Family Voices Indiana

from AUCD:

Tax Bill and Affordable Care Act Meet with your Members of Congress during Thanksgiving Recess – Nov 20-24 Background:
On November 16, the full House (HR 1) and the Senate Finance Committee passed legislation that would make drastic changes to the tax code. The measure was approved in the House by a vote of 227-205 (no Democrats voted for the bill, and 13 Republicans opposed it), and by the Senate committee with a vote of 14-12. The Senate bill, like the House bill, provides the largest tax cuts to corporations and those with high incomes. One big difference between the two bills: The Senate version would repeal the requirement in current law that all Americans must have health insurance coverage. This individual mandate is a critical part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which helps keep premium costs lower than they otherwise would be without the requirement. This single provision of the bill generates $318 billion in savings over the next ten years and advances two major…

In December 2017, the Indiana Family and Social Service Administration (FSSA) Division of Mental Health and Addiction Youth Services (DMHA-Y) intends to submit a proposed renewal to the Child Mental Health Wraparound (CMHW) State Plan Benefit to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for consideration. The CMHW renewal will be available for review and public comment beginning on November 15, 2017 by accessing DMHA-Y’s Policy and Procedure page (http://www.in.gov/fssa/dmha/2765.htm). The renewal to the CMHW includes information regarding changes made to the CMHW program which will have an effective renewal date of July 1, 2018 contingent on CMS approval. Changes include clarification of settings requirements for HCBS to bring all sites providing CMHW services into compliance with federal regulations and an extension of services into the member’s 18th year of age, so long as eligibility is met. The renewal will update provider qualifications for Wraparound Facilitation,…

Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC has Community Outreach Collaboratives (COCs) which work to increase collaborations in the community, dissemination and outreach efforts and enrollment of people with disabilities in the ACA marketplace. You can find a COC, on the COC page of our website.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website.
The NDNRC is an initiative aimed at providing cross-disability information and support to Navigators, enrollment specialists and consumers thereby ensuring people with disabilities receive accurate information when selecting and enrolling in the health insurance marketplaces. The NDNRC website can be found at: https://nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/.
FAMILY VOICES INDIANA is the COC for our state. Feel free to contact us at 844 F2F INFO or info@fvindiana.org

from The Arc of Indiana:


The Task Force for Assessment of Services and Supports for People with Intellectual and Other Developmental Disabilities, established by HEA 1102 in the 2017 session of the Indiana General Assembly, is studying the current system of services for people with I/DD. To assist The Arc in providing information to the task force, please complete a short survey.  Your input will be shared with the task force. Survey for Parents, Family Members, and People with I/DD
www.surveymonkey.com/r/1102taskforce Survey for Providers, Direct Support Professionals, and Professionals in Disability Fieldwww.surveymonkey.com/r/1102taskforce2 SURVEY FLYER PDF

We appreciate our
generous partners!
Now is the time to be thankful for things big and small.

At Family Voices Indiana, we’re thankful for you. You’re the professionals who assist the families we serve, families just like ours. You help us access services and provide the best care possible for our children. You’re a big part of what we do, crucial to our mission of serving families and children.

We hope you’re thankful for us. We are here when you have a question that needs an answer, when you need quick information from our fact sheets, and when you can give our number to a family that needs additional services. From our webinars to our training, Family Voices Indiana offers those little things that make your job easier.

Your donation, big or small, will ensure our continued service to you, your colleagues and clients. It will fund all the above and more, from our commitment to supplying the most current navigation information available to our Spanish-speaking staff and communications …

from AAPD:

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) this Thursday (11/16/2017). The Senate has begun markup on their version of the bill, also titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, this week and is expected to hold a floor vote the week after Thanksgiving. Both bills would add $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit and are skewed to benefit the most wealthy Americans. If passed, this legislation presents a dangerous scenario that could lead to future funding cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and other supports and services that people with disabilities rely on to live independently in the community. Our elected officials in the House of Representatives and Senate need to hear from the disability community about our concerns with this tax cut plan. The Senate tax bill now includes language to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that repealing the individual mandate “wou…

from The Coalition on Human Needs:

Tell your Representative and your Senators: Vote NO on H.R. 1, the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.” The House will take up a bill during the week of Nov. 13 that would provide trillions of dollars in tax breaks to millionaires and wealthy corporations. We must defeat this massive give-away to the rich, which will be paid for by cuts to programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, education, SNAP, housing, job training low-income tax credits, and so many others that help struggling families make ends meet. Click here to email your Representative and Senators.Take action locally.  Our friends at Indivisible have created this handy guide that lists anti-tax cut rallies happening across the U.S. Call your member of Congress.  CHN joins Americans for Tax Fairness and a broad range of organizations in the “Not One Penny” campaign to ask everyone to call this number – 877-795-7862 – and tell their members of Congress to vote against this plan. When you call the number, you w…

Contributed by:
Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D,  Marci Wheeler, MSW, 
Natalie Bengert, BS
When an individual is suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder, obtaining an accurate diagnosis can be a time consuming, costly, and confusing process. However, the process can be made easier when qualified personnel are located who can thoroughly assess the individual to determine if they meet the diagnostic criteria for an autism spectrum disorder.
An initial screening can be done by a psychologist and/or medical doctor who has training and experience in understanding autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities. Remember that at this time there is no medical test for autism. While professionals can suggest, based on observation or a brief office visit, that your child may have an autism spectrum disorder, an accurate diagnosis requires an appropriate and thorough assessment and observation. Receiving a medical diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder for your child is an impor…

Task Force for Assessment of Services & Supports for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities to hold first meeting INDIANAPOLIS—The first meeting of the Task Force for Assessment of Services & Supports for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities will be held Monday, Nov. 20, at Bosma Enterprises, 6270 Corporate Drive in Indianapolis. This will be the first of several meetings of the task force. The task force was established by House Enrolled Act 1102 in the 2017 session of the Indiana General Assembly and will be chaired by Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch. The task force members were named by Governor Eric J. Holcomb in October, and will prepare a complete plan for implementation of community-based services provided to people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.  These members include: Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura, director of the Indiana Department of Child Services.Jonathan Burlison, CEO of Bridges of Indiana.Steve Coo…

ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/04/21/20-tips-to-help-de-escalate-interactions-with-anxious-or-defiant-students/ Katrina Schwartz

Students’ behavior is a form of communication and when it’s negative it almost always stems from an underlying cause. There are many reasons kids might be acting out, which makes it difficult for a teacher in a crowded classroom to figure out the root cause. But even if there was time and space to do so, most teachers receive very little training in behavior during their credentialing programs. On average, teacher training programs mandate zero to one classes on behavior and zero to one courses on mental health. Teacher training programs mostly assume that kids in public schools will be “typical,” but that assumption can handicap teachers when they get into real classrooms.

A National Institute of Health study found that 25.1 percent of kids 13-18 in the US have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders. No one knows how many more haven’t been diagnosed. Additionall…