Meetings and Minutes

Statewide Independent Living Council (SILC)
June 21, 2007
Harrisonburg, Virginia

DRAFT

Membership Present:
Tim Edwards, Marcia DuBois, Lewis Atkins, Jeff Pittman, Susan Prokop, Sarah Liddle, Jack Brandt, Doug Small, David Barrett, Jenny McKenzie, Sheila Cox-Combs, Philip Sieck, Stan Feuerberg (via telephone)

Ex-Officio Membership Present:
Theresa Preda – Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS), Jane Ward Solomon – Department of Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI)

Membership Absent: Celestine Walker, Alan Schlank

Staff Present: Lisa Grubb, Executive Director; Stacey McKenna, Executive Assistant

Scheduled Guests: Jim Rothrock, DRS Commissioner

Chairpersons Comments
Chair Tim Edwards opened the meeting at 9:15 a.m. by welcoming everyone to the business meeting of the Statewide Independent Living Council. He informed the Council that Celestine Walker was in the hospital and was unable to attend the meeting. Stan Feuerberg was unable to attend due to a death in the family, but was able to join via conference call. Edwards recognized Commissioner Rothrock and welcomed Donald Price, new Executive Director of Access Independence, Inc.

Public Comment
Chair Tim Edwards opened the floor for public comment.

David Broder from the Virginia Association of Personal Care Assistants (VAPCA) addressed the Council. He provided a brief update of their activities which include advocating for quality consumer-directed personal care services to make sure they are a priority in the upcoming budget as well as moving forward with offering discounted health insurance.

Dr. Mary Lopez of the Independence Empowerment Center (IEC) in Manassas also addressed the Council. She informed the Council that the IEC will be hosting a celebration of the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilites Act (ADA). The celebration will be held on July 24, 2007 in Manassas. Information was included in the meeting packets.

Tom Vandever, Executive Director of Independence Resource Center in Charlottesville also addressed the Council. He verbally presented to the Council a letter that was sent to Lisa Grubb the day before. He discussed the importance of Part B money to the Centers for Independent Living (CILs). He emphasized that this money has been critical in the expansion of the independent living (IL) network. He indicated that the Consumer Action Specialist (CAS) program has been very helpful, and to eliminate the funds allocated to that program will have a tremendous impact on the CILs, specifically the smaller CILs. He also expressed his reservations regarding the proposed State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) goal which included an objective that proposed distributing a political questionnaire. As a gubernatorially-appointed body he feels that this is inappropriate for the SILC. (C attachment A fpasted below or full trnascript of the reading)

Designated State Unit(s) Address the Council
DRS Commissioner, Jim Rothrock, addressed the Council regarding the following issues:
1) Explanation of audit activities -
DRS’s internal auditor recently conducted an operational audit of the SILC. Rothrock explained the audit was initiated by DRS in response to a receipt for reimbursement for a fax/printer that had erroneously been submitted and paid twice. He explained that when there is reasonable possibility of a fraudulent activity, he is obligated to conduct an audit promptly and notify the state police. Rothrock indicated that he regretted the timing of the audit as it coincided with the SILC’s work on the SPIL. He confirmed that upon conclusion of the audit, a report was submitted which indicated that the dual expense reimbursement request was an isolated incident and that there was no evidence of fraudulent activity. The report also highlighted areas for improvement. He informed the SILC that the responsibility for the SILC staff contract and related expense reimbursements will be transferred to Kristie Chamberlain effective July 1, 2007. The responsibility for working with the CILs and distributing IL funds will remain in the IL department. This will enable Theresa Preda and staff to spend more time on IL projects.

2) Response to a letter from Tim Edwards, dated June 14, 2007, citing concerns regarding the SILC/DRS relationship –
Commissioner Rothrock addressed a comment in the letter which indicated that a consultant hired to assist the SILC with writing the SPIL had “quit”. Rothrock wanted to emphasize that there was no contract purchase order for services from the consultant. She had not completed as much as had been hoped for but she did complete the project she had begun. He also wanted to emphasize that he was comfortable with the way DRS conducted themselves during the audit process. Additionally, Rothrock discussed a comment in the letter regarding difficulties in the working relationship between the SILC and DRS, specifically related to sharing information and supporting SILC recommendations for appointments. In response, Rothrock defended DRS’s need to keep certain information confidential. He indicated that DRS will continue to be a good steward of state and federal funds. He expressed his hope that DRS and the SILC will continue to work better together.

3) Follow-up on a meeting with Marilyn Tavenner, Secretary of Health and Human Resources -
Commissioner Rothrock informed the Council that he was invited to attend a meeting with Secretary Tavenner, Lisa Grubb and Susan Prokop last week. During this meeting, SILC representatives discussed the desire for $25,000 to pursue becoming a 501(c)(3). He expressed his opinion that this process should be a function of SILC staff and should not require additional resources. He suggested that the SILC conduct a program audit of itself. Rothrock indicated that he has yet to see a solid case of what the money would be expended for. Additionally, in reference to SILC staff salary, Rothrock provided an example of a DRS staff member who manages several million dollars in grants who receives a salary of $40,000, plus benefits. He advised the Council to perform a program evaluation.

Commissioner Rothrock opened the floor for questions or comments.

Council membership expressed concern that the audit appeared one sided and did not address concerns expressed by Council. Further discussion included inconsistencies between salaries paid to DRS staff which included benefits and the salaries paid to SILC staff without benefits.

Chair Edwards expressed that the SILC looks forward to improving the relationship with DRS and thanked Commissioner Rothrock for his time.

Secretary’s Report
Chair Edwards informed the Council that this will be Secretary Lewis Atkins’ last Council meeting. He was thanked for his contributions and all his hard work.

Atkins opened the floor to discuss draft minutes from the April 2007 Council meeting. One change was recommended.

Marcia DuBois moved to accept the April 12, 2007 meeting minutes as corrected. Jack Brandt seconded the motion. There being no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

David Barrett moved to officially commend Atkins for his time on the Council. Susan Prokop seconded the motion. There being no further discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Treasurer’s Report
Jeff Pittman reminded the Council that the SILC Expenditures and Projections report was included in t