Surviving the Financial Crunch

I have been involved with EI on and off since 1983.  I recently took a job in June with a company wanting to service the area where I live.  I jumped at the chance to work closer to home!  I had been commuting 55-70 miles one way for the past 6 years.  My caseload is about 2/3rds full.  I have left business cards with pediatricians and stay in touch with EI service coordinators. I have faith that my caseload will fill up within time.  I am going to stick with it because it took me 6 months before I was offered a job.  I don't want to go back to long commutes.

Reading through the comments posted so far really drives home the reality of what is happening in this country regarding not only health care, but also EI and Education.

Tracy - thank you for summarizing exactly what is happening in PA. I only know of this situation b/c of my job, conversations with my boss and emails we have received - I have not seen any coverage on our local news channels. Have you??

This Tuesday's post is a continuation of this one from 9/1 and will attempt to summarize our current situation and how we should move forward from here as citizens and professionals....please check back and share your feedback....!!

The Pennsylvania government under the direction of Govenor Edward Rendell did not approve a budget for fiscal year 2009-2010.  Our previous state budget ran out June 30th.

Because the budget has not been approved, all state monies have been frozen.  Early Intervention, Pre-K counts, state funded Headstart, and the agency that pays for subsidized daycare have not received ANY money for July or August.  The Access card/medicare have not paid any outpatient therapy bills since June.

In Pennsylvania, right now, hundreds of Head Start and Pre-K classrooms did not open this week, and those teachers and aides are laid off.  One of our largest and best daycare centers in this area is closing Sept. 11th, never to re-open.  178 children are without daycare.

As far as our company, we've made payroll for 32 employees for the past 8 weeks on reserve money, which is now gone.  We paid everyone today, but unless we see checks, we will not make payroll in two weeks.  Therapists will have to decide whether to continue working without pay, or to leave our employ.  As there is no end in sight for this budget "crisis," the banks will not give us a credit line.  We have been told that Gov. Rendell has approved a small part of the budget, which includes EI funding, and that Harrisburg is sending checks to our various Counties this week.  We have no idea when that money may filter down to us.

ALL of the independent EI providers in PA have gone without payment since June 30th.

Please keep us in your thoughts as our EI program, which is typically rated in the top 5 in the nation, loses providers, and children begin to go without service.

Earlier this week, I wrote a post entitled, Surviving the Financial Crunch to address the increasing

I work in SC. We have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation so most of my E. I. kids are on medicaid. Our insurance families do not have to pay the co-pay so we've not been affected by that.  I stay fearful about medicaid cuts.  I don't know how SC decides on when and what to cut. Medicaid ST visits have been cut to 75 per year, but most families only get one time per week services anyway. I  did see the children with autism  twice weekly, ( I feel they need more) and one time per week is totally not adequate for them.   I think there are positions for SLP's available in the schools here, but I like the flexibility of home visits.  

Well I work at a school and EI is my second job.  I have 5 EI children on my caseload and have taken a $10/hr pay cut recently.  But I stil love what I do, and am able to do both jobs effectively (I think!)

In NJ, for the last several years, there has been a cost share for EI services for some families depending on family income and family size. In the present economy, we have seen families declining some recommended EI services,  taking a "wait and see" approach and declining EI services all togerther or choosing to access their private insurance. (NJ does not yet accept private insurance for payment of EI services)  While my caseload is full at this time, I do feel that referrals and those families accepting EI services has decreased and that this is directly related to the cost share in the state of NJ.

I have been in this field since 1982 - yes, one of the dinosaurs, -and my salary has effectively decreased! In actual numbers, I have had the same salary for the last 4 years, and in 6 yrs ago in another state was making 1/3 more!

And everyone is afraid to look for other jobs or go private.

I had done EI, preschool, school, pediatric hospitals etc... etc....

Also - how come special ed teachers only need the teacher... Read More's certificate, OTs and PTs only need state licenses (with a B.S.) and only SLPs need both license and teacher's certificate and a M.S. and keep paying for all these credentials while salaries stagnate?!

I had to leave EI because from 1/08-1/09 my caseload kept getting smaller and smaller.  I hope someday to go back to it but I have bills to pay.  

I just wanted to say that the financial crisis is not only impacting child-speech services, but also adult services. I work at an inpatient rehab facility with adults, and my caseload is also running very low, with fewer admits, and shorter lengths of stay- largely due to pt. and family inability to make copays, private pay etc.

In NC,  we had a scare this summer that funding through the state was going to be cut for therapies.  As an EI SLP in private practice, this was very unnerving.  There was advocating across the state.  Therapists and parents wrote thousands of letters and made thousands of phone calls to the legislature and governor.  Many of us were on pins and needles for weeks.  Alas, a tax increase was implemented rather than an elimination of our services, but we are certainly not immune to being on the chopping block again.  It's worrisome but I love EI and I will not look for another job until this one is no longer possible.  I don't think that EI will be eliminated, but I do think that  they might re-invent how EI is delivered.  We'll see.....

If you love speech, then maybe this is an opportunity to look elsewhere. You state that you are in Early Intervention. Why not pursue schools or hospitals? Don't stay "stuck"  in the job because you are frozen with fear. This may be an opportunity for you (and others in the same situation) to ask yourself, "I love my job,  where else can I go to help others who need assistance?"

I'm so sorry to hear that. I heard that two local daycares are closing due to a lack of funding. My mother also works at a local university and several of their grants were not renewed for the year. It definitely seems as though we have not seen the end of this economic downturn.

Check back over the next week - my follow-up post(s) will focus on ways to cut therapy costs during this financial crunch.

One of the preschools I serve had to close because of the budget in the state...without the subsidized funds she could not meet payroll or pay rent..