| Volume 08 | Issue 14 | April 7, 2008 |
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]
[nectac-enotes] NECTAC eNotes - April 4, 2008
Current and past issues of eNotes can be viewed online at http://www.nectac.org/enotes/enotes.aspDisabilityInfo.gov
Health News & Events Update: Learn the Signs--Act Early
April is National Autism Awareness Month. The Learn the Signs, Act Early campaign is issuing a challenge to help spread the word to people in communities across the country about the importance of monitoring development early in a child's life-the first step toward detecting a developmental delay and helping a child reach his or her full potential.
This information has recently been updated, and can be accessed by visiting this link: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=138.
DisabilityInfo.gov
Quality Health Care Update: Hospital Compare
This new tool provides information on how well hospitals care for all their adult patients relating to certain conditions or procedures. This information will help you compare the quality of care hospitals provide.
This information has recently been updated, and can be accessed by visiting this link: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=148.
DisabilityInfo.gov
Aging Update: Recently Updated Resources for Seniors
Includes recently updated information on emergency preparedness and state contacts from the National Association of State Units on Aging.
You are subscribed to Aging for DisabilityInfo.gov. This information has recently been updated, and can be accessed by visiting this link: http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=5125.
REFERENCE POINTS:
Career Academies, Lessons Learned
A recent issue brief from MDRC focuses on lessons learned from research
on Career Academies. Career Academies were first developed some 35
years ago with the aim of restructuring large high schools into small
learning communities and creating pathways between high school and
further education and the workplace. Since then, the Career Academy
approach has taken root in more than 2,000 high schools across the
country. The MDRC Career Academies study, which tracked students for
four years after high school, suggests the following lessons:
Earnings impacts for young men in Career Academies appear to be linked
to career awareness activities and work internships during high
school.
The potential benefits of partnerships between high schools and
employers can be more fully realized when these partnerships are more
structured and when schools can designate a full-time, non-teaching
staff person to serve as a liaison with employers.
It may be necessary to improve the academic component of Career
Academies in order to raise students' achievement on standardized tests
and help them secure admission to college. More information is
available online at http://www.mdrc.org/area_issue_20.html
REFERENCE POINTS:
Social Security Administration Extends Youth Transition Demonstration
In the March 13 Federal Register, the Social Security Administration
(SSA) published notice that it intends to extend and alter the Youth
Transition Demonstration (YTD). The YTD began in 2003 with seven sites
in six states. The project intended to demonstrate and evaluate the
effectiveness of altering Supplemental Security Income Rules (SSI) and
providing employment services to youth who were receiving SSA benefits
or were at risk of receiving benefits. SSA published notice that three
of the original seven sites will be extended and that three additional
sites will be included in the study until 2012. The final evaluation
will include the seven original sites and the three additional sites.
The notice is available online at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20081800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-5036.pdf.
From: Working for Tomorrow, a publication of CWD
REFERENCE POINTS:
Resources on Self-Employment
START-UP/USA - SELF-EMPLOYMENT, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE RESOURCES, AND TRAINING
START-UP/USA provides technical assistance to support self-employment
and small business ownership among people with disabilities. It
includes a series of webcasts on using SSA's Plan for Achieving Self
Support (PASS) to support small business ownership, developing a
business plan, as well as information for veterans with disabilities. http://www.start-up-usa.biz/
SELF-EMPLOYMENT Q AND A: SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS WITH DISABILITIES SPEAK OUT!
This fact sheet from START-UP / USA highlights the experiences of
several entrepreneurs with disabilities. Several individuals were asked
the same set of questions. Their answers provide insights,
encouragement, and cautions for other individuals with disabilities who
might want to consider business ownership. Interestingly, these
business owners' answers were not any different from other typical
business owners without disabilities http://www.start-up-usa.biz/resources/factsheets/speak_out.cfm
THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The SBA offers brief (30-minute) courses on how to start a business,
develop a business plan, find start-up funding, assess financial needs,
manage cash flow, conduct a marketing analysis, build your brand, build
a website for e-commerce, ensure computer security, do business
internationally, plan for retirement, and more. Some courses require
online registration. For more information go to http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A FLEXIBLE ROUTE TO ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FACT SHEET
Entrepreneurship an increasingly popular and practical option for
people with disabilities. Small business ownership and other
self-employment options have the power to lower the traditionally high
unemployment rate among people with disabilities. This ODEP fact sheet
lists both the benefits of and barriers to self employment and
highlights creative partnerships that are advancing entrepreneurship as
an effective route to economic independence. The fact sheet can be
found at http://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/misc/entrepre.htm
ARCHIVED WEBCAST ON SELF-EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE ON LINE
The National Research and Training Center recently held a web cast
discussing self-employment, "Put Yourself in the Driver's Seat: Getting
on the Road to Self-Employment or a Job that's Right for You".
Highlights of the web cast include using the Internet as an employment
resource, finding the right job, getting help for starting a business
venture, and developing a business plan. Emphasis is on people with
mental health disabilities, but anyone interested in work and
entrepreneurship will find useful information in these three sessions.
To access the recorded webcasts and the handouts, use the following
link:
http://www.psych.uic.edu/UICNRTC/webcast_11_16_04.htm
NEW CD - SELF EMPLOYMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
This CD, developed by T-TAP, provides the viewer with information on
self-employment for individuals with disabilities. The CD contains
audio and video presentations, fact sheets, related web links, and
important contact information. Topics include Self-Employment for
Individuals with Disabilities, Using Work Incentives to Fund Micro
Enterprises, Developing a Business Plan, and Self-Employment as a
Customized Employment Outcome. To purchase the CD, go to http://www.worksupport.com/store/index.cfm
FVND Share the Wealth Week of March 31
The Thinking Guide to Inclusive Childcare:
http://www.disabilityrightswi.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/thinking-gu
ide-to-inclusive-child-care.pdf Other documents-areavailable to anyone at the Publications section of our website: http://www.disabilityrightswi.org
Medicaid Financing: Long-standing Concerns about Inappropriate State Arrangements Support Need for Improved Federal Oversight.
GAO-08-650T, April 3 http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-650T Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08650thigh.pdf
The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has published a new best practices manual on occupant protection for children (OPC).
The new publication follows previously developed comprehensive guidelines and an assessment tool for state highway safety offices to examine their OPC programs and focus their resources where they are most needed. The Occupant Protect for Children: Best Practices Manual is available as a PDF document online at www.ghsa.org
Ten Key Findings from Responsible Fatherhood Initiatives
focuses on fatherhood programs that were developed and implemented during the 1990s and early 2000s and assesses what has been learned and how to build on the early programs' successes. The brief is available at: http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411623_fatherhood_initiatives.pdf.
New Internet Course: "Ready, Willing, and Able, Assisting People with Disabilities During Disasters",
Offered by TRAIN, a Project of the Public Health Foundation-Ready, Willing & Able is a free, professional, 2 hour, introductory, online training course offered for independent study and for continuing education. It is designed for public health and hospital staff, health professionals, disaster preparedness managers, emergency response workers, and personnel working with people with disabilities. This course is offered through TRAIN, a project of the Public Health Foundation, funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, participating states, and the Centers for Disease Control and prevention. Information about this training can be found at https://www.train.org/DesktopShell.aspx The course name Ready, Willing, & Able and course number 1010882 are necessary to get to the course to register. The Office of Evaluation, and Policy Development has published proposed amendments to the regulations governing education records maintained by educational agencies and institutions under section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act, which is also known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (FERPA). Comments must be received on or before May 8, 2008. For complete information see the Federal Register Notice at http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/proprule/2008-1/032408a.html
Fourth Quarter 2007 Letters of Clarification from Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Source:
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs - Retrieved March 28, 2008
Policy documents from the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)
dated October 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007 related to the
education of infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities
are now available online at http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/letters/2007-4/index.html
Two new reports look at recent changes in the regulations and administration of government health insurance programs for children.
These changes include a requirement that states prove that they have enrolled at least 95 percent of all uninsured children eligible for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) or Medicaid before they can expand coverage to other children, and prohibiting the use of schools to administer Medicaid. The summaries offer clear explanations of the new rules. New Report Indicates Medicaid Rules Would Hurt Special Needs Children (First Focus) - http://firstfocus.net/pages/3377/ and Children Are the Real Victims of the CMS August Directive (Shriver Center) - http://www.povertylaw.org/news-and-events/poverty-action-report/march-2008/Children%20Are%20the%20Real%20Victims%20of%20the%20CMS%20August%20Directive.html
A new report from the National Early Childhood Transition Center (NECTC)
entitled Transition Issues and Barriers for Children with Significant Disabilities and from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds by Beth Rous, Carol Schroeder, Sarintha Stricklin, Ann Hains, and Megan Cox provides findings from a national study to identify issues and barriers encountered during transitions for young children with disabilities and their families. Transitions for two specific groups were targeted; (a) children with significant disabilities and their families, and (b) children with disabilities from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families. A short summary of the report is available at: http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/nectc/TRANSITIONALERTS/Delphi%20Findings.pdf The full technical report is available at http://www.ihdi.uky.edu/nectc/Documents/technicalreport/DelphiTechnical%20Report.pdf
New Rules from CMS take a bite out of the institutional bias
This proposed rule allows states -- which apply-- much greater
flexibility to provide and focus on community long term services and
supports; but states must apply and be approved. The proposed rule
makes important changes however it doesn't end the insitutional bias as
it is for people with incomes at or below 150% of poverty, less than
the 3X SSI of most nursing home rules, and allows States to put caps on
the service covered. It is however a good step in the right
direction...
The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on April
4, 2008, and will have a public comment period through June 3, 2008.
Go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MedicaidGenInfo/Downloads/CMS2249P.pdf to
view the complete proposed rule.
Build your Own Care Notebook Available Now
Dr. Charles Onufer, Director, Division of Specialized Care for Children at the University of Illinois at Chicago and his Title V CSHCN staff, created a web site called “Build Your Own Care Notebook”. They are working with staff from the National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs. This web site is designed to assist families to build their own care notebooks for their own children with special needs. The web site allows parents to select different versions of care notebooks and put them together to build their own customized care notebook.
Dr. Onufer took 20 complete care notebooks and developed a template consisting of 6 major sections with their corresponding subsections. For each of these subsections, up to 20 versions of that subsection was created in MS Word and Adobe PDF formats. A parent then has the capability to review these different versions of the subsections that they would like to include in their child’s care notebook, and download those Word or PDF files to their computer.
The next step was creating an online tutorial for parents to guide them in "how to" use the online care notebook for their child or patient. A field test of the tutorial was held for parents and health care professionals on February 5, 2008 at the Illinois Center for Rehab and Education. Dr. Onufer and his staff are revising the tutorial based on comments from the field test and will work with National Center Staff on uploading the tutorial. Currently, the care notebook web site is live and is located at: http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/tools/care_notebook.html. At the website you can download and print off pages that you prefer and are relevant to your child’s care, and create your own care notebook.
Carmen KirkpatrickACT Team CoordinatorThe Fifth Freedom Network227 E. Washington Blvd., Suite 304Fort Wayne, IN 46802(260) 426-8789(866) 441-2577 carmen@fifthfreedom.orgwww.fifthfreedom.org
Informational Alert Forwarded by The Fifth Freedom NetworkThe Building Leadership Series project has begun recruitment for 20 new participants for the Fall 2008 Series. Self-Advocates are encouraged to apply.
The 2008 Series consists of three two-day workshops over a three-month period at the Convention Center in Bloomington, Indiana.
Selected participants will receive:
Support staff, when needed, also receives compensation, meals and lodging.
The workshop topics are:
The workshops are co-trained with staff from IIDC and persons with disabilities. There is a good mix of interactive activities, video, discussion, role play and lecture. Workbooks accompany each topical area. Past participants have commented on how much they learned and committed to personal action steps upon arriving back home. New friendships developed, and personal growth was evident for all participants.
Help us spread the word to potential participants and provider agencies for the 2008 Series.For more information and applications, contact Jennie Todd via email - jeptodd@indiana.edu - or by phone: 812-855-6508.
Carmen Kirkpatrick, ACT Team Coordinator, The Fifth Freedom Network, 227 E. Washington Blvd., Suite 304, Fort Wayne, IN, 46802, (260) 426-8789, (866) 441-2577, carmen@fifthfreedom.org, www.fifthfreedom.org
April 2008, Vol.8, No.4
Visit www.aaidd.org/FYI/ to access current and past issues of this monthly newsletter. Topics discussed in this issue:
The New Professional: Leadership in Science, Practice, Policy, and Advocacy Graphic
AAIDD 132nd Annual Meeting, May 28 - 30, 2008, L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington, DC, Register Now! <http://www.aaidd.org/Events/DC/registration.shtml>
New product on the Quality Mall web site:
"Mozart and the Whale" -
http://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=4748
Center for Personal Assistance Services Bulletin
April 2008--Volume 5, Issue 2
A pdf version of this newsletter can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter/CenterforPASBulletinApr08.pdf
Previous newsletters can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter
The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training, dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services (PAS) in the United States. Personal assistance services (PAS) refer to help provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for daily living. These tasks include bathing, dressing, getting around, toileting, eating, shopping, remembering things, and other activities. PAS, along with assistive technology such as wheelchairs, text readers, and hearing aides, help people with disabilities to participate in activities at home, at work, and in the community.
The purpose of this newsletter is to provide the latest news on issues relating to formal and informal PAS, home & community-based services, the PAS workforce, and workplace PAS within and outside of the Center.
Great news from Inclusion International.
Inclusion International has been actively involved in the development and
negotiations of the UNConvention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities, which began in 2001. Today we are very please to announce
that the UN Convention has been ratified by 20 countries. The full list of
countries that have ratified is available at
http://www.inclusion-international.org/en/ii_priority_areas/undc/index.html
The Convention will enter into force 30 days after the 20th ratification.The
countries that have ratified the Convention are now obliged to establish
national arrangements for coordinating Convention implementation.
The Conference of States Parties will convene not later than six months
after the 20th ratification. They will appoint a Committee on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities at the time of their first meeting. The Committee
will have the job of monitoring national progress, further interpreting the
Convention Articles and dealing with complaints from within countries which
have signed and ratified the Optional Protocol.
Today is a day for celebration. However, our work doesn't finish
here. *Only* the the countries that ratify the CRPD will be
legally bound by it after it takes full legal force. Therefore it is
important to encourage the other countries to ratify it so that their
citizens, too, can enjoy the rights protected in the CRPD.
Updates will be posted on the Inclusion International website
www.inclusion-international.org
Best regards -
Raquel Gonzalez,
Coordinator,
Inclusion International, http://www.inclusion-international.org/ , http://www.inclusion-international.blogspot.com/
hcbs.org > Clearinghouse CLIPS: April 3, 2008
Real Choice Systems Change Grants: Compendium Seventh Edition
Summary:
The Compendium contains basic information about each of the Real Choice
Systems Change Grantees receiving awards in FY 2004. It includes
information for the Family-to-Family and Systems Transformation
Grantees who received awards in FY 2005 and FY 2006 plus the
Person-Centered Planning Implementation awards in FY 2007. It is
divided into sections corresponding to the different types of grants
and year of award; the report helps Grantees identify others with
similar goals and activities.
Topic(s):
Accessibility, Aging Issues, Children and Family Services, Consumer
Direction, Deficit Reduction Act, Developmental/Psychiatric
Disabilities, Employment, Financing HCBS, Housing, Long-Term Care,
Mental Health, Money Follows the Person, Peer Supports, Physical
Disabilities, Quality, Resource Center, Single Point of Entry/No Wrong
Door, State/Agency Information, Sustainability, Transition/Diversion
from Institutions, Waiver, Workforce
Source: RTI - Systems Change Evaluation
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2191
Consumer Direction of Personal Assistance Services in Medicaid: A Review of Four State Programs
Summary:
Consumer direction of personal assistance services (CD-PAS) is one
model of service delivery that gives Medicaid beneficiaries varying
degrees of control over hiring, scheduling, training, and paying
personal care attendants. Program administrators, experienced with the
programmatic features of CD-PAS in their state, were interviewed.
Eligibility criteria, participant support services, and method of
financial management used by Medicaid beneficiaries to pay direct care
workers are discussed.
Topic(s): Children and Family Services, Consumer Direction, Long-Term Care, Quality, State/Agency Information
Source: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2197
Consumer Direction of Personal Assistance Services Programs in Medicaid: Insights from Enrollees in Four States
Summary: The Kaiser Commission on
Medicaid and the Uninsured supported this focus group project of adults
with disabilities in 4 states, who are enrolled in Medicaid Consumer
Directed Personal Assistance Services programs. This research was
undertaken to learn about Medicaid enrollees’ experiences in the
program and their opinions about key features of the program including
recruitment issues and degree of responsibility over services. Ways to
improve upon the programs were also identified.
Topic(s): Children and Family Services, Consumer Direction, Long-Term Care, State/Agency Information
Source: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2198
Discussion Brief: Advancing Medicaid HCBS Policy: From Capped Consumer to Consumer-Directed
Summary: Over the last eight years,
federal, state, and local governments have re-envisioned how to deliver
and pay for an ever-growing caseload of elderly individuals and persons
with disabilities who need services at home, in the workplace, or in
more costly nursing facilities. This discussion provides a vision and a
context for HCBS reform consistent with CMS’ vision for reforming
post-acute care that focuses on addressing system barriers and
informing and empowering health care consumers.
Topic(s): Accessibility, Aging Issues, Consumer Direction, Deficit Reduction Act, Financing HCBS, Long-Term Care
Source: Rutgers/NASHP
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2200
Discussion Paper: Redefining Quality: Participant-Directed Services
Summary: This paper explores the
various participant-direction models, existing quality management
strategies, and the potential for change that allows
participant-directed quality management systems to remain true to the
core values they were founded upon. Participant-directed programs face
unique challenges in meeting federal requirements while remaining
faithful to the principles of participant-direction. Well-defined roles
and responsibilities are essential and will directly influence the
design.
Topic(s): Accessibility, Aging Issues, Consumer Direction, Physical Disabilities
Source: Rutgers/NASHP
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2199
Medicaid Demonstration Waivers: Recent HHS Approvals Continue to Raise Cost and Oversight Concerns
Summary: This report by the GAO
reviewed the extent to which HHS ensured that Section 1115 Waiver
demonstrations will be budget neutral to the federal government and
maintain Medicaid’s fiscal integrity. Specifically, the report examined
the projected spending associated with two waivers granted to Florida
and Vermont. Review the shortcomings in these specific approvals as
well as recommendations for further congressional oversight and HHS
procedural reform.
Topic(s): State/Agency Information, Waiver
Source: Government Accountability Office (GAO)
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2202
Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Announcement 2008
Summary: CMS was soliciting
proposals to develop the infrastructure to support competitive
employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Funding is
intended to facilitate enhancements to state Medicaid programs and
services, to promote linkages between Medicaid and other
employment-related service agencies, and to develop a comprehensive
system of employment supports. The demonstration period runs Jan–Dec
2008. This prior solicitation acts as a resource for terms, conditions
and guidance.
Topic(s): Developmental/Psychiatric Disabilities, Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, Physical Disabilities, Workforce
Source: CMS
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2188
Profile of the 2008 Medicaid Infrastructure Grantees - 2008
Summary:
Which states received MIG grants in 2008? You can review this list of
40 states that were awarded basic, comprehensive and conditional
grants. The list also contains the contact information for each state's
project as well as links to their website.
Topic(s): Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, State/Agency Information
Source: Ascellon Corporation
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2187
Promising Practices in HCBS: Maryland - Encouraging Evidence-Based Practices in Supported Employment
Summary:
Maryland's vocational rehabilitation and mental health agencies jointly
promote supported employment evidence-based practices (EBP) for people
with mental illness. The state provides a payment for EBP services and
monitors fidelity to EBP. Training, technical assistance, and small,
time-limited grants have assisted providers transitioning to EBP. More
than two-thirds of Maryland’s supported employment providers either
have adopted EBP or are implementing these practices.
Topic(s): Employment, Mental Health
Source: Thomson Healthcare (formerly Medstat)
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2196
The Administration’s Medicaid Regulations: State-By-State Impacts
Summary:
This report details the state-by-state impacts of seven regulations
issued by the CMS that would make major wide-ranging changes. Areas
affected include cost limits for public providers, graduate medical
education, outpatient hospital services, provider taxes, rehabilitative
services, school administration and transportation services, and case
management services. The website offers an interactive map showing how
proposed regulations would impact each state.
Topic(s): Financing HCBS, State/Agency Information
Source: House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
More Info: http://www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/nb/doc/2201
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services: Overview Information; Projects With Industry
(PWI) Program; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal
Year (FY) 2008
[Federal Register: March 28, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 61)] - http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-6453.htm
DATES:
SUMMARY. Purpose of Program: The PWI program creates and expands job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the competitive labor market by engaging the talent and leadership of private industry as partners in the rehabilitation process. Projects identify competitive job and career opportunities and the skills needed to perform those jobs, create practical settings for job readiness and training programs, and provide training, job placements, and career advancement services.
Each grantee must establish a Business Advisory Council which must "identify job and career availability within the community, consistent with the current and projected local employment opportunities identified by the local workforce investment board for the community under section 118(b)(1)(B) of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998; (2) identify the skills necessary to perform the jobs and careers identified; and (3) prescribe training programs designed to develop appropriate job and career skills, or job placement programs designed to identify and develop job placement and career advancement opportunities, for individuals with disabilities (see 29 U.S.C. 795(a)(2)(A))."
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. Eligible applicants include employers, nonprofit agencies or organizations, designated State units, labor unions, community rehabilitation program providers, trade associations, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and other agencies or organizations, including faith-based and community organizations, with the capacity to create and expand job and career opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Access the URL to read the full notice, which includes full background, describes the statutory requirements for program operation, enumerates the competitive priorities, summarizes the application requirements and Federal review criteria, and lists the relevant contact information and web resources.
DOL
News Release: U.S. Labor Department and Social Security
Administration share technology to provide more efficient access to
online benefits information
April 2, 2008 - http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/oasam/oasam20080437.htm
A newly designed version of the U.S. Social Security Administration's (SSA) online Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) application, powered by the U.S. Department of Labor-managed GovBenefits.gov, has been launched to make it easier for individuals to determine their eligibility for 17 different Social Security programs.
GovBenefits.gov is the federal government's official source for information about more than 1,000 benefit programs available through 16 agencies. BEST is SSA's Web-based tool for information about benefits administered by that agency.
Visitors can access the new screening tool at http://best.ssa.gov. GovBenefits.gov — www.GovBenefits.gov is a Bush Administration e-gov initiative designed to make government more accessible to citizens. The Web site has attracted more than 26 million visitors since it went online in April 2002.
How Do
Medicaid Buy-In Participants Who Collect Social Security Disability
Insurance Benefits Use SSA Work Incentive Programs?
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. -
http://www.mathematicampr.com/publications/pdfs/WWDsocialsecurity.pdf
[The following is excerpted from a press release on the publication of this brief.]
Medicaid Buy-In participants who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits may not be taking full advantage of the available work incentive programs that can improve their prospects of finding employment and attaining economic self-sufficiency. The seventh policy brief in a new series on working with disability from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., reveals that only 23 percent of Medicaid Buy-In participants who received SSDI benefits between 2000 and 2005 took part in a work incentive program. The brief summarizes Mathematica's study of participation rates for four specific SSDI work incentive programs: Trial Work Period, Extended Period of Eligibility, Impairment-Related Work Expenses, and Ticket to Work.
Many SSDI beneficiaries may avoid working or earning above the substantial gainful activity level for fear of losing their benefits. To encourage working-age adults with disabilities to seek employment or earn more income, the Social Security Administration offers work incentive programs that provide various benefits, from continuation of benefits while working to free employment services that include job training and placement.
As the brief explains, the Trial Work Period program was the most utilized among Buy-In participants who receive SSDI benefits, with approximately 16 percent of beneficiaries participating. The Extended Period of Eligibility program had the second highest participation rate, 7 percent, with Ticket to Work running a close third with 6 percent of beneficiaries participating. Less than one percent utilized the Impairment-Related Work Expenses incentive.
A state-by-state comparison of participation rates gives greater insight into how some state-designed programs can be more effective than others. Nebraska, for example, had the highest share of participants (58 percent) in any program. This trend may have been influenced by the design of the state's Buy-In program, which waives the unearned income limit for all SSDI beneficiaries who participate in the Trial Work Period or Extended Period of Eligibility programs. With the largest participation rate for the Ticket to Work program (25 percent), Vermont offers another example of an effective Buy-In design feature. The state provides centralized benefits counseling services and Buy-In outreach at state vocational rehabilitation agencies, thus educating beneficiaries about available incentive programs and increasing their likelihood of participation.
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.