Local who works with people with disabilities scared for future

If you or a person you know has a disability, budget cuts may affect the way they live.

Rochelle Seeman, associate director of Mosaic, helps provide care for people who have a disability.

Seeman spoke about the budget cuts and how they would affect nonprofits. She said she is emotional and she’s scared for the people she works with every day.

"It will affect the ability of our people here to lead meaningful lives, to maintain the life they are used to,” said Seeman.

Seeman said these budget cuts will affect locals who have a disability in our area.

"Individuals with disability are facing a 2.2 (percent) cut in our funding rates,” said Seeman.

This has been a topic in the legislation, an issue that has been happening since January.

Lawmakers rejected several attempts to override the governor’s budget vetoes. Senators fell 3 votes short to restore the $32.4 million dollars for funding.

The vice president of government relations for Mosaic, Mark Matulka said this is a very big deal for Nebraska.

"For Mosaics, since we are 96% Medicaid funded, we will be about $1.4 million each year which is going to be a significant hit to providers across the state,” said Matulka.

Seeman said as the associate director for this organization she needs time to think about funding; she doesn’t know what to cut because everything is so important.

"And I’m sitting here and I’m going I don't know what to cut. We are, our campus here is a 24-hour awake facility,” said Seeman.

Mosaic provides care for these individuals daily and have staff there 24/7, that is something not to cut out of their budget.

"We're a family and we are and the people that we serve out here are our family and they deserve everything you and I have,” said Seeman.

With these cuts, Seeman wants Governor Ricketts to come out to these organizations who care for people who have a disability.

Seeman wants the governor to know that cutting something from any program could affect someone’s life.