Financial Management Workshop for CILs…Regulations and Beyond IL-NET presentation on May 25-27, 2016 Module 9: A Word from Bob Williams, ILA Director BOB WILLIAMS: Good morning. It is great to be able to see and spend some time with you today and welcome to Baltimore, a place I lived and worked in for a while. I hope you like it. It is a great, foodie town, especially in and around Inner Harbor. So I hope you have let Paula a typical task master, burn the midnight oil herself and that you have gotten out and enjoyed Charm City, as this place is known. Collectively, I am told that 100 plus of you here represent 59 centers across 25. You are a diverse group of financial directors, chief operating officers, and outstanding executive directors of CILs. And while I do not know this for certain, if I had to guess, I assume that while you all share a lot of the same fundamental values and objectives in common, consumer control, peer support, advocacy aimed at eliminating barriers, and replacing them with equal opportunities for people with significant disabilities of all ages, races and circumstances to lead integrated contributing lives. There are key differences as well, because all centers share in this nationwide, there is also great diversity in the network, which I believe can be our greatest asset when we make it work for us. For example, the size and composition of the total operating budgets and centers manage very widely. At the end of fiscal year 2014 roughly 45% of CIL-NET received Part C grants reported operating budgets under $500,000. At the opposite side of the ledger, slightly, we're just 25% managed budgets over $1 million, including several which had budgets of more than 10 million or more. Another 1/3 had resources of 500,000, two just under $1 million. What does this mean? It means, I believe, that we at ACL, working with all of you, ILRU, and all of our stakeholders need to assure the best we can, that our policies and practices, as well as the technical assistance and supports we offer are deeply grounded in the core principles and objectives that makes CILs transformative and for which we can hold you accountable while being flexible enough to recognize and capitalize on. The wide variety of strengths, needs, challenges and opportunities, centers for independent living across this country bring to the table the tremendous strength of independent living will always lay our collective ability and willingness to share, teach and learn from one another and participating in this and other training like it underscores your personal and centers commitment to carry it forward. We know that grant and training resources are not plentiful and take time away from your job and personal life to take part in the training conference like this one is not easy. E-mails, phone calls and other tasks never stop when we are away. So there are definite tradeoffs to participating in a training like this, which is why I want to thank you and your center for making it a priority for you to be here, because whether you are here to learn the materials and financial management techniques that are being covered for the first time, or you are here to brush up on your years of knowledge and experience in this area, it is a smart investment for putting your center for independent living on a clear path to thrive and succeed and carrying out our shared mission of enabling children, youth and older people with significant disabilities to lead independent and integrated lives because following the sound and responsible financial management and standard policies and practices, you have been reviewing and learning about over the last day or so is essential for two major reasons. First it will better enable centers to meet their financial management and reporting requirements you have for the CIL grants as well as other federal grants you might have in a timely and straight forward manner, which is what we expect and want to continue to support you to do in a timely and accurate manner so that my staff and I can, likewise, ensure that the grant continuations set for this fall are issued in accurate and timely manner. And the second reason on this matter, of course, is that it is a critical cornerstone and tool for strengthening the health, well-being, reputation and capacity of your CIL and others to deliver on the mission. Here is why I believe why this is so important. How we need to do a better job with marketing and leveraging the huge assets and capacities CILs and SILCs offer. I have been in my role as director of Independent Living Administration just shy of six months but I have been working in and around the Federal government for 30 years on creating, strengthening and carrying out policies and programs to advance the equal rights and responsibilities of people with significant disabilities to live, work, and control our lives, just like everyone else. And ACL is the perfect place to continue to build, expand and leverage on what centers offer. We have already begun to do this by identifying strategic opportunities to partner with other programs and initiatives across ACL and with other Federal agencies. Number one, play to the strengths of centers and SILCs. And number two accessing additional funding and resources, that can strengthen the structure and capacity of individual CILs and the network as a whole to provide vital fit core services and supports. It is the goal. And one of the most immediate opportunities we believe we have to do this is through the partnership that ACL has to assist the Department of Veterans Affairs in expanding its veteran directed community living program nationwide and to celebrate the anniversary of that decision, we will be joining with NCIL, ILRU to a sponsor webinar, exploring ways in which we can make the most of this opportunity in ways that grows the capacity of centers to support both veterans and nonveterans with significant disabilities alike, to live in and contribute fully to their communities. We will send out information on both the date and time it will be held and the agenda that will be covered, sometime next week. A handful of centers are participating in this initiative already and we want you to hear about it from them so that you can decide whether your center should take part as well. I want to wrap up by sharing the following updates with you. As you know we receive public comments on our Title VII NPR in January, and are finalizing the regulations now. I cannot say when they will be published but we are working as vigorously as we can to get them out as soon as possible. We are also looking at ways to improve and streamline our review and 704 reporting requirements and we will be soliciting the feedback and engagement of the network in helping us think through how we move forward in these areas. We will begun to seek this input this summer. We are also gearing up for the submission of the new three-year state plan for independent living at the end of June. The timing of the submission is not ideal given the rules are not final. But we are hearing that states are making good progress and my staff and I are looking forward to review the plan because individually and collectively I think they will help create a roadmap that lays out where we need and want to go as well as how we can best get there. That said, we have also heard from a couple of states about the SILC DSE or others are having differences in opinions about what the statute now requires in respect to the development, approval and implementation of the SPIL. Such differences are to be expected. Given the changes made in WIOA, we are working with concerned parties now to resolve these concerns, and we will work with other stakeholders if there is a need to do so. My strong urging on this, though, it is in everyone's interest to address and resolve as many of these concerns in your state without involving ACL because it is how it is meant to work. Last but not least, we are also putting final touches our plan for processing Part C grants continuances and we will be sending out information and instructions on this in early June. We are taking steps to ensure that the process goes far smoother than last year. We will include more specifics, as well as any questions you have answered and technical assistance in what we set down in the coming week or two. I also want to say a few words about Melissa Hulbert, my acting deputy, who is here as well. Melissa has had a long career at HHS and CMS. She and I first met when I served as then Secretary Shalala advisor on several long-term services reforms that took form during the '90s, including the Real Choice System Change Grants, Money Follows the Person and the early implementation of the Olmstead decision. I left HHS in 2001. But Melissa stayed on and played a lead role in implementing each of these and much more. She brings much to the mix. With that if there's time, I welcome any questions, thoughts or suggestions you have.