Indiana Family to Family

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) is pleased to announce the publication of two new fact sheets for the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). “What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Multiple Sclerosis” and “What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Intellectual Disability” are intended to help Navigators identify what issues are unique to consumers with those conditions so that they can assist them as they make decisions related to their healthcare coverage.  “What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Multiple Sclerosis” can be found  here . Special thanks to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for their authorship of this fact sheet. “What to Know When Assisting a Consumer with Intellectual Disability” can be found  here . Special thanks to The Arc for their authorship of that fact sheet. Are you looking for local partners to help with outreach to the disability community? The NDNRC has funded eleven Community Outreach Col

To: Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Stakeholders From: Nicole Norvell, Director, Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services Re: Reducing the Risk/Increasing the Response Webinar Link Date: December 10, 2014 On December 3, 2014, the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) hosted a one-day seminar titled “Reducing the Risk/Increasing the Response: Developing Strategies for Addressing the Sexual Abuse of Adults and Children with Intellectual Disabilities.” Dr. Nora Baladerian, director of the Disability and Abuse Project and one of the nation’s foremost experts on sexual abuse of people with disabilities, led the seminar, which was recorded and is available at the following link: http://webinar.isl.in.gov/p14eqwjtcga/.  Dr. Baladerian’s PowerPoint presentation is also available to download on the DDRS Announcements page. DDRS is aware that there were issues with accessing the live webcast and would like to apologize for a

By Rylin Rodgers Training Director, Family Leadership Coordinator, Riley Child Development Center Looking back to my now teenage children’s early childhood, my first thought was my “white limo” fantasy. When my son was hospitalized as an infant, and the complexity of his condition was not yet clear, my husband and I saw another family leave the children’s hospital in a limousine. That family was celebrating a successful surgery, resolution of the child’s issues and a return to life as normal. This would be their last hospitalization, and they were going home for good in style. We turned to each other and pledged to do the same when our turn came, which would surely be soon. We would get through this current crisis, and we would move on with the normal life we had planned for our son. But that limo ride never came for our family, and it never will. In fact, in many ways we have instead been on a very different and unexpected road, with wide variance in vehicles and driving conditio

We have been hearing from families that when trying to access the ACA Marketplace via a navigator or broker, some of them are being told they can not access it if their child has Medicaid or is waiting on a Medicaid waiver. This is not correct. Please see the information below and feel free to contact us if you have questions: 317 944 8982 info@fvindiana.org Family Voices Indiana shares this information from the Catalyst Center regarding children with Medicaid trying to enroll in the ACA marketplace: Individuals with Minimum Essential  Coverage  (MEC) are not eligible for  subsidized  coverage in the marketplaces. The final IRS (Internal Revenue Service) regulations for  Shared Responsibility Payment for Not Maintaining Minimum Essential Coverage  define the types of Medicaid coverage for children with disabilities that are MEC. TEFRA (Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982), Home and Community-based Service waivers (also known as 1915 (c) waivers), and the Family O

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) has  put out a request for stakeholder input  on the future of children's coverage, and the consequences of an end to the CHIP program. Should Congress fail to extend funding for CHIP, many children now covered by CHIP would have to get coverage through the Exchanges or employer-sponsored plans, where benefits may not be as appropriate for children. MACPAC is asking for public comment on: Affordability of coverage and out-of-pocket costs, including premiums and cost sharing (e.g., copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles) in exchanges Adequacy of covered benefits in exchanges Adequacy and appropriateness of provider networks for children in exchanges Greatest area(s) of concern with transitions between coverage in Medicaid, CHIP, exchanges, or employer sponsored insurance, and options to safeguard against them. In addition, they are  asking for input on whether any particular children are most vulnerable to e