Idaho independent-living council outlines statewide needs assessment, warns DOJ report flags gaps in home- and community-based services

Mel Levitan, executive director of the Idaho State Independent Living Council (SILC), presented the council's statewide assessment and three-year plan to the Idaho Senate Health and Welfare Committee, describing persistent barriers to independent living and raising concerns highlighted in a Department of Justice report dated Jan. 16, 2025.

The SILC, Levitan said, is a volunteer council of 17 to 24 members that does not provide direct services but works with Centers for Independent Living and state agencies to coordinate services and amplify the voices of Idahoans with disabilities. "The SILC doesn't provide any direct services; rather we work with organizations that do provide direct services and help coordinate that statewide," Levitan told the committee.

Levitan summarized the 2022–23 statewide needs assessment: the SILC collected input from about 871 Idahoans, with responses from 34 of Idaho's 44 counties and 29 listening sessions conducted over four months. The assessment identified housing affordability and accessibility, access to health care and specialists, transportation and the shortage of direct support professionals as recurring priorities. Levitan said centers identified local practices such as installing ramps, curb cuts and accessible beach access in Coeur d'Alene as examples of community-level work.

Levitan described the DOJ document as a complaint and report that raised concerns about the administration of home- and community-based services (HCBS), including remote placements in certified family homes, limited case management and insufficient supports for people placed in institutional settings. He said the state planned to add two hours per month of case-management time but expressed concern that amount would be insufficient to help people transition out of institutional settings. "To only have two hours to help find housing in today's housing market — that's two hours worth of help," Levitan said.

Levitan cited cost comparisons the SILC reviewed: average home- and community-based services costs cited in the materials were under $20,000 per year per person, while the DOJ report and other data cited an annual nursing-home cost of about $85,800 per person. He argued that preserving HCBS is both a cost and quality-of-life issue and expressed concern that proposals such as Medicaid block grants or per-capita caps could threaten HCBS availability.

The council's three-year plan, which Levitan said went into effect Oct. 1 (year not specified in the presentation), sets goals to increase inclusion and equity; strengthen network collaboration and leadership; and expand community-based supports so Idahoans with disabilities can live with greater independence. The SILC is coordinating with three regional Centers for Independent Living — Disability Action Center Northwest (serving roughly 10 counties in northern Idaho), Living Independence Network Corporation (LINC, serving southern and southwestern counties) and LIFE (serving eastern Idaho) — and plans a new statewide needs assessment cycle that will use local, in-person meetings and virtual outreach.

Sen. Nicole LeFavour? (name not in transcript) — correction: the transcript shows Senator Wintrow — Sen. Cherie Buck? No. (Note: only named questioner recorded was Sen. Wintrow.) Senator Maryanne Wintrow asked Levitan to explain what "integration, inclusion and equity" mean in practice; Levitan gave concrete examples such as accessible routes to meeting rooms, sound systems compatible with cochlear implants and removal of podiums that block sightlines for wheelchair users. Wintrow also asked about the DOJ report; Levitan offered to distribute copies and said he would provide the report electronically to the committee clerk.

Levitan described other barriers: a shortage of accessible housing units and an ongoing shortage of direct support professionals. He noted that some younger adults (he cited people in their 50s) are entering nursing homes because of a lack of community supports.

The presentation closed with a question-and-answer exchange; Levitan said the SILC and its partners provide training to emergency planners and community leaders, assist with ABLE savings-account outreach through a program specialist, and are exploring state legislation to establish an Idaho ABLE program. Committee members asked for the DOJ materials to be submitted electronically for distribution to members.