Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday that he will ask lawmakers for an extra $40 million-plus to help improve services for the vulnerable, including children and the elderly, and expand direct care services to more disabled people who are on a waiting list.
The request for money is designed to expand training for direct care workers, reduce waiting lists for care and increase staff in specific service areas, including child welfare, Wolf's office said.
Many of the proposals that Wolf's administration rolled out ahead of his Feb. 4 budget proposal reflect recommendations by the Council on Reform, which Wolf established as part of an executive order to find ways to improve services for vulnerable populations.
In July, Wolf pointed to several high-profile cases involving harm to children and older people as examples for why services needed to change and improve.
Among them was a Philadelphia Inquirer investigation that said students at Glen Mills School in Delaware County had been subjected to violent attacks from staffers, including broken bones and threats to place them in worse places. The state announced it was revoking the juvenile detention facility's licenses in April.
