An Act to amend 46.286 (1) (a) (intro.) of the statutes; Relating to: eligibility for Family Care for individuals who are deaf-blind. (FE)
Summary
AB272 would amend Wisconsin’s Family Care eligibility statute to make people who are deaf-blind expressly functionally eligible for the program. Family Care is a community-based long-term care program that helps adults with disabilities and frail elders receive services in less restrictive settings than institutional care. Under current law, functional eligibility is tied to specified care needs and disability categories; this bill adds deaf-blindness, as defined by federal law, as an independent basis for meeting the functional eligibility requirement.
The bill does not appear to change the financial eligibility rules for Family Care or alter the program’s overall structure. Instead, it clarifies and expands who may qualify on the functional side of the eligibility test, which could allow more deaf-blind individuals to access long-term care supports, case management, and related community services. The bill would amend section 46.286 (1) (a) (intro.) of the Wisconsin statutes.
Impact
AB272 would directly modify Wisconsin’s Family Care eligibility statute by adding deaf-blindness as a categorical basis for functional eligibility under section 46.286. The practical effect would be to broaden access to a state long-term care program for a specific population, potentially increasing enrollment and associated state and local service costs, subject to the fiscal estimate referenced in the bill text. It would affect the Department of Health Services, Family Care participants, and individuals who are deaf-blind seeking community-based long-term care services.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no detailed public debate to gauge. Based on the bill’s sponsorship and subject matter, the measure appears to have been introduced as a targeted access-and-eligibility expansion for a vulnerable population, suggesting generally supportive intent. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not complete the legislative process.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. The likely policy issue is whether deaf-blindness should be treated as an automatic functional eligibility category for Family Care, rather than requiring case-by-case demonstration of level of care need. Any opposition would likely have centered on program expansion, administrative implementation, or fiscal impact, while supporters would emphasize access to community-based long-term care for people who are deaf-blind.