Abused kids face bleak future with budget cuts

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2002 | 9:01 a.m.

State-supervised children diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed will continue to go without counseling, treatment or medication due to drastic budget cuts in Nevada's child welfare system.

Mike Willden, state human resources director, Wednesday offered a gloomy picture for abused children when he outlined recommended budget reductions that will be presented to Gov. Kenny Guinn next week.

"I'd rather see new buildings mothballed rather than see abused children fail to get the services they deserved a long time ago," Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, said. "It's frustrating."

To make up for a $180 million general fund shortfall, Willden is recommending allocating $100 million from the state's emergency fund, delaying "one-shot" programs -- programs that are not ongoing -- and reducing every state department budget by 3 percent.

The integration of the child welfare system, considered a one-shot program, took the most significant hit, a 42 percent reduction.

The state initially set aside $12 million to integrate its adoptions and foster care services with Clark County's and Washoe County's programs, which include Child Protective Services.

Because the integration with Washoe County is considered a pilot program, its budget was untouched. Clark County's child welfare integration budget was reduced to $5 million.

"I know this isn't good news, but given the current economic status, targets have been identified," Willden told a child welfare legislative committee chaired by Buckley. "It isn't an easy task."

In addition to integration, other portions of Assembly Bill 1, passed during the 2001 legislative session, include providing better services for severely emotionally disturbed children and improving rural programs.

The state identified 327 severely emotionally disturbed children who were receiving no treatment. Although the Assembly bill was designed to address those children, only a portion of them will be treated. There are still hundreds of mentally ill children who are under-served.

The Kinship Care Program, which provides financial and medical support to children in state care who are living with relatives, also could be affected.

When the program was approved a year ago, it provided caregivers $534 a month for each child 12 years old and younger and $616 a month for children 13 years old and older. Included in the recommended cuts is a proposal to pay Kinship caretakers -- who must be older than 62 to be eligible -- 90 percent of the foster care rate for the first child and $100 a month for every additional child.

Jane Horner, founder of the program, said she receives about $1,150 a month to help care for her two grandchildren. Horner's 78-year-old husband, Will, already works part time at a hardware store to help with the grandchildren.

If the reduction is approved, the Horners will lose $450 a month.

"That's a lot of money when you're on Social Security," Horner said. "I might have to go back to work."

State Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, blasted the governor for what he called a failure to foresee the budget shortfall. In his push to tax the gaming industry during the last legislative session, Neal warned the governor of future economic troubles, he said.

"Nobody stood up and acted on it," Neal said. "Now we're faced with a real, real problem."

Nevada is the only state in the country with a split child welfare system. Lawmakers finally voted in favor of placing the entire program under county supervision after hearing tales for years of children getting lost in the system because of miscommunication between the county and state.

The state will fulfill its commitment to fund a $2 million computer system that the county needs to become eligible for federal funds. State and county welfare workers also will likely move into the same building.

By delaying full integration of the system for six months, the state will save about $5 million by holding off on buying vehicles and equipment and paying its employees county salaries, which are higher.

"We view this as a temporary delay," County Manager Thom Reilly said. "Obviously we'll have some challenges, but we're still moving full steam ahead."

Reilly said a more significant concern is the proposed 75 percent slashing of counties' temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) funds. Clark County's portion will shrink from $3.2 million a year to about $750,000.

Perhaps leery because the state's mental health division never fully recovered from a 20 percent general fund cut in 1991, legislators and county officials searched for guarantees that the delays are just that, and not permanent.

"This is a very difficult task we're undertaking," said Marybel Batjer, Guinn's chief of staff. "We hope these are indeed delays and indeed not cuts. That's the governor's hope."

Willden said if the economy continues to lag, the state will have to take drastic steps to control welfare spending. One option would be to place caps on the eligibility lists for Medicaid, for example.

State Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, cringed at Willden's report and hinted that such cuts are why Nevada ends up on the bottom of lists that rate social services.

"I've spent 18 years building programs to make this state a better place to live and we're in last place in just about everything we can look at," Rawson said.

Willden is scheduled to present his proposed budget cuts to Guinn on Wednesday.