Family Voices Indiana

The Indiana Legislature continues to be hard at work hearing bills in committee until the deadline late next week.   Below are updates and calls to action. ACTION NEEDED! SB 11 – ABLE Act , introduced by Senator Luke Kenley (R-Noblesville).  Creates the “achieving a better life experience” (ABLE) authority.  Established the ABLE Board of the authority.  Requires the authority to establish a qualified ABLE program under which a person may make contributions for a taxable year for the benefit of an eligible individual with a disability to an ABLE account to meet the qualified disability expenses of the designated beneficiary in compliance with federal law.   The bill was heard in committee this week and passed out 12-0.  There will be an amendment presented next week which will allow for both a family member of someone with a disability as well as a person with a disability themselves to hold a seat on the ABLE Board.  The bill will be eligible for second reading(amen

Each day in America. . . 865 babies are born at low birthweight,  1,241 babies are born without health insurance, 1,392 babies are born into extreme poverty, 159 babies are born who will be diagnosed with autism, Every 4 1/2 minutes a baby is born with a birth defect, 1 in 3 babies born will develop diabetes sometime in their lifetime, Families of 1,389,547 children will spend an average of 2 hours providing needed care for their child, and 1,365,209 children have health care providers who only sometimes or never listen to their families. ONE IN FIVE children has a special health care need. As the Family to Family Health Information Center for Indiana, we help families like these every day. Family Voices Indiana is a family-led organization that provides information, education, training, outreach, and peer support to families of children and youth with special health care needs and the professionals who serve them.  If you or someone you know needs assistance with health care

Winter storms can bring freezing rain, ice, snow, high winds or a combination of these conditions. They can also cause you to be  without power  for several days, and make roads and walkways very dangerous or travel impossible. Visit  Ready.gov  for information about important steps  people with disabilities  and others can take to prepare for a winter storm or extreme cold. You’ll also find information about what to put in a basic  disaster supply kit . Also, be sure to share your emergency plans with the trusted people in your support network.

Find Outreach & Enrollment Events Learn about your healthcare options by attending an  outreach and enrollment event in your area. Find a Healthcare Navigator Certified navigators are available to assist you with each step of the enrollment process. Not sure what's right for you? Call  2-1-1  for a quick pre-screening to see which options might best match your situation. Important Healthcare Marketplace Dates for 2016 January 31, 2016 :  2016 Open Enrollment ends. Enrollments or changes between  January 16 and January 31  take effect March 1, 2016.

If you have a child with a disability, getting adequate health care can be a very big challenge. However, for families eligible for Medicaid, there is a full children’s health care benefit package called EPSDT.  EPSDT stands for Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment, and is a part of every state’s required Medicaid package. EPSDT can be a very powerful tool in assisting children with developmental and other disabilities and their families to access the important services they need, It is very important that you know what EPSDT is, who is eligible for it, what it offers, and how to access its services.   Learn more in our video Information for this video came from this booklet .