JFActivist

Social Security for Wounded Warriors Webinar

From the Social Security Administration:

Social Security for Wounded Warriors Webinar

Please join us on November 4 for our national webinar Social Security for Wounded Warriors. During the webinar, you can learn more about our benefit programs and the expedited processing of disability claims available to our nation's Wounded Warriors.  The expedited process is used for military service members who become disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs.

We welcome service members, their families and friends, and those that advocate on their behalf to participate in this seminar.

The webinar will be on November 4, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. EST. To RSVP for the webinar, please visit: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/survey/woundedwarriorsrsvp.htm.   You will have the option of submitting questions in advance of the webinar with your RSVP.

 
We also ask that you share the information about the webinar with your members, colleagues, clients, and any others who may be interested.
 
I hope that you will join us and I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this important program with you.
 
Sincerely,
 
Cheri Arnott Parlaman
Office of External Affairs
Social Security Administration

APRIL: Juntos Podemos! - Together We Can!

From APRIL (9/2/09):

Dear Members and Friends of APRIL,

We need your support! Two years ago in Missoula, Montana, Puerto Rico was chosen as the site for the 15th Annual APRIL conference. No one could have predicted the fiscal climate change that would envelope us all in the next two years! But it did! So, now is the time for us to unite and chart the course of Independent Living that will impact the lives of people with disabilities for generations to come.

The theme for this year's conference is Juntos Podemos! - Together We Can!

While the major funding source of Independent Living lives in a world of perpetual inconsistency; Together We Can:  Develop a model of Independent Living with clearly defined goals and objectives, reporting requirements and an equitable funding distribution.
Conference Workshop: Future of IL

While the population of disabled American Veterans continues to grow;
Together We Can:  Expand our network of independent living services to returning veterans through a developing relationship with the Veterans Administration.
Conference Workshop: Veterans and IL

While the world struggles with energy independence and an aging transportation infrastructure; Together We Can:  Advocate for a transportation system that is accessible to "All" Americans.
Conference Workshop(s):     RTC: Rural Transportation
                            CTAA:  Coordinated Transportation
                            Easter Seals Project Action
                            Michael Winter (keynote)

While the country is struggling to define health care;
Together We Can:  Advocate for a health care system that does not punish our brothers and sisters solely for having a disability.
Conference Workshop:  RTC:  Living/Working Well with a Disability

We live in unprecedented times. With the socio and economic balance of our country flirting with disaster, it is our duty and responsibility as advocates, to work together to enhance the opportunities for our brothers and sisters with disabilities to live independently.

Together We Can:  Be the change you wish to see in the world. (Gandhi)

APRIL's Pledge to YOU:  In this time of Cash for Clunkers and stimulus checks, we are extending our Early Bird price of $250 for APRIL members, $300 for Non-members all the way to the conference.  We will also customize payment options for centers that may need to defer payment.
Contact Elissa at 501-753-3400 or april-elissa@sbcglobal.net for more information.

I hope you will use this opportunity to network and build collaborations that will impact the lives of people with disabilities, not only in America, but across the globe!

Gracious y nos vemos en Puerto Rico.

Billy Atom
Executive Director

Just In: AAPD Joins Facebook Causes

From the JFA Moderator:

AAPD recently joined Facebook Causes as a way to get the word out about the disability rights movement and to make it easier for YOU, our dedicated activists, to contribute your support.

Take Action TODAY: Join or Donate to AAPD's Cause on Facebook and share these links with your friends.

>>> To Join the Movement

>>> To Support our Work

MN: Franken's First Priority is Veterans with Disabilities

From CNN (July 20, 2009):

Franken's first goal: Dogs for vets
by Lauren Kornreich

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Newly-minted Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, unveiled his first legislative goal Monday — providing funding to train dogs to work with wounded veterans.

"Service dogs … can be of immense benefit to vets suffering from physical and emotional wounds," Franken wrote in a column published in the Star Tribune. "Yes, they provide companionship. But they can also detect changes in a person's breathing, perspiration or scent to anticipate and ward off an impending panic attack with some well-timed nuzzling. They are trained to let their masters know when it's time to take their medication and to wake them from terrifying nightmares."...

>>> For the Full Article

Psychatric Service Dogs Help Vets

From the Wall Street Journal (7/11/09):

'Sit! Stay! Snuggle!': An Iraq Vet Finds His Dog Tuesday
Trained for 2 Years, Retriever Helps Mr. Montalvan Get Back on His Feet
 by Yochi J. Dreazen

NEW YORK -- Like any other golden retriever seeking a treat, Tuesday nudged his owner's hand with his snout one recent morning and waited expectantly.

Luis Carlos Montalvan got up from a chair in his small Brooklyn apartment and walked to the kitchen. Tuesday followed close behind, eyes fixed on a white cabinet. The retriever sat alertly as Mr. Montalvan, an Iraq war veteran with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, reached for a vial of pills, lined a half-dozen on the table and took them one by one.

The dog had gotten what he wanted: When the last pill was swallowed, he got up and followed his master out of the kitchen, tail wagging.

Tuesday is a so-called psychiatric-service dog, a new generation of animals trained to help people whose suffering is not physical, but emotional. They are, effectively, Seeing Eye dogs for the mind.

Tuesday is with Mr. Montalvan at all hours. Taught to recognize changes in a person's breathing, perspiration or scent that can indicate an imminent panic attack, Tuesday can keep Mr. Montalvan buffered from crowds or deliver a calming nuzzle. Other dogs, typically golden retrievers, Labradors or Labrador retriever blends, are trained to wake masters from debilitating nightmares and to help patients differentiate between hallucinations and reality by barking if a real person is nearby...

>>> For the full Article

Nationwide Program for Independence Announced by HHS

Press Release (6/4/09):

News Release

HHS and VA to Develop a Nationwide Program to Help Older Americans and Veterans with Disabilities Remain Independent in the Community

Grants Will Continue Collaboration with VA to Support America’s Veterans 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki today announced a landmark collaboration to help the families of older Americans and Veterans with disabilities of all ages care for their loved ones in the community.  This partnership builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard to caring for the populations they serve and has as its ultimate goal a nationwide home and community-based long-term-care support program to serve older Americans and veterans of all ages.

“This HHS-VA initiative combines the hands-on experience and skills of HHS’ national network of aging and community-based organizations with the commitment and resources of VA’s Veterans Health Administration to provide more people, including our nation’s veterans with additional opportunities to remain independent,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius. “Through this collaboration, many adults and veterans who would have previously been placed in nursing homes will be able to remain with their loved ones.  This is another significant way America can recognize and care for the individuals who have cared for us.”

HHS and VA are making $10 million in funding available to bring this initiative to 20 states.  This partnership will implement the Veteran Directed Home & Community Based Service (VDHCBS) program through HHS’ aging and human services network, in coordination with the Administration on Aging’s (AoA) Community Living Program (CLP) which helps the family caregivers of individuals with ongoing need to keep their loved ones at home.  Both programs allow participants to direct their own care, including having control over the types of services they receive and the manner=0 Ain which they are p rovided.  This includes the option of hiring their neighbors, friends and even some family members, to provide needed services.

“This collaboration provides an opportunity to serve our nation’s veterans by offering more long-term care, more choices and control over decisions, and by helping veterans to remain in their homes, supported by family and community,” said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

HHS’ national network of aging and community based organizations will work in close collaboration with the VA Medical Centers across the country to continue to develop and expand VDHCBS for veterans.  The CLP, led by AoA, will help states and communities to assist individuals who are at risk of nursing home placement but who are not Medicaid eligible to remain at home.

Eligible applicants are State Units on Aging. The closing date for the CLP application is Monday, Aug. 3, 2009.  The deadline for submission of a letter of intent is Wednesday, July 1, 2009.  Letters should be submitted to Joseph Lugo, by e-mail: joseph.lugo@aoa.hhs.gov or call (202) 357-3417.

For more information abo ut this opportunity, visit: http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/Grants/Funding/index.aspx

For more information about the Veterans Health Administration, please contact the VACentral Office, Washington, D.C., Geriatrics & Extended Care, Daniel J. Schoeps, director, Long Term Care Purchasing, Telephone:  (202) 461-6763, e-mail:  daniel.schoeps@va.gov or Patrick.brady@va.gov.

Lawsuit Asks Veterans Administration to Speed Up Claims Handling

From The Washington Post (November 11):

Suit Asks VA to Expedite Benefit Claims Handling
By Ann Scott Tyson

Two groups representing about 60,000 military veterans filed a lawsuit yesterday seeking to force the Department of Veterans Affairs to speed up its handling of disability claims or provide interim financial relief for applicants.

The lawsuit demands that the VA make an initial decision within 90 days on all claims for disability benefits and resolve any appeals within 180 days...

>>Read more.

Veterans with Disabilities Seek Aid for Caregiver Role

From the New York Times (November 11):

Veterans’ Families Seek Aid for Caregiver Role
By Leslie Kaufman

Tracy Keil met her husband, Matt, in August 2005 between his first and second tours of duty in Iraq. They married in January 2007. Six weeks later, Staff Sergeant Keil was shot in the neck while on patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, and rendered a quadriplegic.

The Keils’ home, in Parker, Colo., was donated to them, but without her job and benefits, their expenses are mounting.

Because her husband, now 27, could no longer take care of himself, not even to get a drink of water, Mrs. Keil, 31, quit her job as an accountant to take care of him.

She tried to hire others to help her, a service that is paid for by the government, but after...

>>Read more (free registration may be required)

HHS Announces $36 Million to Help Older Americans and Veterans Remain Independent

Date:  September 29, 2008
For Release:  Immediately
Contact:  AoA Press Office
(202) 357-3507
VA Office of Public Affairs
(202) 461-7600

HHS Announces $36 Million to Help Older Americans and Veterans Remain Independent

Grants include first-time collaboration with VA to support America's veterans

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans and veterans remain independent and to support people with Alzheimer's disease to remain in their homes and communities.  Just over $19 million of this funding involves a new collaboration with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and VA Secretary James Peake, M.D., announced the joint effort to provide essential consumer-directed home and community-based services to older Americans and veterans of all ages, as part of a Nursing Home Diversion (NHD) grants program.  The new initiative builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard to caring for the populations they serve.  In addition, Secretary Leavitt announced a $17 million investment to improve the delivery of home and community-based services to people with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers.

In announcing the collaboration, Secretary Leavitt said, "This historic HHS-VA initiative combines the expertise of the HHS' national network of aging services providers with the resources of the Veterans Health Administration to provide more people, including our nation's veterans, with improved long-term care options. This unique effort supports the President's New Freedom Initiative which calls upon all federal agencies to help people who need long-term care and prefer to live in their own homes and communities to do so. Through this joint program, many people who would have previously been placed in nursing homes will be able to remain at home."

"Our mission is to honor and support America's veterans, and this collaboration provides an additional opportunity to do that by offering more services, choices and control over decisions to veterans in the least restrictive environment consistent with their needs and preferences," Secretary Peake said.

The new program will be administered by HHS' Administration on Aging (AoA) in collaboration with the Veterans Health Administration. Under the program, $10.5 million is being provided by HHS through AoA, and $5.7 million by the states.  VA estimates purchasing at least $3 million in veteran-directed home and community-based services for older veterans and for recently returned veterans with long-term care needs.  The number of veterans over age 85 has tripled during the past decade, creating a significant expansion in the need for long term care.

"The HHS funding is specifically designed to reach people who are not eligible for Medicaid, but who are at high risk of nursing home placement and spend-down to Medicaid -which often occurs when private pay individuals enter a nursing home," said Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell.  "The program will also offer consumers more control over their long-term care, including the ability to determine the types of services they receive and the manner in which they receive them, including the option of hiring their own care workers."

The $17 million for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers involves grants to 22 states under AoA's Alzheimer's disease demonstration programs.  States were able to apply for two types of
grants: Innovation Grants and Evidence-Based Program Grants.  Innovation Grants will demonstrate new approaches to delivering services and supports, and the Evidence-Based Grants will support the replication of science-based interventions that have already proven to be effective at helping people with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders to continue to live in the community.

Funding information is available at:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/09/20080929a.html.

###

ACTION ALERT: No Time to Spare - Set up a Voter Registration Drive Today!

ACTION ALERT!

from Jim Dickson of AAPD's Disability Vote Project:

In these last days before the voter registration deadlines, we urge you to register voters with disabilities at a new venue.  The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) recently reversed its policy and opened itself for non-partisan voter registration drives. There is still time to hold drives at your local VA facilities. 

In the Senate Hearing on the "Veterans Voter Support Act,"  Paul Sullivan, Executive Director of Veterans for Common Sense, testified that "As many as 100,000 of our veterans living in VA facilities may not be able to vote in our November 4 election."  More than that, many of the 5.5 million veterans who utilize VA services in other capacities would like to vote, but they don't know how or where.

Until September 8th, the VA refused to allow non-partisan voter registration groups access to its hospitals and clinics.  Then, as a result of grassroots pressure, the VA reversed its policies.  James Peake, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, currently asserts that the VA "will welcome . . . non-partisan groups to its hospitals and outpatient clinics to assist VA officials in registering voters at VA facilities."

WHAT: Register veterans with disabilities before it is too late.  Contact the director of your local VA facilities and arrange days and times to enter the facility and register voters.

When speaking to the director, emphasize the following points:

• You are responding to Secretary Peake's September 8 invitation
• You will not interfere with the delivery of services, medical or otherwise
• You are a non-partisan organization
• We all want to ensure that those who sacrificed for this country are given the opportunity to vote in this election

Finally,  when you have scheduled your voter registration drive, invite the media.

WHEN: ASAP - Registration deadlines are fast approaching!

About the Disability Vote Project
DVP works in a non-partisan manner to eliminate the barriers to voting and, in close collaboration with coalition partners in states around the country, to increase political participation for individuals with disabilities. DVP aims to get people with disabilities registered to vote; strives to educate them on how to get to their polling places and what their rights are at the polling places; and works to make polling places accessible to voters with all disabilities.