Family Voices Indiana

By Emily Skehill, Program Manager of Public Education and Awareness at Mental Health America Back to school  is often an overwhelming time as students and families transition to new routines. With the uncertainty of COVID-19 and how it will impact the upcoming school year, this fall may be especially difficult on kids.  Children rely on the structure set for them by adults to help them self-regulate their actions and emotions. With typical school routines looking anything but familiar, we can’t overlook the fact that they will have a big impact on student behavior. Many children have occasional temper tantrums or outbursts—they’re a normal part of child development and can often be handled in the moment. But some kids repeatedly lash out or defy instructions and known classroom expectations. It’s not uncommon for these kids to be labeled as troublemakers, kids with behavior problems, or just “bad kids”. Before coming to MHA, I worked with elementary and middle school students and alwa

Family Voices is very interested in a national picture of family readiness for telehealth.   During this global pandemic, many providers have started to see patients virtually using TeleHealth or TeleMedicine for certain types of appointments. By now, many may have had this type of visit, are scheduled or have talked about them with your family’s care providers. Please complete this Family TeleHealth Readiness Survey. This survey will tell us about your access to, confidence in and concerns about TeleHealth.  The survey is only seven questions; two are optional. We are not asking for any identifying information, other than state and zip code. https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/ FamilyReadiness  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) developed a tool on HealthCare.gov to assist consumers in estimating their annual household income. We know some people’s income and expenses may change throughout the year or be hard to estimate. Consumers can use this tool for help making the best estimate. If consumers’ or their household members' income changes after they submit an application, encourage them to come back to the Marketplace and update their application. This will help make sure they're getting the right amount of savings. The  income calculator tool  is live, and accessible via both the HealthCare.gov ‘Learn’ pages and via the income section of the streamlined eligibility application, App3.0. Visit  how to report income  for guidance on reporting income. To see a video please visit  Income Calculation Tool video .   

Mental Health America wants to hear from current college students with psychiatric disabilities during the pandemic. Share your experiences in our new survey focused on answering the following questions about what has changed for students and how schools can do better now and in the future. What are the experiences of college students with psychiatric disabilities during the pandemic? How have the needs of students with psychiatric disabilities changed during the pandemic? How have professors and disability services adapted to meet the needs of students with psychiatric disabilities during the pandemic? How can colleges and universities better meet the needs of students with psychiatric disabilities during the pandemic and in the future? To check out the survey and pass it along, head to  bit.ly/campusmhsurvey . Survey ends October 16, 2020. Questions? Email Kelly Davis at  kdavis@mhanational.org .

The new Asset Verification System will be implemented beginning December 2020. All states are required to implement this system under Section 1940 of the Social Security Act. Beginning in December 2020, individuals who have data gathering interviews for new Medicaid applications may have their resources – such as bank accounts, real property and vehicles – verified using the Asset Verification System.  Members and applicants for whom assets are a factor in their eligibility will have an electronic request sent to verify assets in their name or in the name of other family members whose assets are used in determining their eligibility (such as their spouse).  The request will be sent to sources such as Equifax and Lexis-Nexus, and the information will be returned to the Division of Family Resources for processing.  If the AVS discovers assets that the applicant or member did not report, but the assets do not put them over the asset limit, eligibility can still be approved. The member or

  EXPERT: Nicole M. Brown, M.D., MPH, MHS Thursday, October 15 @ 1pm U.S. Eastern Time  -   Register now to reserve your spot!   Can't attend the live webinar?  Register now to  guarantee access to the recording » . . . . . Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can significantly increase a child's risk of having an ADHD diagnosis and moderate to severe ADHD symptoms. Although ACEs are reported across all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, specific types of trauma, such as racial discrimination, are uniquely experienced by children of color and may potentially affect ADHD diagnosis and treatment. In this webinar, you will learn: How Adverse Childhood Experiences are defined and identified, and how ACEs may trigger or exacerbate ADHD The overlap between trauma symptoms and ADHD symptoms, and tools that may be used to distinguish between the two Why it’s important to expand the traditional definition of ACEs to include experiences such as racial discrimination and bullying Res

From The California Advocacy Network for Children with Special Health Care Needs Many children with complex conditions rely on home-based care for daily health monitoring and care tasks. A shortage of adequately trained pediatric home health care providers means that this care often is provided by families. This questions and answers discussion, based on an  article  published in  Health Affairs  with support from our Foundation, addresses family needs for home health care, and suggests potential workforce and policy solutions. Perspectives are provided by a parent advocate, a home health care administrator, a pediatrician, and a state official. See the  Q&A  and the webinar recording and slides.

  OSE has created a one-page  flyer  identifying deaf-blindness resources for educators and families. For additional information regarding deaf-blindness resources, please contact  Sarah Mohr . Sept 25 National Center Deaf Blindness 1 by Family Voices Indiana on Scribd

The deadline for completing the US Census has been extended, though the final date has not yet been determined. It's important for individuals with special needs and their families to be counted to ensure adequate federal funding for the next decade for essential programs such as Medicaid.  See various ways to take the census .