Welfare officials on Wednesday warned that recent cuts in services werenâÂÂt saving enough money and might be deepened.

âÂÂEven with the reductions that have been made, weâÂÂre not meeting projections,â said Martha Hodgesmith, director of community supports and services division within the state Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.

âÂÂThis puts us in an even more dire situation than we were before — weâÂÂre still overspent,â she said.

HodgesmithâÂÂs comments were made during a telephone conference call between SRS and officials for programs that help people with physical disabilities live in their own homes.

In Lawrence, counselors at Independence Inc. participated in the call.

Last month, Gov. Bill Graves ordered SRS to cut $26.6 million from its $2.2 billion budget as part of a plan to offset a projected $312 million deficit in this yearâÂÂs budget.

The plan reduces spending of services for the physically disabled by $4.3 million.

Margaret Zillinger, an assistant director within HodgesmithâÂÂs division, urged social workers to make sure their programs were âÂÂjust meeting peopleâÂÂs needs and not their wants.âÂÂ

During the conference call, Zillinger and Hodgesmith confirmed reports that 350 physically adults with disabilities would be dropped from the stateâÂÂs Medicaid waiver program, effective Feb. 1.

The waiver program provides funding used to hire attendants who help clients with chores that include bathing, helping someone move from a bed to a wheelchair, grocery shopping and housecleaning.

More than 185 adults now on waiting lists for services are to be told by Feb. 1 that theyâÂÂre no longer eligible for services.

Those on the waiting list who remain eligible for services wonâÂÂt be going anywhere soon, Zillinger said, because openings arenâÂÂt to be filled until July 1 at the earliest.

Also, adults now on the waiver are expected to live on incomes — disability payments, mostly — of up to $716 a month. After Feb. 1, theyâÂÂll be expected to live on $645.

Payments to attendants are being cut 2.5 percent, effective immediately.

Stephanie Pascua, a counselor at Independence Inc., said 17 people were on the waiting list in Douglas County. Of these, six will be told theyâÂÂre no longer eligible for help.

âÂÂI canâÂÂt mention names, but these six people donâÂÂt have informal supports — they donâÂÂt have family or friends whoâÂÂll look in on them,â Pascua said. âÂÂI have no idea what theyâÂÂre going to do.âÂÂ

Independence Inc. administers the local waiver program, so itâÂÂs responsible for telling people theyâÂÂre being dropped from the program.

Though the most of the cuts take effect Feb. 1, regulations require a 30-day advance notice.

âÂÂThat means we have to do all this by Jan. 2,â Pascua said. âÂÂBut weâÂÂre usually closed over Christmas, so if weâÂÂre going to give people time to ask questions and figure out what to do, we have to tell them right before Christmas. ThatâÂÂs not good.âÂÂ