Indiana Family to Family

Join the American Association on Health & Disability (AAHD) for a webinar on March 24, 2021 at 2:00 PM ET entitled “ COVID SEP - How is it different? ”. This webinar will address how the COVID Special Enrollment Period (SEP) is different from usual SEPs. It will explore the specifics of how the COVID SEP works and will also look at what people with disabilities need to consider when selecting a health insurance plan. Details are below: Title:  COVID SEP - How is it different? Date: March 24, 2021 Time: 2:00 PM ET Registration Link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/ webinar/register/WN_Wxx- 3KRkQnmJWHttc1uHcg

  From California Advocacy Network for Children with Special Health Care Needs Newsletter 3.4.21 COVID-19 has altered many state programs that serve children with special health care needs (CSHCN), a group that has been severely affected by the pandemic, particularly CSHCN of color. A new blog post in  Health Affairs  discusses how states might protect and expand care for CSHCN and their families in the long term by permanently adopting COVID-related policy changes in areas such as telehealth, reimbursement of family caregivers, flexibility in Medicaid prior authorization policies, and others. The post, written by NASHP staff with support from our Foundation, also highlights how the  National Standards for Systems of Care  can be leveraged to maintain care for CSHCN.  Read more . (Free registration may be required.)

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  From Work to Include Newsletter March 25, 2021, 1:00-2:00 pm   The Indianapolis Work to Include Coalition Team is hosting a webinar on Transition with a focus on Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) on Thursday, March 25th, from 1:00-2:00 pm. Featured speakers:   Michelle Oja (Indiana Department of Education), Jonathan Kraeszig (Vocational Rehabilitation), and Luke Labas (Mayor’s Office of Disability Affairs). Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is required by law to set aside federal funds for Pre-ETS to students with disabilities who are eligible (or potentially eligible) for VR services to prepare students for a smooth transition from high school to employment or post-secondary education and training. Five core services of Pre-ETS are: 1) Job exploration counseling; 2) Work-based learning experiences; 3) Counseling on postsecondary opportunities; 4) Workplace readiness training; and 5) Instruction in self-advocacy.  Watch for the Zoom link for the webinar, which will be sent to

We are so excited to be presenting The Nuts & Bolts of Telemedicine!. We are hopeful that through this virtual training, families will feel better equipped to have a successful telehealth experience. We hope you'll join us on Wednesday, April 14 at 6:30pm! Please register at https://tinyurl.com/t5yhb7av

  From Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter 3.4.21 Dr. Dalton Conley of Princeton University and Dr. Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach of Northwestern University recently authored an article advocating for the need to expand school-based health centers (SBHCs). The authors noted that although youth have less direct health repercussions due to COVID infections than adults, they face many issues such as food insecurity, mental health crises and the loss of educational progress at an alarming rate. The authors further cited examples in which school-based health centers have proven that they can target the wide-ranging issues faced by youth: According to some studies, SBHCs may reduce teen pregnancy rates. SBHCs have been linked to reduced depression and suicide risk in students. SBHCs have also been shown to improve academic measures such as GPAs. Attendance rates are higher and suspension rates are lower in schools with SBHCs. Despite the evidence supporting SBHCs, the authors ob

Child Care Answers  recently hosted Carrie Gray, CCDF Operations Manager at the Office of Early Childhood and Out-Of-School Learning, who shared a wealth of information about CCDF, the process, eligibility, waitlists, etc.  The presentation  is just under 40 minutes and it is full of helpful information as well as some audience Q&A that will help address additional questions. Also available is the  Child Care Assistance Guide.   This guide has been created to help families navigate the child care assistance process and share additional resources. The guide is full of information that will help families and individuals who work with families gain a better understanding of the overall process and steps to take moving forward. Child Care Assistance Guide 1 by Family Voices Indiana on Scribd

  From Work to Include's Newsletter The 2021 session of the Indiana General Assembly is over half-way.  Now is when bills move between houses.  Here are a few of the bills you may want to contact your legislator about and follow. Work to Include is working with a few legislators to hold a summer study committee on how to improve Indiana’s Medicaid Buy-In program, MedWorks, and other Medicaid eligibility issues.  Once we have a resolution, we will ask you to contact legislators to be sure it passes and the hearing is scheduled.  If you know of other bills WTI should follow, let us know.   HB 1001  This is the budget bill and currently it includes a DSP wage increase to get them to an average of $13/hour.  Let your Senator and Representative know how critical it is to increase DSP wages.  Some are concerned it will lead to lower service plans under the Medicaid Waiver.  Be sure to tell your legislator that this increase should not have a negative impact on the number of services peop

More information can be found here   The Mission of Help Over Hurdles Help Over Hurdles is a non-profit that responds to the needs of Direct Support Professionals with compassion, advocacy, and financial assistance. Our Objective Support up to 20 Direct Support Providers with financial assistance each year  Provide education on financial stability  Eliminate allegations of abuse, neglect, exploitation and mistreatment toward people served as a result of direct support provider stress ​ ​ Our Key to Success ​A key to success for Help Over Hurdles is to ensure ongoing education is offered regarding successful support models, so Help Over Hurdles does not become a path of  repeated assistance, but an avenue to recognizing that help through the organization is a road to stability and strengthening the profession as a whole.

  From Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter 3.4.21 Following a busy close to the first half of the 2021 legislative session, lawmakers have returned to the Indiana Statehouse to continue debate and discussion on proposed legislation. Several key pieces of legislation impacting healthcare coverage survived the first half, including: Senate Bill 51  - Would expand reimbursable Medicaid services for schools, potentially returning millions of dollars in funding to Indiana schools. Senate Bill 233  and  House Bill 1009  - Seeks to TANF eligibility and benefits, which have not been adjusted since the 1980s. Senate Bill 3  and  House Bill 1286  - Removes provider barriers for telehealth services, clarifies language and expands available services. Senate Bill 19  - Adds suicide prevention and human trafficking hotline information to the back of middle and high school student ID cards. Senate Bill 1127  - Would improve mental health and addictions services while protecting Medicai