Michigan : 2,090 Rosie the Riveters break world record at Willow Run Airport

The original Rosie the Riveter helped win World War II right here in Michigan at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti. See the Ann Arbor News.

Fall Fishing on Walloon Lake

California : Crisis in Community Care and the Desperate Situation for Service Providers

This is from Bay Area Autism News, September 2015: "The Desperate Situation for Service Providers"

Carol McKinney from Harmony Homes testifies before the California legislature about the lack of funding and what it means to the people her agency serves and the workers who have endured the shameful lack of commitment to people with developmental disabilities.

Michigan: My Job, My Choice

From the ACCSES Weekly Windup for October 14, 2015:

At MARO, we believe in establishing raised expectations - that all working-age citizens with disabilities in Michigan can have access to competitive, integrated employment.  MARO has also recognized the trend in current public policy emphasizing competitive integrated employment - jobs in the community, at or above minimum wage, and interacting with others without disabilities - as the priority outcome for all job seekers.  But it is further recognized that a comprehensive array of employment services should be a part of a menu of options, and people with disabilities in Michigan should be able to access these options based on each individual's desires, needs, goals, and informed choice.  That's why MARO members provide a full spectrum of employment options for people with disabilities in Michigan - based on respect for the individual's choice.

MARO is a Michigan organization for providers of rehabilitation services.

Ohio Congressional Delegation supports full range of options and choice for DD in community settings

This is a letter from the Ohio Congressional delegation to CMS urging flexibility and consideration of the intense needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in implementing the Home and Community Based Services rule.

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September 23, 2015

Mr. Andrew Slavitt, Acting Administrator
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20201

Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt:

We appreciate your willingness to work with the state of Ohio on its Transition Plan to ensure compliance with the final Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in January of 2014. We are writing to ask that you provide the State of Ohio with the flexibility and time necessary for a successful transition — one that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of those with developmental disabilities.

We request that during the rule’s implementation that consideration be given to the unique needs of all affected individuals, including those who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. As published, the rule does not holistically attend to the Intellectual Developmentally Disabled (I/DD) population, many of whom may not be capable of community employment even with specialized job training and supported job coaching due to their intense needs. The overriding concern is that prioritizing community employment without also considering a person’s individual circumstances, needs, and preferences may pose a health and safety risk either due to these individual’s unique challenges or by subjecting them to an environment that may not be in their best interest. [emphasis added] Without adequate time and support, the rule’s implementation could result in the elimination of a choice that provides I/DD Ohioans with daily structure, meaningful activities, and a productive work environment.

We support the goal to provide individuals with every available opportunity to participate and hold employment in the community. To achieve this goal, the option to choose the best-suited program must be available to communicate, articulate, and effectively argue for the type of support they require. We urge you to consider the current reliance on and future state of the full range of opportunities for this population — including, but not limited to community employment, adult day programs, and sheltered workshops — and the individual’s preference for these programs when implementing this rule. To ensure success, adequate time and planning must be allowed to guarantee the health, safety, and well-being of all individuals who will be entering a more community-based work environment. We encourage you to work closely with and provide flexibility and support for the State of Ohio to ensure that the rights and interests of all affected individuals are prioritized throughout this transition period.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. [This is followed by contact information for Senator Portman’s or Senator Brown’s staff.]

Sincerely,

The letter is signed by John Boehner, Speaker of the House, U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown and members of Congress Bill Johnson, Robert Latta, Brad Wenstrup, Steve Chabott, Rob Gibbs, David Joyce, Michael R. Turner, Marcia Fudge, and Marcy Kaptur

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PDF version of the letter with signatures

Home Care Rule to go into effect

New wage protections for home care workers will go into effect soon and will have an impact on consumer-directed programs. In Michigan, this is known as Self-Determination, an option that must be made available to recipients of Medicaid-funded services through the Community Mental Health system. (Other more traditional service options must also be available.) Self-determination allows consumers flexibility in hiring their own direct care workers. Similar programs are offered in other states.

National disability rights organizations have put together a fact sheet describing the rule and exemptions from it. It will most likely affect consumer-directed programs, which allow the person receiving services to hire his/her own worker (oftentimes family members or close friends) and direct the care the worker provides, and shared living programs where the consumer and provider live together.

Action Steps recommended to prevent cuts in services:

    •    Make sure your state is aware of and preparing now for the new home care rule to take effect.
    •    Push your state to analyze which programs the rule affects and what the budget impact will be for these programs.
    •    Advocate for additional funding in impacted programs.
    •    Make sure your state does not comply with the rule in ways that cause harm to consumers and workers.
    •    Ensure that your state uses Medicaid to help with additional costs but without impacting individuals access to services.
    •    Do not allow your state to abandon consumer-directed programs.
    •    Make sure your state educates individual consumers about the rule even if the state is not a “joint employer” in the program.

For more information, see the Fact Sheet and Action Steps.There are a wide array of consumer-directed programs. These documents provide details on which are affected by the new rule and which are not. See also The DD News Blog.

Oregon : Fairness Hearing scheduled on settlement agreement in Sheltered Workshop case

A settlement was reached in September 2015 in the class action lawsuit Lane v. Brown that would reduce the number of sheltered workshop placements in Oregon and increase supported employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The court has scheduled a full hearing to determine whether the Proposed Agreement is fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of the class.  Any class member who wants to object to or comment on the Proposed Agreement must file a written objection or comments on or before October 29, 2015 with Kathy Wilde at Disability Rights Oregon, 610 SW Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97205 at kwilde@droregon.org .

The Fairness hearing for the Lane v. Brown settlement,  will take place on December 7, 2015 at 9:30 AM at the federal courthouse in Portland. Individuals who are part of the class (those who are in or have been in sheltered workshop services on or after January 2012) can come forward and state their opinion regarding the settlement.

Here is the Class Final Notice  and additional documents related to the settlement.