Welcome to Monday Morning in Washington, D.C., published weekly by The Arc of the United States. We will bring to you news of interest to self advocates and their families, volunteers, professionals, and supporters of the disability movement. Please send any comments to mmwdc@thearc.org. You are welcome to reproduce and distribute items from Monday Morning in Washington, D.C., but please credit Monday Morning in Washington, D.C. (The Arc of the United States, 2007).

The Arc of the United States advocates for the rights and full participation of all children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Together with our network of members and affiliated chapters, we improve systems of supports and services; connect families; inspire communities; and influence public policy.

[NOTE: Having trouble reading this newsletter? Read it online.] [Past Issues]

IN THIS ISSUE:

• Just a Grocery Store Bagger
• National Human Services Assembly
• Family Friendly Checklist for Organizations
• Neil Romano Nominated as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor
• New products have been published on the Quality Mall web site
• New Resources on Family Tax Credits Available
• New Report Shows Increasing Burden of Health Care Costs on American Families
• New data on HCBS Waivers
• Today's GAO Reports - December 20, 2007

This will be the last MMWDC for 2007. I will start again after the first of 2008. I hope all have very happy holidays and a great New Year!

Just a Grocery Store Bagger

(The language is not people first language but the story is worth watching)

THIS IS BEAUTIFUL --  PLEASE WATCH!!!!

If you have a minute, please watch the following video clip; it is  a beautiful story of Johnny, the grocery store bagger. It is very short, but it will remind you of why and how we make an impact in what we do.You may even want to share it with others & I hope it will make their day, too!

Click Here To View The Movie! - http://www.stservicemovie.com/

National Human Services Assembly

The National Human Services Assembly - http://www.nassembly.org/fspc/ (NHSA) Family Strengthening Policy Center is pleased to announce the release of "The Parenting Imperative: Investing in Parents So Children and Youth Succeed." - http://www.nassembly.org/fspc/documents/FSPPolicyBrief2210-30.pdf

Parents are one of the most important influences in positive child and youth development, yet too many caregivers lack the support they need.  By strengthening parents' connections to resources, communities can help children thrive. To inform policy, practice, and civic initiatives, the brief explains what a “parenting success” strategy looks like and how it can strengthen families and communities. Community groups and family-serving agencies will find best practices and recommendations for how to maximize

impact.  For funding agencies and policy makers, this brief focuses on creating conditions for communities to respond to the parenting imperative.

This brief is the 22nd in a series on Family Strengthening - http://www.nassembly.org/fspc/practice/practices.html produced by NHSA

REFERENCE POINTS:
Family Friendly Checklist for Organizations

Family friendly is a term that applies to how and to what extent organizations involve, welcome, and value the participation of family members in every aspect of the organization. In an effort to increase awareness about family friendly organizations, the Ohio Family Support Council (FSCouncil) developed two Family Friendly Check Lists: one for families and one for staff in organizations. The Check Lists can help administrators determine if their organization has adopted family friendly practices and may give the staff of an organization ideas for improving family friendly approaches in specific areas. Administrators can also compare staff perceptions compared to family member responses. The checklist for agencies can be found here: http://olrs.ohio.gov/Other/checklistagency.pdf . The checklist for families can be found here: http://olrs.ohio.gov/Other/checklistfamily.pdf

Neil Romano Nominated as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor

On December 3, President Bush sent to the Senate for confirmation the nomination of Neil Romano as Assistant Secretary of Labor in charge of employment disability policy. Romano is considered among the nation's leading authorities in the field of media and public advocacy. In 2003, Mr. Romano founded America's Strength Foundation, a private organization designed to help people with disabilities find mainstream employment. Through America's Strength, he has become a source of information and assistance on how individuals with disabilities and related agencies can build stronger relationships with the business community. He has presented on the value of hiring individuals with disabilities from a business perspective. More information can be found at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/nominations/1331.html

New products have been published on the Quality Mall web site:

"CMS Direct Service Workforce Demonstration Promising Practices in Marketing, Recruitment and Selection Interventions" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4225

"Final Report - Kansans Mobilizing for Direct Support Workforce Change: A statewide workforce development initiative to resolve the direct support workforce crisis" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4226

"Assessing Retention Outcomes" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4228

"Cost Per Hire Worksheet" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4230

"Checklist of Effective Recruitment Strategies" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4231

"Effectiveness of Recruitment and Hiring Bonuses" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4232

"Effect of Recruitment Sources on Retention" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4233

"Direct Care Video" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4238

"Heartwork" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4247

"Direct Support Professional: Recruitment and Job Preview" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4249

"Career in Caring" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4252

"2004 Reference and Background Checking" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4260

"Recent findings on frontline long-term care workers: A research synthesis 1999-2003" -
http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4265

"Direct Support Professional Statewide Workforce Employment Assessment Report" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4270

"Consumer Survey" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4273

"Characteristics of the Montana Direct Service Labor Market" -
http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4276

"Emerging Strategies for Providing Health Coverage to the Frontline Workforce in Long Term Care: Lessons from the CMS Direct Service Community Workforce Demonstration Grants" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4282

"Engaging the Public Workforce Development System: Strategies for Investing in the Direct Care Workforce" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4283

"Waddie Welcome and the Beloved Community" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4291

""IQ of 63-So What!" Going Beyond Everybody Else's Expectations" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4297

"Break Through Inc." - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4299

"Working Relationships: Creating career opportunities for job seekers with disabilities through employer partnerships" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4304

"Community Supports for Aging Adults with Lifelong Disabilities" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4306

"Mr. Positive" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4319

"Angela Novak Amado" - http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4328

New Resources on Family Tax Credits Available

Tax filing season is right around the corner. Tax credits can provide thousands of dollars to families struggling to make ends meet - but only if families are informed of the credits and claim them on their tax returns. The easy-to-use tax credits resources below and on the National Women's Law Center's Tax Credits Outreach Campaign website - http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=3134&section=tax can help you prepare to help families in your community.

Every year, millions of families fail to claim federal and state tax credits for which they are eligible, leaving billions of dollars unclaimed. Help make a difference by making sure your community is well-informed about tax credits.

Here are some of the materials we have developed to assist you: 

• Resources for your state - http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=3148&section=tax, including fliers on the federal and state tax credits and payroll stuffers, in English and other languages.
• Three Easy Steps to Help Families Claim Tax Credits - http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/toolkitonepage2008.pdf. Find out how you can use these resources to work with families.
• Toolkit for Advocates - http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/TCOCToolkitTY07-Advocate.pdf created by the NWLC Tax Credits Outreach Campaign. Get information on why tax credits matter, guidance on planning an outreach campaign, and sample campaign activities and materials.

These, and many more resources are available on our website, www.nwlc.org/loweryourtaxes.

FamiliesUSA
New Report Shows Increasing Burden of Health Care Costs on American Families

Families USA has released a new report, Too Great a Burden: America’s Families at Risk - http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/publications/reports/too-great-a-burden.html. This report reveals the numbers of Americans who are in families that will spend more than 10 percent, and more than 25 percent, of their pre-tax income on health care costs in 2008. The main findings of the report include the following:

• Nearly one out of four Americans under the age of 65 (61.6 million) are in families that will spend more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care costs in 2008, and 84.2 percent of these people have health insurance.
• Of the 17.8 million non-elderly Americans who are in families that will spend more than 25 percent of their income on health care costs in 2008, more than three-quarters have health insurance.
• Between 2000 and 2008, the number of people in families spending more than 10 percent of their income on health care costs will have increased by nearly 19.9 million.
• During the same time period, the number of people in families spending more than 25 percent of their income on health care costs will have increased by 6.2 million.

Although this report reveals that all Americans are facing an increasing burden of health care costs, we also know that racial and ethnic minorities face the disproportionate burden of being uninsured, and are often without the means to pay for individual health coverage. In fact, 44.5 percent of African Americans, 60.7 percent of Hispanics, and 38.2 percent of people of other races or ethnicities were uninsured between 2006 and 2007, compared to 26 percent of non-Hispanic Whites. Since racial and ethnic minorities are also more likely to be employed in industries that don’t offer job-based health insurance, it’s even more important for policymakers to address the growing problem of the uninsured and underinsured. If this problem is left unresolved, many more families will likely fall into debt, or even bankruptcy. And sadly, even more people will become sick and may even die.

Health care costs are proving to be an increasing burden for our nation’s families. With more families facing high health care costs, health care has become the top domestic issue for the American public. It is likely that millions of individuals will go to the polls next November and vote for a candidate who promises to alleviate this problem.

New data on HCBS Waivers

Today's GAO Reports - December 20, 2007

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:  Internal Control Deficiencies Resulted in Millions of Dollars of Questionable Contract Payments.  GAO-08-54, November 15.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-54 Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0854high.pdf

State Children's Health Insurance Program:  Program Structure, Enrollment and Expenditure Experiences, and Outreach Approaches for States That Cover Adults.  GAO-08-50, November 26.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-50 Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0850high.pdf

Until Next week

The Arc of the United States,1010 Wayne Avenue, Ste. 650,Silver Spring, MD 20910, Phone: 301-565-3842, Fax: 301-565-3843, Email: mmwdc@info.thearc.org, Web: www.thearc.org

Disclaimer: MMWDC publishes information about issues and events that we believe to be important and likely to be of interest to advocates and others interested in inclusion of persons with disabilities in all parts of society.  However, MMWDC and The Arc of the United States and TheArcLink Incorporated do not necessarily endorse all events, sponsoring organizations and reports which appear.