Family Voices Indiana

Family Voices shares the following announcement from IHCP (Indiana Health Coverage Programs): Effective immediately, the Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP) no longer requires the signature of a physiatrist on  the medical clearance form that must accompany prior authorization (PA) requests for the purchase of power  wheelchairs. The IHCP Medical Clearance for Motorized Wheelchair Purchase form on the Forms page at  indianamedicaid.com has been updated to remove this requirement. Please download the most current form from the  Forms page at indianamedicaid.com. The requesting physician is required to sign both the PA request and medical  clearance form. Questions regarding PA should be directed to ADVANTAGE Health SolutionsSM  at 1-800-269-5720

As the state affiliate of Family Voices, we are a grassroots advocacy organization supporting  families raising children with special health care needs. We share the following bill that has been introduced and might be of interest to our members: Senate Bill 314 by Indiana Senator  Karen Tallian According to the  bill text , the proposal would: Legalize small amounts of marijuana for academic research. Authorizes the licensed cultivation and production of industrial hemp in accordance with rules adopted by the department of agriculture. Makes possession of less than two ounces of marijuana a Class C infraction. Makes possession of more than two ounces of marijuana a Class B misdemeanor, and makes the offense a Class A misdemeanor if the person has two or more prior convictions involving marijuana in the past five years. Requires a court to suspend a sentence imposed for possession of marijuana if the person does not have a previous conviction involving marijuana in the

Family Voices shares the following update from DDRS: To: Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Providers and Stakeholders From: Nicole Norvell, Director, DDRS Re: Waiver Program Adjustments Date: January 15, 2014 In an effort to ensure that each of its consumers receives superior services in the most efficient manner possible, the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) is taking immediate action to compress the length of time it takes for a family who has accepted a Medicaid Home and Community Based Waiver to begin to receive case management services. This letter will outline these efforts and explain some priority changes that are being made in the short term. Following a recent evaluation prompted by our mission to improve efficiency and quality in the delivery of services, DDRS has identified a productivity issue that it is already in the process of addressing. DDRS has discovered that, due to past practices, several individuals and/or families are

As the state affiliate of Family Voices, we are a grassroots advocacy organization supporting  families raising children with special health care needs. We share the following bill that has been introduced and might be of interest to our members: HB 1230 Tax Credits for Family Caregivers Authored by Indiana Representative Sharon Negele Provides a tax credit for certain expenses incurred by a taxpayer to: (1) make an improvement or alteration to the taxpayer's residence; or (2) purchase or lease equipment; that is necessary to assist an eligible family member (an elderly lineal ancestor) in carrying out one or more activities of daily living. Provides that the taxpayer claiming the credit must have a federal adjusted gross income of less than $40,000 and that the eligible family member must: (1) have the same principal place of abode as the taxpayer; (2) have federal adjusted gross income of less than $30,000; and (3) not be receiving long term care services under cer

Family Voices Indiana shares the following information from AUCD (Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD): Yesterday we issued our  press release  about the new Medicaid regulations on the settings of home and community based services (HCBS). Today we have finalized our  issue brief  on the rule and posted many more  resources on AUCD.org . The regulation will be posted on the  Federal Register  on  January 16 and  is in pre-publication format  here . CMS will hold several webinars soon to explain the rule and additional technical assistance and sub-regulatory guidance will soon be available. Please use and share these AUCD resources; this new regulation is crucially important to people with disabilities receiving Medicaid HCBS and is expected to garner significant attention and debate as states move toward implementation. CMS has outlined and implementation process that includes public input.