The House Ways and Means Committee (HW&M) released their fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget recommendation on April 16, 2025. The Arc of Massachusetts, being fully aware of the significant revenue concerns at both the state and federal level, is grateful that most DDS line items were maintained in-line with the Governor’s budget. The HW&M budget release is the second step in the annual budget legislative process.

Similar to the Governor’s initial budget proposal (analysis of which you can see here), the HW&M budget has some positive investments and some areas of concern. Over the next few days, we will continue to work with legislators to file amendments in needed areas. At this point, we will need your advocacy to restore funding that is so critically needed.

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Here are the notable funding levels in the HW&M proposal:

The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) budget and other important IDD line items decreased in the amount of $53 million (0.6%) compared to the Governor’s budget.
The line item that funds the DESE/DDS voluntary residential placement prevention program decreased from $10.5 million last year to only $2 million, down $8.5 million (81%). We believe this may have been an oversight, as this funding has been consistently in place for over a decade. We are working closely with Ways and Means about this and will likely be filing an amendment.
Chapter 257, which funds human service worker wages, was funded at the 53rd percentile of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We don’t believe that this is a sufficient funding level to make progress on the enduring workforce crisis that is keeping so many out of programs. We are working on an amendment to raise the wage rate to the 63rd percentile along with our advocacy partners.
The Turning 22 line item was reduced by 11%. We know that incoming Turning 22 classes are larger and have more complex needs. According to a recent survey conducted by ADDP, over 1,400 people turning 22 are seeking day program placements. The Arc of Massachusetts is especially concerned about those with profound autism or complex medical needs who are unable to find services. We will be filing an amendment focused on partially restoring this funding to meet the growing needs.
The Community-Based Day and Employment line item funds community-based adult services. These programs provide meaningful support to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism. According to a recent survey conducted by ADDP, as of October 2024 there were 2,413 people waiting for services. 731 of those have been waiting since before the pandemic. These numbers represent people who are stuck at home, isolated and regressing, and are desperately looking to return to programming. We will be filing an amendment to increase funding for these programs.

In addition to the planned amendments mentioned above, we will also be filing amendments focused on other areas of need. We will continue to meet with our advocacy partners to strategize and align our priorities.

We will share our amendment priorities and next steps in the coming days, so please stay tuned. Our State Budget webpage will be updated throughout this process.