Family Voices Indiana

Biting causes more upset feelings than any other behavior in child care.  However, we know that biting is a typical part of development that many infants and toddlers go through. SO, WHY DO INFANTS AND TODDLERS BITE AND WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT AS PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS? From birth, babies are learning through their senses and by putting everything in their mouth. Learning about other people is no exception. In addition, infants from about 6 months on get a new tooth every couple of months and teething does not stop for toddlers until around age two. Because of this, infants and toddlers have a lot of teething pain, plus they lack language to tell you “Hey! My mouth hurts!” This can be frustrating for our children to go through. Learning by putting everything in their mouth, teething, lacking language and social skills creates a recipe for a biting disaster. Knowing why infants and toddlers bite doesn’t always make it less frustrating, and regrettably, there is no magic wand. However, …

web17-DisabilityButton-1160x768.jpg by Tyler Ray, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Vania Leveille, Senior Legislative Counsel
The Americans with Disabilities Act is the most comprehensive and foundational civil rights law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability. Yet, 27 years after it was passed, people with disabilities still face enormous barriers. People with mobility disabilities routinely find themselves blocked from the simplest of social interactions. They are unable to go to the corner grocery store to pick up a quart of milk because there is a step at the door. They are unable to go to the local movie theatre with their friends because there is no accessible seating. They might be able to get into the door of the local restaurant, but are stymied if they have to go to the bathroom while they are there, because it is the size of a postage stamp. Title III of the ADA creates a proactive duty on businesses to remove architectural barriers and other obstacles…

This is targeted at providers, but might be a resource families can share with their ABA clinic:

IHCP makes Applied Behavioral Analysis PA Checklist available The Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) has developed an IHCP Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Prior Authorization Checklist. Voluntary use of this tool should help providers prepare comprehensive requests for prior authorization (PA), for applied behavior analysis therapy, and reduce suspensions for requests for additional information. The checklist is relevant to PA information needed for both fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care ABA services. The checklist is available on the Forms page at indianamedicaid.com under the Prior Authorization section

from National Family Voices:
Health Care Legislation When we left off with the last Update, the Senate had just rejected various versions of legislation to repeal and replace much of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with a dramatic "thumbs down" from Senator John McCain (R-AZ). It was, and still is, unclear whether this vote will end the "repeal-and-replace" saga, but a significant development occurred just before Congress returned from recess. The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the "reconciliation" instructions included in the FY 2017 budget resolution would not be effective after the end of the fiscal year. As a practical matter, this means that any bill to repeal the ACA or to block grant the Medicaid program would have to be considered in the Senate no later than September 30, the last day of the fiscal year. This is because any bill that does not have reconciliation status requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate. There are only 52 Republican Senato…

by Michelle Diament | September 12, 2017 As a new kind of account allowing people with disabilities to save money becomes more available, federal officials say there are big implications for Medicaid. Money saved in so-called ABLE accounts generally does not count when determining eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid and other government programs. However, the new financial offering which was established under a 2014 federal law is nuanced and now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is clarifying how ABLE accounts will impact Medicaid eligibility. “State Medicaid agencies must disregard all funds in an ABLE account in determining the resource eligibility of Medicaid applicants and beneficiaries who are subject to a resource test,” writes Brian Neale, director of the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services in guidance to state Medicaid officials this month. Money deposited in an ABLE account by a third party should not be seen by Medicaid as income or considered part of t…

September 11, 2017Andy Schneider
As Harvey and Irma remind us, natural disasters happen. And when they do, they threaten the health of children and families and the ability of providers to deliver needed services.  It takes time for displaced families, providers, and communities to get back on their feet.  It also takes resources. While federal Medicaid funds are always an importance source of support for children and families, providers, and communities, they are particularly critical in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
We don’t yet know the full scope of the devastation wreaked by Harvey on Texas or Irma on Florida.  But we do know, based on our experience with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, that in the affected communities there will be massive dislocation due to the destruction of homes and businesses.  Children and families will be forced to evacuate; small businesses (including providers) will be forced to close or lay off workers; unemployment will increase; and parents and chi…

Is your Representative on the House Ways and Means Committee? Your voice is needed!
Please call your Representative Today and Tomorrow to let them know you oppose cuts to SSI benefits, including the outstanding warrants cut contained in H.R. 2792 as well as any proposals to pay for MIECHV reauthorization by cutting SSI.
If your rep is Jackie Walorski, she is on the committee https://walorski.house.gov/
Want to learn more about the issue? The following resources will help: 
• June 26, 2017 sign-on letter, opposing cutting SSI to pay for MIECHV reauthorization, signed by 119 organizations:
http://www.justiceinaging.org/…/Oppose-HR-2824-pay-for-sign…
• CCD Social Security Task Force Fact Sheet:
http://c-c-d.org/fichiers/CCD-SSTF-HR2792-06-12-17.pdf
• Justice in Aging resources:
http://www.justiceinaging.org/economic-security-hr-2792/