Family Voices Indiana

Secretary DeVos Makes Clear Federal Funds can be Used to Support Dual Enrollment, Postsecondary Options for Students and Youth with Disabilities U.S. Department of Education sent this bulletin at 09/17/2019 03:30 PM EDT Having trouble viewing this email?  View it as a Web page . FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date:  Sep. 17, 2019 Contact: Press Office (202) 401-1576 or  press@ed.gov Secretary DeVos Makes Clear Federal Funds can be Used to Support Dual Enrollment, Postsecondary Options for Students and Youth with Disabilities WASHINGTON—  U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos today made clear that vocational rehabilitation (VR) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds can be used to support dual enrollment, comprehensive transition and other postsecondary education programs for students and youth with disabilities. The Department produced a question and answer (Q&A) guide after the Secretary heard from the field there was confusion about wh

from National Family Voices: Surprise Medical Bills As with prescription drug prices, lawmakers seem serious about protecting consumers from surprise medical bills, but there are different approaches to doing so. In both the House and Senate, bipartisan bills have been reported out of relevant committees. In the Senate, the  Lower Health Care Costs Act  (S. 1895) was sponsored by Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA). In the House, the  No Surprises Act  (H.R. 3630) was sponsored by House Energy & Commerce (E&C) Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR). See  Pallone-Walden press release . As explained in a  blog post from the Bipartisan Policy Center , the Senate bill would essentially tie out-of-network charges to a federal benchmark of median in-network rates for a geographic area. The House bill would use that method with back-up arbitration between insurers and providers. But ho

from National Family Voices:   Medical Deferred Action For many years, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been responsible for considering "deferred action" requests from individuals who have a special reason to stay in the US, such as   sick children undergoing medical treatment and their families.   Deferred action allows someone to stay in the country even if they would otherwise be subject to deportation,   before   any deportation proceedings are instituted.   In August, USCIS field offices began to send   letters   to people who were applying or re-applying for deferred action to tell them that the agency would no longer be processing these requests, and that they would be subject to deportation proceedings if they did not leave the country within 33 days. It is still possible for someone to be granted a stay (waiver) from deportation during the deportation process, which is conduc

from Community Catalyst: Today, the state of Tennessee  released a proposal to block grant the TennCare program , signaling a new existential threat to Medicaid and to those who rely on the program for their health coverage. For months, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been rumored to be developing new guidance inviting states to block grant Medicaid– and while CMS has yet to act, the Tennessee administration is taking the bait. Tennessee's proposal undoubtedly means cuts to Medicaid, potentially harming the health and well-being of tens of thousands of Tennesseans. In anticipation of this threat to Medicaid, the Together for Medicaid team worked with the communications firm GMMB to develop a new communications toolkit:  Defending Against Block Grants and Other Cuts to Medicaid .  The toolkit provides effective communications tools for state health advocates and their partners to speak out against these harmful changes to Medicaid.   Download our

from OSERS: Increasing Postsecondary Opportunities and Success for Students and Youth with Disabilities The Department issued a Questions and Answers document (Q&A), with an accompanying Appendix, on the dual enrollment of students with disabilities in secondary school and postsecondary education institutions, including comprehensive transition and postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The Q&A and Appendix describe how State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies may coordinate to assist students and youth with disabilities, including students and youth with intellectual disabilities, at postsecondary education institutions through appropriate supports funded under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Rehabilitation Act), as amended by Title IV of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The f