Medi-Cal Alert for Californians

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends & Family,

Below is a call for your letters to support legislation that I and

colleagues have been working on for more than a year. This

legislation will improve the 250% Working Disabled Program.

Since 2000, California has had this program that allows people with

disabilities to earn up to almost $55,000 per year and still keep

their Medi-Cal, even when they're no longer on SSI or Social Security

Disability Insurance. This is crucial because many of us have

medical needs that are very expensive and are not covered by Medicare

or employer-sponsored health insurance. For example, my attendant

care costs about $3,000 per month. My health insurance with Blue

Cross and Medicare will not pay any portion of this. The only way

it's covered is if I'm on Medi-Cal. In order for people with

disabilities to be able to wok, we need to keep access to our health

care.

Below is a flier asking you to write a letter to your state senator

to support improvements to the bill. We believe seniors who need

Medi-Cal should also be allowed to work. We also believe that people

with disabilities should be allowed to get married or have domestic

partners without losing needed health care, and that if we're

working, we shouldn't be penalized for saving money. AB 1113 makes

these and other liberating changes.

See below, contact me with any questions, and please write your

letters.

Thank you!

Alana

ACTION ALERT

California Workers with Disabilities

NEED AB 1113

September 4, 2007

GAPS Task Force on Medi-Cal's

250% Working Disabled Program

At an employment conference this summer,

Disability Rights icon Judy Heumann challenged that

" with employment, we need to raise the bar for ourselves. "

AB 1113 Raises the Bar.

Medi-Cal's 250% Working Disabled Program has let some Californian's

with disabilities work.

More of us want to work and more of us can!

AB 1113 can make this possible!

We need to get our state Senators' support for a big Senate vote

sometime this week!

We're fighting hard to keep the bill intact!

AB 1113 needs YOUR VOICE today.

CONTACT YOUR STATE SENATOR TODAY

Your state Senator's contact information is at:

www.legislature.ca.gov/port-zipsearch.html

Tell YOUR state Senator

What is important to you in AB 1113.

AB 1113 Features

· Let's workers using this Medi-Cal program marry or partner with

whomever they choose.

· Let's workers using this program at age 65 stay in the program and

continue to work.

· Make's this program permanent so workers can rely on it when

planning work or changing jobs.

· Let's workers using this program save all their earnings for a

rainy day without restrictions!

· Let's workers keep their IRAs and other retirement accounts when

going back to other Medi-Cal programs.

· Let's workers have up to 18 months between jobs to stay in this

program.

IMPORTANT to you? Tell YOUR State Senator ASAP!

GOT FRIENDS … FAMILY? Great!

Send this Action Alert to all of them today!

Contact us with any questions,

Eli Gelardin & Alana Theriault

Co-Chairs - CWG Gaps Task Force

Eli Gelardin, Deputy Director, Independent Living Resource

phone: 925-363-7293

fax: 925-363-8174

cell: 925-482-4055, elig@...

Alana Theriault, Owner, Express Independence

510-388-2277, E-mail: expind@...