Selected trends in public spending for MR/DD services and the state economies

In this article we summarize mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) spending since 1977, with emphasis on spending during the period 1995-2000. The change in state economic conditions, from strong growth in recent years to fiscal constraint in 2002, is also addressed. Spending data presented here are from the seventh State of the States in Developmental Disabilities (Braddock, 2002). Selected state-by-state information is also available at the study's website: http://www.cu.edu/ColemanInstitute/stateofthestates.