FW: Community based services for people are worth fighting for

[Guest guest]

From: Randee

Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 7:58 AM

To: Randee

Subject: Community based services for people are worth fighting for

Solutions Needed

By:

WaiverProvider.Com

Florida

Supports

Unite

Solutions Needed

By

Nangle

I knew it was time to put my next newsletter together when I

read that Senator Gaetz made the statement, " APD is unique in

that those who receive services are dissatisfied, those who provide

services are dissatisfied and those who pay for the services are

dissatisfied. " (source)

I respectfully disagree. I am also deeply concerned about

future consequences of such thinking at the state level.

I know many of you are frustrated by the constant changes and

constant cuts. You are sick and tired of across the board cuts which

are made without regard to individual circumstances. You are worried

about how this will affect people who have disabilities. You are

fighting to hold onto a system that has, in many ways, made it

possible for people who have disabilities to live normal lives in

their communities. You are fighting for something that is very

important to you. This is contrary to Gaetz's blanket term

" dissatisfied " .

It greatly concerns me that our Florida Legislators would even

consider making additional cuts to this program. The consequences of

their recent mandates- the tiers and rebasing- have not even taken

affect. And yet, I have learned that our Florida legislators are now

considering an additional 5 percent (across the board) cut to all

providers. It is possible that your behavior Analyst earning $56.48

per hour can afford this cut, but it is unlikely your respite worker

earning $11.44 can absorb it. Keep in mind that these are

reimbursement rates, not regular wages. Providers do not get benefits

or mileage. They have to pay self employment tax and other business

expenses.

Although they are trying to sell these provider rate cuts to

you as a means of avoiding additional cuts to your services, you will

not have much in the way of services if your providers can not afford

to stay in business.

So many of you have reached out to your Florida Legislators. I

know that most of you are tired of fighting. I know that you feel

powerless. Please continue to fight. Community based services for

people are worth fighting for.

Florida Legislators, this program is important. We can not

afford more cuts. At the very minimum we need the $50 million dollar

increase that The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has proposed.

Does APD Know How To Reach You?

Wait List People, This Means You!

Does The Agency For Persons With Disabilities have your correct

phone number and address in their data base? It is EXTREMELY

Important that they do, especially if you are on the wait list.

The Agency For Perons With Disabilities is currently doing

needs assessments for every person on the medicaid waiver, and in the

Spring of 2009, they will also do needs assessments for people who

are on the wait list. If the Agency For Persons With Disabilities can

not contact you, then you are at risk of being taken off the wait

list.

Contact The Agency For Persons With Disabilities at

1-866-APD-CARES if you are not certain that your

demographic information is correct.

If Your Services Have Been Cut

Some good information from the Advocacy Center.

Can I do anything if I received a Final Order Denying

Hearing Request?

Yes, you can. If you appealed APD’s Tier Assignment

and you or a family member received a Final Order Denying Hearing

Request, informing you that your request for a hearing is denied and

your case is dismissed, you have the right to file an Amended

Petition.

The Deadline for Filing an Amended Petition

You must file your amended petition with APD within 10 days of the

“Filed” date stamped on the first page of the Order, plus 5 days APD

adds for mailing the Order to you If an Amended Petition is filed

within those 15 days, your services will continue at the existing

level until the final decision on your petition. Filing your request

for a hearing with APD means that APD has to have received the

Request by mail or fax within 15 days of the “Filed” date stamp.

Where do I send my Amended

Petition?

Your hearing request must be mailed or faxed to:

Agency Clerk, Agency for Persons with Disabilities

4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0950

http://www.advocacycenter.org/news/APD_Denied_Request.html

Special Legislative Session, January 2009

For anyone who may not have heard yet the Florida legislature

is convening a special session 1/5/09 at 11:00 a.m. and ending

1/16/2009. The purpose is to make cuts to the States current year

budget in the amount of 2.3 billion! Keep in mind that this special session

has nothing to do with the regular session in March where an even

larger deficit is said to be looming for the fiscal year beginning

July 1, 2009.

Link to an article in the Miami Herald regarding special

session…

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/florida/story/814522.html

APD agency overview presented to the Florida Legislature last

month…

http://apd.myflorida.com/legislative/docs/house-hhs-committee-12-16-2008.pdf

What can each of us do?

PAY ATTENTION first and then ACT accordingly. We must make sure

that the voices of the people we support are heard. We must at the

least do our best to protect them where we are able understanding

that coming out of this round of cuts unscathed in not probable.

As much as possible we must speak from a single platform.

Obviously, this has been one of the greatest challenges and weakness

of the current system.

Members of the legislature need our assistance to understand

the impact of their decisions on people with disabilities from a

perspective that is realistic.

What Can You Do?

Get Involved.

http://supportcoordinators.info/floridagovernment.html

Contact

Your Governor. You want to get the governor on your side because

he has the power to veto any state bill, which if passed becomes

state law.

Contact

Your Senator. The Florida Senate represents the people. They

represent more people than the House of Representatives do. It's

important to contact your local senator because they can vote for or

against a bill, which if passed becomes state law. Do you know who

your local senator is? The link above will help you find your local

senator. You can see how they voted on bills that will affect you.

Contact

Your Representative. The House of Representatives represents the

people. They represent a small, local area of people. It's important

to contact your local Representative because they have the power to

vote for or against state bills, which if passed become state law. Do

you know who your local Representative is? The link above will help

you find your local Representative. You can how they voted on bills

that will affect you.

What is a Great Support Coordinator?

A great support coordinator is someone that understands that

you and your family need services year round and jump through all the

hoops- APD, APS, Delmarva, etc. require; completes an amazing amount

of paperwork (which I might add increased since we now have to fill

out paperwork to tell APD what to enter into the ABC system, that SCs

once did in half the time with greater accuracy, so you have as many

of those services that the State can afford and is willing to give

you).

Without your support coordinator, you would either have to

figure out how to do all this yourself or possibly deal with a State

worker with at least twice our caseload and is employed directly by

the very agency mandated to reduce your services.

A great support coordinator is the one who despite all the

paperwork sitting on his or her desk is there meeting with you and

your family to explain your rights to you, your options and listens

to you discuss what you are going through and losing and does

their best to be supportive when they know when they leave you, they

are going to another family to do the same thing for them.

Author Unknown (posted on the message

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Randee

Program Coordinator

The Arc/Family to Family

1201 Australian Ave

Riviera Beach, Fl. 33404-6698

(561)842-3213 *Fax (561)863-4352

rgabriel@...

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