Children's Community Options Program (CCOP)
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Proposed Budget | IMPACT
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The Children’s Community Options Program (CCOP) is a new program proposed under Governor Walker's proposed 2015-2017 budget. Under the proposal, CCOP would replace the current Family Support Program (FSP) and the children’s portion of the Community Options Program under the Department of Health Services (DHS), which provide services and support to families with a child with long-term care needs. To receive CCOP assistance, a family must have a child under 22 with a disability who is not receiving or eligible for other adult long-term care services. A needs assessment will be conducted to further determine eligibility and the individual services needed. A sliding scale formula based on income is proposed for fees.
Governor Walker's Proposed 2015-2017 Budget as Amended by the Joint Committee on Finance
For the most part, the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) approved the Governor's proposed CCOP program. However, the JFC did make some wording and definitional changes to help ease some of the concerns advocates had regarding the proposal.
Final 2015-2017 CCOP Budget
Other than the definitional changes made by the JFC, the Legislature largely approved the Governor's proposed CCOP model.
The proposed CCOP program increases eligibility for long-term care services by one year from the existing Family Support Program (FSP), which currently requires children to be under 21 to be eligible for the program. This could increase the number of families who are able to make use of CCOP services. It is essential that the new consolidated CCOP program maintains the current FSP philosophies of supporting the entire family, not just the child; providing flexibility; and allowing families a diverse choice of supports. Programs like FSP and CCOP are important to families with children who have long-term care needs, as the financial burden of supporting a child with severe disabilities can put stress on a family’s psychological, financial, and physical resources.
For a summary of concerns raised by advocates for people with disabilities regarding the budget's final CCOP language, see this memo from the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations.
For a summary of concerns raised by advocates for people with disabilities regarding the budget's final CCOP language, see this memo from the Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability Organizations.