Families coming off developmental disability services waitlist still facing problems

By Amanda Slee

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    TULSA, Oklahoma (KJRH) — People on a decade-long waitlist for developmental disability services are finally coming off that list.

It’s all in an effort by the state to end the waitlist, but families coming off that list are still running into issues that are delaying those services.

The developmental disability services waitlist has thousands of names, and those families have been waiting 7-15 years to come off of it and get connected to services.

Sawyer Pittsely has been diagnosed with several disabilities, including developmental delays, autism, and cerebral palsy. He’s been on the disability service waitlist for seven years and finally came off in June last year because of an emergency situation that put him in the hospital.

The problem is his mom Amber Pittsely wasn’t able to get connected to services right away.

“When we came home, he was on about 23 medications, so we were trying to manage that, and he had a G-tube surgical site and needed wound care,” Pittsely said.

It wasn’t until last month that she was able to get the care her son needs.

“I haven’t been able to work. I had a full-time job, and last year when he was in the hospital, I had to give that up,” she said.

The issue families are running into after being approved is that the agencies who provide the services don’t have enough staff.

“These are wonderful individuals to work with and for. They will provide significant blessings to yourself, but it’s difficult work,” said Lisa Kelly, the CEO of the Arc of Oklahoma.

The Arc of Oklahoma is an organization that promotes and protects the human rights of Oklahomans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Both Lisa and Amber said the root cause of the shortage of workers has to do with wages.

“When people can go and get a job at a fast food restaurant or a local retail store and make more than they can make proving in-home very personal care, that’s a difficult choice to make,” Kelly said.

In 2022, legislators did appropriate a rate increase of 25%, but Lisa and Amber believe it’s still not enough because as more people come off the waitlist, the problem could get worse if not addressed.

“There’s a big difference between ending a waiting list and getting provided the services you need,” Kelly said. “That’s where we want to make sure families are getting.”

For families who are going through the same frustrations, “as hard as it is, you just have to keep pushing and keep making calls,” Pittsely said.

2 News reached out to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services on the issue and received the following statement.

While we cannot address specific cases, Oklahoma Human Services Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) is actively working with every family coming up on the waitlist to address their individual needs with a customized plan to best support them once their services begin. This process is very intentional and can take between 6 to 9 months, on average, because every plan is tailored to ensure each individual’s specific needs are met.

Like every industry across the country, DDS and provider agencies are feeling the effects of the national worker shortage. We are taking every step possible to address this issue, including incorporating enabling technology to offer families the tools they need to increase independence in their homes, as well as an ongoing project to modernize our services to meet national best practices, and many more initiatives. One of these steps was a historic 25%provider rate increase that went into effect Oct. 1, 2022.

As DDS moves forward, we will continue to partner with and support all providers who dedicate their careers to serving Oklahomans with developmental disabilities.

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