Family
Support Services
by
Herbert D. Hinkle, Esq. and Ira Fingles, Esq.
Herbert D. Hinkle
Law Office
2651 Main Street
Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648
(609) 896-4200 or (215) 860-2100
Because our practice
covers both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we will, from time to time,
discuss programs unique to one state in the hopes that they might,
in effect, serve to cross-pollinate.
In 1995, New Jersey
passed ambitious legislation to promote "a system of family support
that is flexible and designed to strengthen and promote families that
provide care at home for a family member with a developmental disability."
N.J.S.A. 30:6D-33.
The legislation
is implemented through regional family support planning councils which
are authorized to approve applications made by consumers and their
families. The planning councils are also charged with gathering data
and reporting on the effectiveness of the system and long term needs.
Under the law,
family support services are wide-ranging and can include cash subsidies,
vehicle modification, training and education, recreation services,
medical and dental services not covered through other services, and
transportation - - just to name a few. Services, however, are limited
to the amount appropriated, and each regional council is given its
own slice of the appropriation.
Is the program
a success? By and large, the authors believe it is a program which
has failed to meet its potential. In practice, families are given
cash payments of up to $2,400 every two years. Thus, it fails to provide
an ongoing service of family support upon which consumers can rely.
Instead, it goes to fund an occasional discrete item - - a new computer,
periodic respite services, legal fees for guardianship. With this
legislation already in place, consumer groups should now consider
an organized effort to get a more appropriate level of funding for
the program. In this way, a trust support system can be implemented.
Copyright 2000
H.D. Hinkle. All rights reserved.
Mr. Hinkle maintains
a multi-state law practice with offices in Lawrenceville, Florham
Park, and Marlton, NJ, and Yardley, Pa. Mr. Hinkle and his colleagues
Ira Fingles, and Paul Prior lecture and write frequently on topics
of law, aging, and disability, and are available
to speak to groups in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
at no charge. Call (609) 896-4200.
