by George Kutnerian
Effective January 1, 2017, the state SSP portion of the SSI/SSP grant will receive a cost-of-living increase equivalent to the increase in the California Necessities Index, which is 2.76 percent. This increase would mark the first State SSP increase in more than a decade.
California, home to almost 20% of the nation’s SSI population, has long relied on 6-bed residential care facilities to provide housing and care for SSI/SSP recipients, among which are primarily the elderly and adults with disabilities, including those with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses.
The disparity between the capped SSI/SSP rate and the median market rate has grown to become a gaping chasm over the years, with the SSI/SSP board and care rate failing to keep up with the rapidly rising housing and operating costs that California’s small 6-bed residential care facilities face.
The 2.76% increase to the State SSP portion of the SSI/SSP grant, the first such increase in more than a decade, has been long overdue and is a step, albeit a very modest one, in the right direction. 6Beds recognizes that much more will have to be done to sustain the small 6-bed residential care facilities that care for SSI/SSP recipients and will continue to advocate on their behalf.
Best Regards,
George Kutnerian, M.S., MBA
Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Legislation