[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6664976,"mediaKeyId","2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff","parentId",2366707,"title","Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency outlines services growth, SSA backlog and campus upgrades","audioSeconds",1179,"startMs",3911000,"endMs",5090000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff&start=3911&end=5090","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff/thumbnail_3911000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6664976/Georgia/Georgia-Vocational-Rehabilitation-Agency-outlines-services-growth-SSA-backlog-and-campus-upgrades","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664976-b6a4ffe3a1183f98f5b5d28801f6d21e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169484&Signature=d5vJ8fKKhG~CH3j-H3XRTdbcV4Bhsa-fJlM15lnVB0kBP3EYE3wEJaMFK4KMy2sEJqMVVgmg21uWQMyMQpspQy6f4Aqx9JTmPre60RF65uYpVvVNt9HxbqVPllaBQRHzAo5VYQGDuSJFjEAA9UW-hW86L0m839vKTB9EBa18eFlGj2w-QM6hvlhwV~SStEIWti9N93L7Oct8Dnkr2R5-6aTCTP~YivPaYMnNB4~~Po8UeVBMF8Re8LIPAqXcOc6IfDGB17v6ElyDuGWLfHzrMVlgP75rrD6l5qFTif2L2IPBzWeZEd5QFMI6HULMMCZdjwavc1f10GMb0fFEz~Q5BA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","State of Georgia ","date","2025-02-21T00:11:49.51Z","article","Chris Wells, executive director of the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA), summarized the agency’s recent transformations, its role in vocational services and an ongoing backlog in Social Security disability adjudications that affects hospitals, clients and rural providers.

Wells said GVRA serves more than 32,000 people annually through its vocational rehabilitation program and more than 18,000 students via pre‑employment transition services and Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) partnerships. Wells requested $9.3 million in bond funding to modernize the nearly 90‑year‑old Roosevelt Warm Springs campus and cited ongoing upgrades to a manufacturing plant and the Cave Springs center. On SSA adjudications, Wells said the total process is taking about 390 days in Georgia, with roughly 200 days in a federal backlog and about 95 days for state assignment and adjudication once work begins. He and lawmakers discussed staffing limits tied to federal adjudication rules and the effect on hospitals and rural providers who rely on determinations for discharge and payment decisions.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Appropriations Human Resources 02.20.25","oneSentenceSummary","GVRA executive director Chris Wells briefed the committee on workforce, post‑secondary and social security adjudication activity, asking for bond funding to modernize Warm Springs campus and describing a stalled federal SSA adjudication process that contributes to long waits.","taxTitle","Appropriations, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Georgia","taxId",16937,"location","Georgia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664981,"Advocates press for $20 million to expand Georgia Housing Voucher Program as homelessness and encampments rise",11563,2357000,13920000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff&start=2357&end=13920","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff/thumbnail_2357000.jpg","/articles/6664981/Georgia/Advocates-press-for-20-million-to-expand-Georgia-Housing-Voucher-Program-as-homelessness-and-encampments-rise","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664981-eba22317250c7cb2382326161d79df9e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169484&Signature=VwuPbJ1NxORlfQUc-~0j-7P65iDHEsQv2rtM0Mz-zSSumwkaUcQqjuUuu49vVp~mZtbqdX6P74KJU~aYGhs9dwpw6xNp03Oz8Io7fe5y3kBYOHjZXO31x4EOIe9XgQOOn6j1leYUe16l5yRYghym9PtWwB0GF2VwqbMHkAIisrVI4fFYWoEiuxYk1dyDBvqGwuI0N3fX7iDImrKb8dceNFGOBCEnEGOlCzRWBLmqAgKje2TSFlJUH6N24JM0TVozpMNxHG30ZHjb1vKTob4IUvjRwtVmL3qAyczqSaer~ps00nLWktckCIvlR-5sec1QCWUsa7uiboCHkKAWInbCHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Advocates from housing nonprofits, hospitals and behavioral health organizations told the Appropriations subcommittee that the Georgia Housing Voucher Program (GHVP) is at capacity and state investment is needed to house the chronically homeless with severe and persistent mental illness.

Catherine Vassell, CEO of Partners for Home (the Atlanta Continuum of Care lead agency), said local efforts have scaled up — including a forthcoming campaign to finance supportive housing — but the state lacks a recurring funding stream and the GHVP slots are full. Several speakers, including Wesley Myrick of the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center and Enterprise Community Partners staff, supported a $20 million FY26 appropriation to expand the voucher program and add capacity for supportive services and outreach teams. Commissioner Kevin Tanner described GHVP enrollment (DBHDD figures showed 2,159 people currently housed through the program) and said the department is negotiating MOUs and other operational supports that intersect with settlement obligations and housing transitions.","Nonprofit leaders, housing advocates and the DBHDD commissioner urged the subcommittee to invest in the Georgia Housing Voucher Program and supportive housing, saying the program is at capacity and additional state funding could reduce costly hospital, jail and emergency room use.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664986,"Advocates and state council press for thousands more NOW/COMP waivers as waiting list grows",5895,1495000,7390000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff&start=1495&end=7390","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff/thumbnail_1495000.jpg","/articles/6664986/Georgia/Advocates-and-state-council-press-for-thousands-more-NOWCOMP-waivers-as-waiting-list-grows","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664986-3bc180b89207a59c000d413231c2fb4a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169484&Signature=PpsHP6MOW7dGRMrtx8579E1LF4M4n41QDmMHPTVlX0pfHmY1pXFTUmKMiguHn7YkRk9qHtnefQBXc84MJU4ydYUY1KzLXTOZYK04apX7rRdClMgFQIDPJ5dZUSO~c6zNPmZwok0kjwb7vzXNTOHahMtZVdSmGEGVvw~fMiwdDyEb9M6-rs4JVnuEJm1t8MsIXYqwPiKrrQUOP5vz~7BUW1j45S2ZO8~ZXh8cAZI4idHIcu51Apamy1VVHqA-ACA8cxPUT5D7pq-7MOmGsiBthg9KxTdwaCIs~Bx168n0cYUqrW2vSa2LwZh27AxlbZMCpTA82UZ0y1HYvt~BjNpCTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Darcy Robb, executive director of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD), told the subcommittee that Georgia’s waiting list for NOW/COMP Medicaid waivers has grown and that advocates, providers and a bipartisan legislative study previously recommended a large increase in new waiver slots.

Robb and parents who testified said the waiver program enables people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work, contribute to the economy and avoid costly institutionalization. GCDD recommended adding about 2,400 NOW/COMP waivers (a figure cited in testimony as associated with approximately $65 million), a request that coincides with advocacy from families and provider groups who described discharged caregivers, job loss and the prospect of institutional placement if supports are not available.

Multiple parents and self‑advocates described immediate, practical consequences: adults who age out of school and lose specialized supports; family caregivers who fear they cannot continue; and examples of people who work and pay taxes when supported. GCDD staff and members also described Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) program growth and employment outcomes for program alumni.","The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities and multiple family advocates urged lawmakers to expand NOW and COMP Medicaid waivers, citing a waiting list of roughly 7,900 people and repeated testimony on the financial and social returns of waivering supports.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6664990,"Georgia behavioral health chief warns state faces inpatient bed ‘cliff’ as forensic backlog grows",1731,774000,2505000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff&start=774&end=2505","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2366707-01d671f24c29c2906a977335806669ff/thumbnail_774000.jpg","/articles/6664990/Georgia/Georgia-behavioral-health-chief-warns-state-faces-inpatient-bed-cliff-as-forensic-backlog-grows","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6664990-833371bca046407fea23509ff653363b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169484&Signature=MFihXYCXx1TBrQg6Zpa1TesXaB702EpuDKhEE0Eqn62HieYoatm8vInTJdDsFF6p87zRengVdFlsm9Hagl-8l9AtOAkd1b8JseQUxhEfZpcQArzMeS1dlpaBdrYy7tRq4iOKTd4xntnpm9u1OPFz0kDccCorbfpvoREeQBeJLI65DtNkpaKSmab0yTTKxqKzfGDsjfoWbfesHK-z3f~vQZDhoZOluskwp-46l9OADjzG7ZQi7WCuJPbIPr2q9DnszexDwps20e~PYXMTy3iZ5EoKYAv3vIGbMyMa4ljpVlOWSMSd9ridNTukMagswkF1RHBxtHRM96gYLUf7tJSSYw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kevin Tanner, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services that the state is expanding crisis, forensic and transitional capacity but is approaching a point when hospital beds for people who need competency restoration or forensic treatment will be exhausted.

Tanner said statewide budget changes proposed by the governor and Office of Planning and Budget would annualize several recent investments, including a new Macon Crisis Stabilization Diagnostic Center and funding to implement a long‑overdue provider rate study, and that those and other additions will both relieve pressure and require ongoing appropriation. He described several one‑time and annualized requests in the agency budget, including funds to annualize a rate increase (about $26.7 million additional on top of $107 million estimated total annual cost), $3.1 million tied to the Macon facility, and operating dollars for new beds opened or planned at facilities in Milledgeville, Columbus and Atlanta.","Commissioner Kevin Tanner told the House Appropriations subcommittee that Georgia is adding crisis and step‑down capacity but still faces a growing backlog of people in jails waiting for hospital beds and rising demand for restoration and long‑term services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency outlines services growth, SSA backlog and campus upgrades

Advocates press for $20 million to expand Georgia Housing Voucher Program as homelessness and encampments rise

Advocates and state council press for thousands more NOW/COMP waivers as waiting list grows

Georgia behavioral health chief warns state faces inpatient bed ‘cliff’ as forensic backlog grows