FY27 Budget Oversight Hearing for Office of Disability Rights and Department on Disability Services – April 23, 2026

The Committee on Facilities, chaired by Ward 4 Councilmember Janice Lewis George, held a budget oversight hearing on April 23, 2026, from 10:45 a.m. to 2:34 p.m. The hearing examined the proposed FY27 budgets for the Office of Disability Rights (ODR) and the Department on Disability Services (DDS). Public witnesses and government officials testified on funding levels, service access, and pending challenges.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tisha Cockrel (President, Friends of Riggs LaSalle Recreation Center): Urged ADA-compliant door repairs at Riggs LaSalle Rec Center, noting a door push bar is broken and the entrance is not compliant. She reported receiving a late email from DGS saying ADA doors are on order and installation is scheduled for spring, but questioned the specific timeline.
• Matthew Gilbash (Vice President, DC Association of the Deaf): Was unable to testify due to illness; his testimony was submitted for the record.
• Talib Kareem Muhammad (STEM for Us, mayoral candidate): Criticized the district's snow removal response during winter storms, stating that impassable sidewalks and blocked ADA ramps forced residents with disabilities into dangerous streets. He called for better use of technology and interagency coordination.
• Robert Kennedy Jr. (Project Action): Emphasized the need for jobs for people with disabilities and the importance of Medicaid. He described challenges with doctor visits where providers addressed aides instead of him and urged that individuals be spoken to directly.
• Carrie Flora (Senior Attorney, Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities): Expressed concern about DDS's plan to implement a waiting list for waiver services despite having open slots. She urged the council to require DDS to explain how many waiver slots the budget funds and how much additional funding would avoid a waiting list.
• Ian Paragall (Executive Director, DC Coalition of Disability Service Providers): Identified three budget cuts harming providers: the 1.6 million reduction in the administrative fee, the freeze on the DSP Rate Payment Act funding, and the lack of increases for rental stipends and basic needs under the Human Care Agreement. He detailed a new HCA accounting initiative requiring tens of thousands of hours of additional work from providers.
• Robin Shafford (Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities): Testified that DDS has not provided transparent information about how many people can be served under the IDD and IFS waivers. She called on the council to demand specificity on how waiver slots would be funded at different budget levels and how a waiting list would be lifted.
• Sandy Bernstein (Legal Director, Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services): Reported that DDS has terminated or reduced waiver services without adequate notice or legal justification, often forcing individuals to rely on community services that may not be comparable or available. She noted that DDS changes its reasoning during appeals, suggesting budget-driven decisions.
• Ricardo Thornton (Co-President, Project Action): Asked the council to fully fund DDS's FY27 budget, emphasizing the importance of Medicaid and the need for increased funding as more people with disabilities require support.

Discussion Items – Office of Disability Rights (ODR)

• Budget Overview: Interim Director Peter Stefan presented ODR's proposed FY27 operating budget of $3,734,902, a 4% reduction from FY26. The budget includes $626,312 in federal funds for the Developmental Disabilities Council, $1,652,114 for the Division of Deaf, Deafblind, and Hard of Hearing, and $1,456,476 for core compliance work.
• Cuts and Impacts: The committee questioned reductions in training (40%), supplies (48%), and equipment (100% zeroed out). Director Stefan said ODR would continue its core mission despite cuts, absorbing them through vacancy savings and adjusting internal budgeting (e.g., using its own budget team instead of the mayor's office).
• ADA Compliance: Councilmember Lewis George asked about coordination with DCPS and DPR on accessibility surveys. ODR confirmed ongoing meetings with DCPS to streamline school accessibility surveys and expressed concern that DCPS's entire ADA capital budget ($1.5M) funds only one elevator for SUS Middle School. The councilmember asked ODR to review DPR's ADA capital projects and report if more funding is needed.
• Election Accessibility: Director Cook reported robust coordination with the Board of Elections (BOE) despite a vacant ADA coordinator position. BOE provides ASL interpretation at workshops, and the division has hosted over 12 outreach events. Plans include in-person ASL interpreters at polling sites on Election Day.
• Division Placement: The councilmember noted that the division for deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing was moved from the Mayor's Office of Community Affairs to ODR. She sought assurance that the division can execute its mission independently; Director Stefan affirmed they are working collaboratively to set its own priorities.

Discussion Items – Department on Disability Services (DDS)

• DDS Budget: Director Andrew Reese presented a proposed total budget of $230.6 million (local funds $167.6 million, a 3% increase). The budget includes $173 million for the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), $21.9 million for Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), and $11.8 million for the Disability Determination Division (DDD). DDS has 58 vacancies.
• Waiting List for IDD Waiver: DDS budget projections assumed a waiting list would be in place for the IDD waiver beginning October 1, 2026, even though current enrollment remains open. Director Reese explained that the waiver budget (appendix J) was developed with that assumption because cost-saving measures (e.g., revising supported living house rates, aligning services with assessed needs, expanding remote supports) are not yet fully implemented. He estimated a pause of 90–120 days, potentially lifted after the first quarterly FRP (January 2027). The councilmember pressed for a specific funding amount to eliminate the waiting list; Reese said it would require amending the waiver and could not be provided immediately.
• Cost-Saving Measures: Reese detailed changes including moving from house rates (funding all residents at the highest-need person's level) to individual staffing, better alignment of services with assessed needs, and expanding assistive technology and remote supports. A pilot using ARPA funds will test remote supports for over 100 people. The councilmember expressed concerns about seniors' resistance to technology and stressed that participants must have the option to decline remote supports.
• Administrative Fee: Providers lost $1.6 million in administrative fee funding. DDS argued that the fee is intended for administrative costs, not to subsidize waiver rate shortfalls, and that a new quarterly reporting requirement (under the Human Care Agreement) is not overly burdensome. The councilmember ordered DDS to meet with providers within two weeks to resolve the dispute.
• DSP Wage Freeze: The budget freezes direct support professional wages at 117.6% of the living wage with no plan to increase to 120% as previously approved. Reese said the annual cost of the wage enhancement was $140 million over three years and that the freeze will gradually erode the wage differential, but noted DC's wages remain higher than surrounding jurisdictions.
• Rental Caps: Current rental caps are 20–31% below market medians. Reese said caps are guidelines and can be exceeded case-by-case. Most supported persons live in Silver Spring, MD; integration is monitored to avoid clustering.
• RSA Maintenance of Effort: DDS missed the federal maintenance of effort requirement in FY23–25 due to prior local funding reductions, resulting in a $2.3 million penalty. Reese said the requirement is now reduced and FY26 will be met.
• Medicaid Due Process: Sandy Bernstein's concerns about termination notices were addressed. Reese noted only 3 out of 2,000 waiver participants had appealed to OAH in FY25, and most service terminations (e.g., fitness) involved transitions to other supports. He defended the new termination form and said training is ongoing.

Key Outcomes

• The committee will consider restoring the $1.6 million administrative fee for residential providers and may add funds to DDA to prevent a waiting list if clear cost data can be provided.
• Councilmember Lewis George directed DDS to meet with provider coalitions within two weeks on the reporting burden issue and report back.
• DDS was asked to provide a written explanation of the funding needed to avoid a waiting list, how waiver slots translate to actual service capacity, and how often the waiting list would be reassessed.
• The committee will monitor DDS's cost-saving implementation to ensure reductions are not based solely on budget but on appropriate assessments, and that participants' due process rights are protected.
• ODR will continue to push DCPS and DPR for more transparent ADA capital spending and will report on the sufficiency of their dedicated ADA budgets.
• The record remains open until 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026.