Indiana Family to Family

Family Voices Indiana continues to share information with families to help them better understand the changes to the waiver system. This is not new information, simply a review. If you have questions, feel free to contact us.  317 944 8982          info@fvindiana.org The heart of the matter is this... ..your child is no longer on a waiting list for the Autism or DD waiver. You need to plan accordingly for your adult child so they can be as independent as possible with the services and funding available on the Family Supports waiver. Families who were waiting for the DD and Autism waivers need to realize that access to the new Community Integration and Habilitation (CIH) waiver, which replaces those, is very limited. If your child  has the DD or Autism waiver, they now have the CIH waiver. If you were waiting for the DD or Autism waiver, you will be offered the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) when you are targeted by your earliest application date. There is NO waiting li

Family Voices Indiana continues to share information with families to help them better understand the changes to the waiver system. This is not new information, simply a review. If you have questions, feel free to contact us. 317 944 8982        info@fvindiana.org The heart of the matter is this .........if you are waiting for a waiver, you will be targeted for the family supports waiver (FSW) by your earliest application date for any developmental waiver. You are no longer on a waiting list for the DD or Autism waiver. Those waivers have been transitioned to the Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver (CIH)  and the only way you get it is to meet the priority criteria. Families who have individuals waiting for the developmental waivers need to understand these key points: 1. If a person is currently on the wait list for any of DDRS’ waivers- Autism (ASD), Developmental Disabilities (DD), or Support Services (SS), he/she will be moved to the Family Supports Waiver (FSW) w

by Brenda Darrol, family leadership specialist Family Voices Indiana recognizes that the changes to the DD waiver system are complex and many families are still struggling to understand them. We are planning to get to "the heart of the matter" in a series of blog posts about the developmental waivers. We're beginning with an explanation of why these changes occurred, and a general overview of the changes. We will  examine some of these issues more closely in the future. Medicaid Waivers allow individuals with developmental disabilities to receive meaningful and necessary services and supports while living in their home and community. Indiana’s Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) notes that “waivers may assist an individual to be a part of the community where he/she lives and works, develop social relationships in the person’s home and work communities, develop skills to make decisions about how and where the person wants to live, and to be as

Family Voices Indiana shares the following information from The Arc of Indiana regarding proposed legislation on restraint and seclusion: The Indiana Commission on Autism has approved  preliminary draft legislation  regarding the use of seclusion and restraints in Indiana schools.  Indiana is 1 of only 19 states that do not have a law protecting children from seclusion and restraint in schools. The Arc of Indiana is proud to be working with the Autism Society of Indiana, NAMI and a key group of parents and professionals that care about this issue and want to see legislation passed in the next legislative session.  If approved, the legislation would:    Require all students be treated with dignity and respect Require school corporations to develop a policy and have it approved by their governing body Require training of appropriate school employees Require parental notification in a reasonable time frame  The draft also includes numerous definitions important to these issues.