Loss of Meaningful Day program heralds threat to valued services

The Herald’s Aug. 12th coverage of the loss of the Meaningful Day program underscores a troubling pattern: services that enrich lives and foster community connections for people with disabilities are often the first to face the budget axe. While programs like Community Engagement and Community Inclusion still exist, a 2022 cost study revealed that the state’s reimbursement rates for these services fall far below the actual cost to provide them. Agencies are left covering roughly 25 percent of those costs out of their own budgets—a gap that is simply unsustainable.

The Meaningful Day program gave residents purpose, routine, and genuine connection with the world around them. Now, as providers scramble to fill the void, we must face the reality that other essential programs are also at risk; not because they lack value, but because funding structures do not reflect the true cost of care.

If Washington truly values inclusion and community participation for people with disabilities, reimbursement rates must be brought in line with the real cost of providing these services. Otherwise, more programs will quietly disappear, and the people who rely on them will lose far more than a line item in a budget; they will lose opportunities to belong.

Carrie Morehouse

Lynnwood