The Arc of Michigan Logo

Michigan

 

Find Your Local Chapter Contact Us About Us Site Map Search Tool Home

 

skip to main contentA State Organization on Developmental Disabilities

Friday Mail News

Developmental Disabilities Public Policy & Action Alerts Information & Resources Chapters & Membership
 

The Arc Michigan

1325 S. Washington Ave.
Lansing, MI 48910-1652
Phone: (800) 292-7851

or (517) 487-5426
Fax: (517) 487-0303
Driving Directions

 

Recent Events 

June 19 -20, 2009

Arc Michigan Conference

Presenters and Presentations

 

Roster of Local

Arc Chapters

htm  pdf  xls

 

 

Friday Mail News             

                                                July 2, 2009

Subscribe to Friday Mail   Web site Feedback

Events:

  • The Arc Detroit, as part of its community awareness project, is offering the following free training opportunities. For all events, please RSVP to Barbara R. Cardinal, Mental Health Navigator at 313.831.0202.

  • UCP of Metropolitan Detroit announces their 4th Annual Life without Limits through Assistive Technology Conference

    • November 12, 2009 - 9:00 - 2:00 pm, Silver Garden of Southfield (Formerly Shriners Auditorium), 24350 Southfield Rd., Southfield, MI 48075

Other items:

Make the Most Out of the Independence Day Congressional Recess

Congress is in the process of putting together health care reform legislation. We desperately want long term services and supports (LTSS) to be addressed as part of health care reform. The Arc’s chapters must communicate this view directly to Congressional offices right away!

We realize that most of you have been focused on fighting severe cuts to your state budgets for developmental disabilities services. This is exactly why your voice is so important now – to help Members of Congress understand the connection between state Medicaid budget crises and the need to include sustainable long term care financing and program improvements in federal health care reform legislation.

We particularly need to bring this message to Members of Congress who serve on the key committees that will be considering health care reform legislation:

TAKE ACTION

Many Members of Congress will spend the weeklong Fourth of July recess in their home districts. Please participate in one or more of the following over the Independence Day recess between:

Saturday, July 4th

  • Town Hall meetings sponsored by your Members of Congress. You may be able to find a list of town halls on your Senators’ and Representative's Web sites. Locate your Senators' Web sites by selecting your state at the top of http://www.senate.gov/ and your Representative’s website by entering you zip code at the top of http://www.house.gov. If you cannot locate this information on the websites, please call their main offices and ask to speak to the scheduler.

  • In–district meetings with your Members of Congress. Please contact your local Members offices NOW to schedule a meeting. Guidance on requesting in-district meetings is usually provided under a “Constituent Services” section of your Senators' and Representative's websites. Again, you can also call their main offices and ask to speak to their schedulers.

  • Other Community calendar events. Many local newspapers have extensive listings of fairs, parades, concerts, and other community events where Members of Congress might show up

Please feel free to utilize the following materials to help guide your LTSS advocacy:  

Please note that you are receiving this alert because of your leadership role in The Arc. We will be issuing a similar alert to our broader grassroots network through our e-advocacy system in the next few days. We will be encouraging them to contact their local and state chapters to lend their support to any LTSS-related activities over the Independence Day Congressional recess.

 

For additional LTSS information and resources, visit www.passtheclassact.org. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 202-783-2229 or acosta@thedpc.org

                                                             top       

Current AARP Congressional LTC Agenda in Healthcare Reform Proposals

AARP continues to advocate in Congress for inclusion of LTC as part of national health reform legislation being debated. Below is a list of currently identified proposals they are pursuing. Please share and join in! Go to www.healthactionnow.org for more information on AARP efforts and opportunities for you and others to get involved. It's getting VERY busy in DC now, "District Work Periods" notwithstanding!

Overview

AARP believes any final health care package must improve long-term care (LTC) so more Americans can receive services at home rather than in often more costly institutions. Long-term care reform should address two critical issues:  expanding access to home-and community-based services; and improving help for family caregivers so they are better able to provide the services and supports individuals need to receive care at home.

Surveys show that 89% of Americans age 50 or older prefer to live in their homes as long as possible. Yet Medicaid, the largest payer of long-term care in the country, is biased towards institutional care; nationally, 73% of Medicaid LTC spending for older people and adults with physical disabilities pays for institutional services, with only 27% going to home-and-community-based services (HCBS) that people prefer. However, HCBS can often be provided at less cost than institutionalized care. According to an AARP report, on average, Medicaid dollars spent on HCBS can support nearly three people for every one person in a nursing home. In addition, states that invest in HCBS can, over time, slow their rate of Medicaid spending on long-term care (LTC).

That’s why AARP is calling on Congress to support several important pieces of legislation that would help make it possible for more Americans to receive care at home rather than in a more costly institution.

Empowered at Home Act of 2009 (S. 434/H.R. 2688)

The Empowered at Home Act of 2009 (S.434/H.R. 2688), sponsored by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) would:

  • Provide states with additional financial incentives so more Americans can receive care at home;

  • Give states more flexibility to fund home and community-based services (HCBS)   rather than just institutional care;

  • Provide the spouses of HCBS recipients the same protections against poverty as are provided for the spouses of nursing home residents;

  • Change the “asset limit” for HCBS so that individuals who receive services at home can still afford to maintain their homes and pay for other necessary expenses; and

  • Make other improvements in Medicaid HCBS.

AARP is calling on Congress to ensure S. 434/H.R. 2688 is included in any final health care reform package.

Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009

The Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 (S. 245/H.R. 468), sponsored by Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) would improve long-term care by providing family caregivers with:

  • Help to ensure that caregivers’ needs are addressed as part of routine assessment procedures done for people in Medicaid who receive home-and community-based services;
  • Information and referral resources to help reduce gaps in care that often occur during the transition from one care setting to another; and
  • Training opportunities, including courses and free online training materials.  

The bill also helps make sure the health care workforce will be ready to care for an aging population, such as by expanding training for faculty and practitioners in geriatrics, chronic care management, and long-term care and improving training for direct care workers.

AARP is calling on Congress to ensure S. 245/H.R. 468 is included in any final health care reform package.

Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act (S. 1256)

The Home and Community Balanced Incentives Act (S. 1256), sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), would:

  • Give financial incentives to states to provide new or expanded home and community-based services;

  • Develop a statewide services and information clearinghouse so people can have one, easy to use point-of-contact to learn about their home and community based options;

  • Allow consumers to be in charge of their own home care;  Provide a coordinated system that assists individuals with getting the services and supports they need, including those transitioning from nursing homes back to the community; 

  • Allow for expedited eligibility for home and community-based services; 

  • Create standardized, state-wide assessment tools to determine eligibility for home and community-based services; and  

  • Make other improvements in Medicaid HCBS 

AARP is calling on Congress to ensure S. 1256 is included in any final health care reform package. 

Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act (S. 1257/H.R. 2852)  

The Project 2020: Building on the Promise of Home and Community-Based Services Act (S. 1257/H.R. 2852), sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), would:

  • Help consumers get the needed information and counseling to decide where and how they can best receive the services and supports they need;
  • Promote falls prevention, physical activities, nutrition, chronic disease management and medication management;
  • Provide a case manager for individuals at risk of having to go into a nursing home; and
  • Simplify access to both public and private long-term services and supports.

 

AARP is calling on Congress to ensure S. 1257/H.R. 2852 is included in any final health care reform package                                    top                                          (posted 07/02/09)

Action on Mental Health Parity Promised 

 

Earlier this week, the state House passed House Bills 4183 and 4476, which would require insurers to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders. The bills as passed contain significant changes - including several definitions, a coverage cap of $50,000 for Applied Behavior Analysis, and requirements for a “treatment review” - from earlier versions of the bills. HB 4183 and 4476 were referred to the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Regulatory Reform.

 

During debate on the House floor, numerous legislators spearheaded an effort to “substitute in” comprehensive mental health and substance abuse parity language. They withdrew these efforts after securing a commitment from House Speaker Andy Dillon that committee and floor action on the mental health parity package will take place in the late summer or early fall.

 

Now that the House leadership has committed to bringing the Mental health parity bills (HB 4597 - HB 4600) to the floor, it is important to ensure that your state representative supports them. If your state representative is already a co-sponsor, write a thank you letter or make a phone call.

 

If your state representative is not yet a co-sponsor, urge him or her to support the bills. If you don't know who your state representative is, click here and enter your county and zip code. Learn more about the Michigan Partners for Parity grass roots effort and review The Arc Michigan's talking points on mental health parity.

                                                             top                                             (posted 06/26/09) 

President Backtracks on Community Choice Act
Ten years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court said that bias amounted to discrimination. Now, as disability advocates celebrate the anniversary of that landmark ruling known as the "Olmstead Decision", they worry the Obama administration is backing away from a pledge to give more people with disabilities the option to live at home.

As a senator, Barack Obama co-sponsored the Community Choice Act, pending legislation that would give Medicaid recipients equal access to services in the community and not force them into institutions. But the administration recently said it would not address the issue as part of its proposed health care overhaul.

Disability rights advocates were so angered that at least 90 were arrested during an April protest outside the White House. For some, the dispute was a blunt reminder of how hard it has been to put an end to discrimination even with affirmation from the Supreme Court.

Obama's staff wouldn't say what his current position is on making community programs mandatory. The White House Web site had said Obama would support the Community Choice Act. Recently, the site was changed to say he would "build on existing efforts to encourage states to shift more of their services away from institutions."

Read more about the bias towards institutions and the Olmstead Decision at Pro Publica.  

                                                              top                                              (posted 06/26/09)

Changes Proposed to Medicaid Waiver

The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services is proposing regulatory changes to the administration of the Medicaid Home and Community Based Services Waiver. It is seeking public comment until August 21.

The waiver funds support services for persons with disabilities to live in the community instead of institutions. The proposed changes would impact how people are determined to be qualified for waiver services and where they are allowed to live with waiver funding.

The proposal follows this week's launch of President Barack Obama’s initiative, “The Year of Community Living,” in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case Olmstead v. LC and EW. In the Olmstead decision, the court determined that states have an obligation to provide community-based living options for people with disabilities.

Further information about the proposed changes and instructions for commenting on them can be found here.                                    top                                                   (posted 6/24/09)

Key Issues Update: Supports for Persons with Developmental Disabilities

The Arc Michigan 2009 Conference presentation by Michael J. Head, Director, Mental Health Substance Abuse Administration, MDCH. Click here for PPT, HTML or PDF version of the presentation.                                       top                                                   (posted 6/22/09)

 
MDDC Newsletter Restarted

The Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council has restarted its monthly newsletter. Here is the first issue of The DD Community Update.

                                                            top                                                   (posted 6/18/09)  

2009 Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Tool Kit

The DBTAC - Network of ADA Centers has announced the release of the 2009 Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Anniversary Tool Kit. Together with its Affiliate Networks and Partners, the network has accomplished significant results toward voluntary ADA compliance. The Tool Kit captures the collective achievements and offers informative materials designed to help you plan and publicize your ADA activities during the ADA Anniversary and throughout the year. The Tool Kit includes:

  • Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008

  • ADA - Findings, Purpose, and History

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act from a Civil Rights Perspective

  • Americans with Disabilities Act Resources and Publications

  • Americans with Disabilities Act and Olmstead Resources

  • ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) Summary and Resources

  • Statistics You Can Use

  • The White House Agenda on Disabilities

  • Tips on Writing a News Release

  • Sample Proclamation:ADA Anniversary

  • National DBTAC Initiatives

The 2009 ADA Anniversary Tool Kit can be downloaded at http://adaanniversary.org
                                                            
top                                                   (posted 6/18/09)  

New Air Carrier Access Act Rule
 
The Department of Transportation is amending its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) rules for passengers with disabilities to apply to foreign carriers. The final rule also adds new provisions concerning passengers who use medical oxygen and passengers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The rule also reorganizes and updates the entire ACAA rule. The Department will respond to some matters raised in this rulemaking by issuing a subsequent supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking.
 
The new rules that became effective on May 13, 2009 and Frequently Asked Questions can be downloaded from here as Word or PDF files.
 

The Association for Airline Passenger Rights (AAPR) is hosting a webinar examining the new ACAA rule on June 25 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm. Go here for more information. (posted 6/17/09)

top

Show us what YOU can do!

The What Can YOU Do? Video Contest is an opportunity for young - and young-at-heart - filmmakers to promote positive change by illustrating that at work, it’s what people CAN do that matters. Any type of video can be submitted—serious, surprising, or even funny. So be creative! The point is to make people think and challenge their opinions about people with disabilities and employment. How you do this is up to you!

The contest runs from June 8, 2009 - July 15, 2009, and is sponsored by the Campaign for Disability Employment, a collaborative effort to promote the talent and skills that people with disa
bilities bring to America’s workforce and economy.

For more information, go here: www.jan.wvu.edu/videocontest/
                                                                top                                                   (Posted 6/12/09)

Olmstead's Anniversary and Disability Civil Rights
June 22, 2009, marks the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Olmstead ruling for disability civil rights. Some people have made an analogy between the Olmstead decision and the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. Let's compare them.

Nearly ten years after the black civil rights movement's victory in Brown, incremental, albeit not overwhelming, progress had occurred. Nonetheless, some people thought the black civil rights struggle had stalled.

Nearly ten years after the disability civil rights movement's victory in the Olmstead decision, incremental progress has occurred as well.

But still, more than 313,000 people with disabilities in nursing homes (23% of the total) want to live in the community, and yet are denied their civil right to integration, primarily because of Medicaid's historical bias in favor of segregation. Many of them are on "waiting lists" for their civil rights. Can you imagine a "waiting list" for black civil rights?

While the black civil rights movement achieved its share of victories, it took the March on Washington for Congress to enact both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. And even then, it took the U.S. Department of Justice to take the right actions and really enforce these civil rights.

Remember that Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited federal subsidies for racially segregated institutions.

So why not similarly rectify segregation for people with disabilities? Does not the Olmstead decision, together with the ADA/Section 504, already provide the necessary handles to prohibit federal subsidies to States that limit services only to segregated institutions, thus denying real choices that would enable 313,000 people to reside in the community.

Some say the disability civil rights issue of ending unnecessary segregation must wait. But as Dr. King wrote, "For years now I have heard the word 'Wait.' It rings in the ear of every Negro [person with a disability who is unnecessarily institutionalized] with piercing familiarity. This 'Wait' has almost always meant 'Never'."

Last year when some disability advocates wanted an explicit reference to ending unnecessary segregation included in the ADA Restoration Act, they were politely told that other issues were the focus:  "wait."

This year when people with disabilities with the lowest incomes, who are entirely dependent on Medicaid, have demanded to end unnecessary segregation by having the Community Choice Act included in any health reform legislation, they have been told that the CCA is not the focus of health reformb"Wait."

The "Wait" to end unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in institutions may soon turn into a "Never" for civil rights.

How hard is it to understand and accept that, but for the denial of civil rights, many institutionalized people with disabilities would live in the community with adequate programs and supports, especially since its cheaper for the federal government and states to provide such programs and supports in the community?

How hard would it be to enact a Disability Civil Rights Act in 2009 to end unnecessary segregation just as Congress did with the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960s?  A Disability Civil Rights Act in 2009 to end segregation could not be as inflammatory as enacting the Voting Rights Act of 1964.

Will U.S. Attorney General Holder look to how U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy addressed ending discrimination in the 1960s? General Holder could start by looking at the 313,000 people with disabilities living in nursing facilities who have said they do not want to be unnecessarily institutionalized. He could inform states that Olmstead and the
ADA/504 require providing real choice for people with disabilities who are segregated and want to live in the community.

What do we have to do to create the atmosphere of the 1960s for the disability civil rights struggle in 2009?

Steve Gold, Information Bulletin #287

Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at
http://www.stevegoldada.com with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.

                                                         top                                              (posted 6/18/09)

New Food Benefits for SSI Recipients

As many as 80,000 Michigan senior citizens and adults with disabilities could automatically get help with their food budgets this year under a new federal pilot project.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service granted Michigan a series of waivers allowing the state to implement the Michigan Combined Application Project (MiCAP). Under the project, adults who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), no other income, and who live independently could receive at least $60 each month in food assistance.

Currently The State of Michigan is mailing outreach applications to those who pre-qualify by standard mail. Read the application carefully and keep page 2 as it may answer most of the questions you may have about applying for food benefits from assistance with MiCAP. MiCAP is different from traditional food stamps or Food Assistance Program (FAP).

MiCAP benefits take up to 30 business days to process. If you have questions you may call the MiCAP phone number 1-877-416-4227. Phone hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. No holidays and weekends.

To find out more go to DHS Pub-50, Michigan Combined Application Project.

                                                            top                                                (Posted 5/22/09)

Most State Agencies Closed on Furlough Days 

The Office of the State Employer has announced the dates of 6 mandatory furlough days for many state employees. The furlough days are part of the Governor’s Executive Order issued and approved earlier this month. 

The furlough days are:

            Friday, June 19

            Monday, July 6

            Friday, July 24

            Friday, August 7

            Friday, August 21

            Friday, September 4

Some state employees are exempt from the furlough, including most Unemployment Insurance Agency staff; most direct care staff in psychiatric hospitals, veterans’ homes and youth facilities; corrections officers; most prison health care workers; and State Troopers.

                                                              top                                                    (Posted 5/18/09)

Quality of Life for Families with Children with Disabilities 

The Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) at Wayne State University is being funded by the National Institute on Disability Research and Rehabilitation to develop an accurate and culturally-sensitive tool to measure the Quality of Life for low-income minority families raising children with disabilities in Michigan.

DDI is seeking to interview 150 parents of low-income (below $40,000 per year) minority families raising children (0-26 years) with disabilities to measure their quality of life, and will be recruiting until the end of summer 2009. Parents who are interested will be invited to participate in a 2 hour confidential interview (by phone or face-face) for which they will receive $25 gift cards.

More information is available from this flier or by calling Dr. Preethy S. Samuel at (313) 577-8562 or emailing preethy@wayne.edu                               top                                                             (posted 3/04/09)

DCH Weekly Resident In-House Census Reports and information about the Mt. Pleasant Center are available on the Mt. Pleasant Center page.

Sign up to receive a Friday Mail notification: Subscribe to Friday Mail

Notify The Arc Michigan of e-mail address changes: Update E-mail Address

Remove your name from the Friday mail list: Unsubscribe

Please send your feedback:  Comments and Suggestions

                                                                           top

Disclaimer  |  Privacy Policy  |  Accessibility  |  Translate

© 2008 The Arc Michigan. All Rights Reserved. Design: Jackie Igafo-Te'o