AMTRAK DISABILITY SETTLEMENT
- If you or someone you know encountered barriers at these Virginia Amtrak stations (Ashland, Clifton Forge, Petersburg, Richmond Staples Mill Road), you may be qualified to make a claim for monetary compensation.
- Visit AmtrakDisabilitySettlement.com to find out if you’re qualified for a compensation fund. Claims must be submitted by May 29, 2021.
STATE NEWS
State Updates From our Partners in Advocacy – Ashley Wright, Davis Consultants
DD & CCC+ WAIVER UPDATES
| Rates paid to Consumer Directed and Agency Directed Providers effective May 1, 2021 Northern Virginia Rate for Consumer Directed Personal Care, Respite and Companion: $13.60/hour Rest of Virginia Rate for Consumer Directed Personal Care, Respite and Companion: $10.50/hour. Northern Virginia Rate for Agency Directed Personal Care, Respite and Companion: $18.02/hour Rest of Virginia Rate for Agency Directed Personal Care, Respite and Companion: $15.31/hour. Flexibilities that will change effective May 1, 2021 In-person visits will be required as outlined below. In the event a person refuses the in-person visit, the provider shall document the reason the face-to-face visit could not be made and a telehealth visit should be conducted. Providers shall use social distancing protocols and face masks. 1. Personal care, respite, and companion services, agency-directed and consumer-directed services: For people that have not had an in-person visit on or after 3/12/2020, the next required agency supervisory or services facilitator reassessment/routine visit should be done in person. In-person visits shall be required every six months for the duration of the Public Health Emergency. Telehealth visits may be conducted for visits that occur in between the six month in-person visits. 2. Newly enrolled people in the waiver or waiver service. In-person visits will be required for anyone newly enrolled in the waiver or in a waiver service with effective dates of May 1, 2021 or after. In-person visits shall be required every six months for the duration of the Public Health Emergency. Telehealth visits may be conducted for visits in between the six month in-person visits. 3. Any member with a significant change requesting an increase in support due to changes in medical condition or natural supports. 4. Developmental Disability Waiver case management face-to-face visits for individuals waivers shall be conducted in person. This applies to targeted case management including visits for completion of the SIS, VIDES, annual plan meetings, and case management visits. The SIS, VIDES and annual plan meetings should be held in an appropriate setting allowing for social distancing and other precautions. Flexibilities that will END effective August 1, 2021 1. Parents of children under 18 and spouses will not be permitted to be paid to provide personal care/personal assistance. (DMAS will continue to re-evaluate this flexibility prior to August 1, 2021.) 2. Community Engagement (CE)/Community Coaching (CC) provided through telephonic/video conferencing. 3. In-home Support services delivered via an electronic method or telehealth(telephonic/video). 4. Group Day Services provided through video conferencing. NEW REGULATIONS FOR DD WAIVER SERVICES New regulations for the Developmental Disability Waiver program took effect May 1st. Click to view the new regs. PROGRAM NEWS Peer Mentoring – Open for Business! Do you have a goal you want to achieve? A Peer Mentor Can Help! What Is A Peer Mentor: Peer Mentor Supports is a DD Medicaid Waiver service designed to foster connections and relationships which build individual resilience. Who Can Receive Peer Mentor Services: People ages 16 and older who currently receive DD Waiver Services. Special Offer to those on the DD Waiting List: Through special state funding, we can offer Peer Mentoring to people on the DD Waiver Waiting List! So get in touch today before the limited spots run out! Email ncooper@thearcofva.org to get matched with the right Mentor for your goals! Click for peer mentoring information. |
Mommas & Poppas Connection
New Path Family Support Network of The Arc of Virginia can help connect you to other parents with similar experiences!
To learn more about New Path Family Support Network, contact Robin Church at rchurch@thearcofva.org
Federal Action Alert
FEDERAL ACTION ALERT
Be Part of the Virginia Delegation to D.C.COVID-19 Recovery Requires Historic Investment in Disability Services
We need a groundswell of action – #MedicaidCantWait for this long-overdue support!
For years, the service system that people with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) and their families rely on, Medicaid, has needed an update. People are stuck on waiting lists, the direct care workforce is underpaid, and too often, unpaid family caregivers are filling in the gaps in service. The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified these problems and exposed the cracks and gaps in the care infrastructure when it comes to supporting people with disabilities.
Now, the Administration has proposed a historic investment in disability services as a part of a COVID-19 economic recovery.
Congress must follow President Biden’s lead and fund $400 billion for the Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) system, increase wages for the direct care workforce, and create more of these jobs.
We must ask Members of Congress to enact legislation that lives up to this plan and do more for people with disabilities, their families, and the direct care workforce. We need:
A $400 billion investment to fund expanded access to Medicaid HCBS to people with disabilities on waiting lists and address the direct care workforce crisis, including raising wages. This effort will also allow unpaid family caregivers who have been filling in the gaps of service for far too long to re-enter the workforce.
A national paid leave program. The pandemic forced millions of people to choose between their own health, the health of their families, and their livelihood. We must invest in our care infrastructure and pass a national paid leave program that guarantees paid leave to family caregivers.
Improvements to the Supplemental Security Income program. The lowest income people with disabilities who rely on SSI receive extremely limited benefits and cannot have more than $2,000 in savings, an amount that has not been updated since 1984. SSI benefits, asset limits, and other program rules must be updated to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.
Act Now: Urge your Members of Congress to meet the needs of people with disabilities, their families, and the direct care workforce!