FY22 State Budget Enhances Funding for the Autism and I/DD Community

March 15, 2021

On February 23rd, Governor Murphy delivered his budget address for the State Fiscal Year 2022. Despite the unprecedented challenges of the previous year, the Governor proposed a $44.8 billion budget that would help the State build back from the pandemic and enhance funding for essential services for the autism and intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) community.

The proposed budget invests an additional $108 million in the Children’s System of Care (CSOC) to better meet the needs of the 60,000 children they serve. This additional funding will increase rates for in-home, in-community, and out-of-home services. This rate increase is the first of its kind in more than a decade and a welcome boon to providers in their continuous efforts to attract and retain qualified staff and families who rely on their services.

The Governor is also proposing a substantial investment to improve the lives of adults with autism and I/DD who are served by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and their contracted organizations. The budget includes $57 million to continue supplemental payments to residential providers that have been providing additional staffing and resources since the pandemic forced the closure of day programs statewide. These supplemental funds are proposed through December 2021 or the end of the public health emergency.

The Governor is continuing his commitment to Direct Support Professionals (DSP) by allocating an additional $41.7 million (a total of $83.4 million with the federal match) to ensure that DSP wages stay above the rising minimum wage scale that increases annually through 2024. This allocation would also improve the wages of manager-level staff, allowing organizations to continue to invest in the staff members who provide essential care for some of our State’s most vulnerable citizens.

We are profoundly grateful to Governor Murphy and his administration for their steadfast leadership through this pandemic and demonstrated commitment to the autism and I/DD community.

For more information on the Governor’s proposed budget and policies, view the Budget in Brief>>