Billions Are Spent On IDD Services Annually. Where Does It All Go?
A direct support worker, center, puts on Keith Conley's shoes, while his brother Kristopher moves around their home in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. The twin brothers have severe autism, need 24-hour care and have run into many problems finding reliable and quality aides to assist them. (Courtney Hergesheimer/The Columbus Dispatch/TNS)
The federal government spent $80.6 billion to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 2021 alone. A new report breaks down where it went.
Researchers from the University of Kansas analyzed how funding to support those with developmental disabilities was allocated for the 2021 fiscal year, the most recent year with complete figures. The work is part of the State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities project, which has tracked federal funding in this area for more than 40 years.
Spending on the estimated 7.57 million Americans with developmental disabilities went toward everything from supported living to family supports, personal assistance and supported employment, accounting for roughly 0.1% of the government’s $6.8 trillion budget for that year.
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The biggest chunk — 87% — went toward services provided through Medicaid, according to the findings, with $73.6 billion dollars dedicated to community living and just $7 billion for institutions. That split has become increasingly pronounced in the decades since the 1980s, the report shows.
“The investments in intellectual and developmental disabilities services and supports across the nation are a measure of our conscience and commitment to the disability community,” said Shea Tanis, an associate research professor at the KU Center on Developmental Disabilities and the director of the State of the States project. “It demonstrates our expectations of full-participation, equal opportunity, economic self-sufficiency and independent living outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
The analysis shows that $9.1 billion went to supported living in 2021, while $9 billion was devoted to family support, $4.66 billion to personal assistance and $860 million to supported employment.
Total public spending on supports and services for people with developmental disabilities varied substantially by state, the report found, accounting for less than 1% to as much as 6% of state budgets.
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