in order for new federal funding to be used to start a new Center.
From a business perspective, it makes absolutely no sense to start a new CIL when the current seven
CILs do not have enough funding to adequately serve their current 35 counties.
There is also Independent Living philosophy to consider here.
CILs are run BY people with disabilities FOR people with disabilities. So the majority of staff at
the Centers are people with disabilities. Almost every CIL in Iowa does NOT pay competitive
wages for their staff, nor do many of them offer health insurance or retirement benefits for staff.
That needs to change. People who staff CILs are entitled to the same wages and benefits of their
counterparts in other non-profit human services agencies.
So here is what has been proposed on this issue.
The seven CILs in Iowa are all working to develop itemized budgets for each of the next three years
of what it would actually cost to serve all of the counties in their current service areas. These
budgets show how many staff they need to provide services, and a competitive salary for those staff
along with health insurance and retirement benefits. It also includes funds for mileage and ongoing
training for staff, as well as the basic amounts needed for rent, utilities, office supplies, payroll,
accounting, and so on.
Each CIL Director is developing their own budget for their CIL, based on number of counties they
serve, the disability population in those counties served, and the cost of travel to serve their
underserved counties. The budgets will reflect costs for each year over three years, so the annual
budget will increase each year based upon increases we know will occur, such as raises, increases in
health insurance, and so on.
Iowa SPIL DRAFT Narrative 5/17/10
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These budgets will provide the data needed to justify the amount that each CIL needs to operate to
fully serve their service areas.
The Iowa SPIL priority would then be that any new federal or state dollars for IL must first be used
to bring each CIL up to the amount they identify in their budgets before a new CIL can be started.
So the condition that must be met in Iowa before a new CIL could receive any federal funding is
that current CILs must be fully funded.
However, CIL Directors are considering making the condition be that they must be at 80% of each
of their budgets before a new CIL can receive new federal funds in order to allow for expansion of
CIL services to make these services available in more Iowa counties.
Once each CIL reaches 80% of funding, there has to be a minimum amount of new federal funding
left over to start a new CIL. We are developing an itemized budget for a new CIL start up that
would be that minimum amount that a new CIL would need. If there is not enough remaining new
funding to start a new CIL after all Centers are brought up to at least 80% of their budgets, the
priority would be to continue funding the current CILs to above the 80% amount up to 100%. Then
when more new funding happens, it may be enough to be used to start a new CIL.
The next priority would be for current CILs to expand to serve more counties that are unserved.
This is a summary of the SPIL as of 5/15/2010. Updates will be posted here as they occur.
If you have input or ideas regarding what is in the SPIL, please contact Dawn Francis, SILC
Executive Director, either by e-mail at dawn@iowasilc.org, or by phone at 1-877-466-7442.
Iowa SPIL DRAFT Narrative 5/17/10
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