Providers, lawmakers urge $13 million state investment to shore up brain‑injury residential services

A coalition of providers, advocates and legislators told a joint House Human Services and Insurance Committee hearing in Harrisburg that Pennsylvania needs a near‑term infusion of state funding to keep residential habilitation services for people with brain injuries operating.

Richard Edgley, president and CEO of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association, told committee members that “there's a problem, and it's been going on for years without resolution, and that's the reason we're here.” He and other witnesses asked the Legislature to provide $13 million in state funds to support specialized residential habilitation providers; RCPA said that amount would trigger about $17 million in federal matching dollars.

Why it matters: witnesses said the specialized network that supports people with traumatic and acquired brain injuries has shrunk, workforce costs have risen and some providers have closed or stopped taking Medicaid, forcing people into nursing homes, hospitals, homelessness or corrections settings.

Pro…