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Nebraska Commission for the Blind asks Legislature for $300,000 a year to expand deaf‑blind support service pilot, flags wage shortfall
Summary
The Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired told the Appropriations Committee it needs $300,000 annually to expand a successful Omaha pilot of Support Service Providers for deaf‑blind Nebraskans and asked for help filling a separate budget gap tied to recent NAEP wage increases.
Carlos Cervan, executive director of the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, told the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee that the agency is seeking $300,000 per year to expand a Support Service Provider (SSP) program for people with both severe hearing and vision loss and that recent state wage negotiations have created an additional shortfall for the agency’s general fund budget.
The SSP program assists people who are deaf‑blind by providing human guides, environmental and situational information, and interpretation services that help participants manage daily tasks, access medical care and participate in community life, Cervan said. The commission ran a pilot in Omaha in 2024 that reached capacity for 15 participants, delivering more than 800 hours of direct service, he said.
The commission described a requested annual budget of $300,000 to provide statewide SSP coverage, including training and equipment. Cervan provided a line‑item breakdown during testimony: about $130,000 for personnel costs, $20,000 for two training sessions, $87,500 for operational expenses, $35,000 for consumer equipment/technology and $27,500 for administrative costs.
The commission also told the committee it faces a separate budget gap caused by recently negotiated wage increases in the NAEP contract. Cervan said the changes create “shortfalls of $132,113 for fiscal year 2025–26 and $303,674 for the following fiscal year,” and that, as a small agency of about 46 full‑time positions (17 of which are affected by the contract increase), it has limited ability to absorb the cost.
Several current and former clients of the commission spoke in support of its budget request during the hearing, describing how vocational rehabilitation, cane training, assistive devices and independent‑living instruction helped them obtain work, travel independently and remain in their homes. Testimony included first‑hand accounts about training at the commission’s Lincoln orientation center and the agency’s role in helping blind Nebraskans use medical devices, canes, assistive technology and long‑term employment supports.
The commission characterized SSPs as a tool to reduce isolation and, the agency argued, to help avoid institutional care when combined with other services. Cervan referenced the federal Olmstead decision and state law during his remarks in arguing the state should support services that enable community living for people with severe disabilities.
No formal committee action or vote on the request occurred at the hearing. Cervan concluded by offering to answer questions from the committee; no follow‑up motions were recorded in the transcript.
Clarifying details from the hearing: the SSP pilot was based in Omaha, served up to 15 participants with up to 15 hours per participant per month, and had provided more than 800 hours of direct service at the time of testimony. The $300,000 annual request included personnel, training, operations, consumer equipment and administrative costs as itemized by Cervan. Cervan stated the agency has 46 FTEs and that 17 positions would be affected by NAEP wage increases.
