>> All right. >> Very interesting. Nathan
Kalmoe, thank you so much. >> Thanks so much for having me.
>> For years, the debate to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin has
been shut down by Republicans refusing to consider it, even as
a new report from the Wisconsin policy Forum says it could save
the state $1.7 billion. 1 population that Medicaid serves,
but often feels left out of the conversation. Are people with
disabilities, many of whom are pitted between earning a fair
wage and keeping their Medicaid benefits. In a collaboration
with Wisconsin Public Radio's “America Amplified” project,
here and Now's, Aditi Debnath is reporting on questions voters
are asking this election. This is the third story in that
series. >> This is part of their day.
This is part of their routine. They enjoy that paycheck. At the
end of every two weeks, Laura Paepke runs a job skills
building program for people with developmental disabilities. We
are there day service provider. So if there are days that there
is not work available, we'll do some vocational workshops.
>> Paepke program called T industries, is one of 49
employers in the state with a special certification known as
14 C. It allows her to pay workers with disabilities based
on their productivity, even if that comes out to less than the
state minimum wage of 725 an hour. That pay arrangement,
however, doesn't sit well with advocates like Beth Swedeen,
executive director of the Wisconsin Board for people with
Developmental Disabilities. >> Our position is that people
with disabilities should be working at similar jobs to other
people based on their interests, and that they should get
compensated at market rates. >> Paying workers with
disabilities less than the minimum wage has induced
controversy across the country, causing 13 states to eliminate
those kinds of private employers altogether.
>> So my brother's name is Matthew, and he is 46 years old.
He's been at T industries for at least 20 years.
>> Kristina Miller lives with her brother Matthew, who enjoys
his work at T. She says that even if he earned minimum wage,
he wouldn't be able to get ahead.
amount of money, his SSI benefits automatically get
reduced and he then is also subject to losing his Medicaid
benefits. >> She's found the debate over
14 C employment programs for disabled workers to be
frustrating, since everything has started with trying to
eliminate the 14 C certification.
organizations putting more restrictions managed care
organizations are the decision makers for how Medicaid dollars
are spent, which includes funding for T industries.
>> In 2014, federal regulations forced Wisconsin to increase the
age requirement to participate in 14 C programs from 18 to 25.
This change was aimed at getting younger adults to seek standard
jobs before turning to sheltered workshop employment.
>> Like any complex social problem, there's no silver
bullet solution, Swedeen says. >> Medicaid expansion could
improve these programs. >> That money could be invested
back into wages, benefits and other supports.
>> This would eliminate one of Kristina Miller's main reasons
for favoring Subminimum wage work for her brother. Fear of
losing his Medicaid benefits. >> We should be fighting for
there for no caps on their Social Security benefits, you
know, for not having caps for their Medicaid benefits so they
can get these community jobs and work and not worry about losing
their benefits and having, you know, those cut or reduced
because now they're making too much money.
>> That's not true. There's a lot of benefits counseling out
there that can help people understand how much they can
earn and still retain their health insurance and other
public benefits. mean added supports for personal
care and employment, skills for people with disabilities, and
not having to choose between fair wages and disability
benefits. learning how to, you know,
manage money or learn about cell phone etiquette or anything.
>> Mary Swifka is Noah's mother. He has Down's syndrome.
>> The idea is to give him the independence that he deserves.
>> Swifka is an advocate for Medicaid expansion, but she
feels people with disabilities are often left out of the
conversation at the state level. >> What I've heard from state
legislative leaders, they think that all Medicaid does is
provide medical insurance for people who are lower income and
frail elderly, but Medicaid does so much more than that. Medicaid
dollars pay for Noah to be independent in his community.
They pay for job coaching, Medicaid pays for people with
disabilities who have to have at home care.
>> Swedeen says that regular jobs are most valuable for
people with developmental disabilities, both in wages and
experiences, but that she recognizes the value in
sheltered workshop programs and Medicaid expansion would give
people that choice. >> There's still a place for
some people who are older, maybe, or have have worked or
have gotten those vocational supports for many years where
we're not advocating the erasure of providers, but we are
advocating that it's important for people, whenever possible,
to get their supports in the community and at a fair market
wage. >> Paepke says a statewide
elimination of programs like T would be difficult for her
clients. vocational services, we have day
activities, and that's really what the clients should be,
their choice to decide not, you know, a government entity making