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Calendar of Events
April 21-23, 2010
NCARF Annual Leadership Forum
Wrightsville Beach, NC |
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NCARF Headquarters
Suite 102
Raleigh, NC 27607
Phone
919-863-9486
Email
Nicole Shore
Association Executive
Michelle Eggleston
Membership Coordinator
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State Seeks Input for Vocational Rehabilitation Plan From Clients, Families, Public |
RALEIGH - The N.C. Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VR) and the N.C. State Rehabilitation Council are seeking public input to help update the state plan for the delivery of VR services. The annually updated plan will become effective Oct. 1.
Those who may find the meetings of interest are people who receive VR services and their families, individuals who work in human services programs or advocacy groups for people with disabilities, and employers. The 2010 State Plan may be viewed online via the VR homepage, http://dvr.dhhs.state.nc.us/.
Three regional meetings are scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates, at the listed locations:
· May 10, Henderson VR Unit Office, Conference Room, 10
Medical court, Henderson.
· May 11, New Bern VR Unit Office, 2832 Neuse Blvd., New Bern.
· May 17, Charlotte VR Unit Office, Conference Room, Executive
Center Drive, Suite 101, Charlotte. The topics of discussion may include strategies to improve outreach to minority populations and individuals with the most significant disabilities; priorities that individuals with disabilities would like the public VR program to address; eliminating barriers to participation of individuals with disabilities in the VR program and the state's supported employment program; the responsiveness of VR services to its consumers; and improving school transition services to individuals with disabilities. The scheduled locations are accessible to people with disabilities. Attendeesmay registerto speak upon arrival at the meetings or in advance by calling Patsy Owens at (919) 855-3527. Speakers are encouraged to bring a written copy of their comments. People who are unable to attend one of the meetings may provide input by sending written comments by June 1 to: Phil Protz, 2801 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2801, Attn: Planning Unit-State Plan Comments. Comments may also be e-mailed to dvr.m.stateplan@dhhs.nc.gov or faxed to: State Plan Comments at (919)715-1050. Sign-language interpreters will be present at the hearings. If you plan to attend and need other accommodations, please contact Ms. Owens at (919) 855-3527 by April 22. For additional information, contactPhil Protz at (919) 855-3567 or e-mail Phil.Protz@dhhs.nc.gov |
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The Coalition Reports on the Importance of Jobs | |
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NC Budget Picture Brightens a Bit | |
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County General Funds Report
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-Koren Morgan
DMH/DD/SAS Budget & Finance Team
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Revenue Outlook and Consensus Forecast
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Please find attached a memorandum discussing the revenue outlook for the rest of this fiscal year and a new consensus forecast for FY 2010-11.
Kind regards,
Barry
Barry Boardman, Ph.D.
Economist, Fiscal Research Division
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Summary of Implementation Update #71
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Letter from Leza Wainwright summarizing Implementation Update #71
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DD Consortium and MH/DD/SA Coalition Meetings Summary
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April 12 DD Consortium and MH/DD/SA Coalition Meetings
Summary by Chris Kiricoples
Folks---here is a summary of yesterday's meetings.....please note that the
entire DD Coalition meeting was devoted to discussion about the new
'Innovations' waiver, with a presentation by Division Director Leza
Wainwright and Ken Marsh.
* Guests Leza Wainwright and Ken Marsh, from the Division of
MH/DD/SAS attended the DD Consortium meeting and made a nearly 2-hour long presentation/questions and answer session on the new 'Innovations' (the 1915 b-c) waiver. Their presentation highlighted the differences between the existing CAP-MR/DD waiver, the current PBH waiver, and the new CMS -approved NC Innovations waiver (which will not officially exist until a 2nd or 3rd LME is added). We are attempting to get an electronic version of this waiver comparison, for distribution to members at a later date. There were numerous questions from the DD Consortium members, with a great deal of emphasis on the level of oversight the Division will provide to the LMEs, as well as to the waiver's suitability for use with the Intellectually and otherwise Developmentally Disabled (IDD) population. Leza indicated that she prefers that only one additional LME be added under the new waiver, but that the General Assembly has been asking for the addition of 2 LMEs. There were many other comments about the lack of information available about the PBH outcomes over the past 5 years, and that most had a poor understanding
of how this waiver would specifically be adapted for the IDD population.
The majority of DD Consortium members continue to have grave reservations about the use of this waiver with the IDD population, and the Arc of NC has formally adopted the position that IDD services should be completely excluded from this waiver, if North Carolina continues to move its MH/DD/SAS system toward a managed care model. Note: more information on the Arc's position, and their series/schedule of presentations on managed care, can be found at their website: www.arcnc.org
* The Coalition's Legislative Rally and Advocacy Day events have
been scheduled for Tuesday, June 1st, with on-site registration beginning at 8 a.m. on the back portico of the Legislative Building. Advocacy trainings, designed to help you effectively communicate your message to legislators, will take place in the Legislative Building Auditorium (3rd floor) beginning at 9 a.m. Popcorn will be served on the portico beginning at 11 a.m.
Note---lunch will not be provided this year. For more on the rally, and to
download a rally flyer and legislative handbook, please visit
www.thecoalitionnc.org.
* Members should be aware that the General Assembly's budget
deliberations and discussions, for the session that begins on May 10, have
already started. The Joint Health and Human Services Appropriations
Committee has met several times, and the Legislative Oversight Commission on MH/DD/SAS has resumed its regular monthly meeting schedule. It is imperative that Providers, Consumers, and their Families/Guardians are in contact with their legislators now, prior to the start of the session, and throughout.
* Vicki Smith, of Disability Rights NC, reported on the status of
that organization's activities, pending or in-process litigation, and the
Department of Justice position in support of DRNC's suits as they relate to
the Americans with Disabilities Act. DRNC is working on some other issues
related to LMEs and the due process rights of consumers who appeal LME
decisions, has issued a report on Seclusion and Restraint within the public
schools system, and has expanded to include an office located in Asheville.
For more specific detail, visit their website at www.disabilityrightsnc.org
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DD Consortium Presentation
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The attached is the same presentation that Leza W. did for the DD Consortium, and will do at today's LOC meeting. It compares the existing CAP waiver, the PBH waiver, and what will be the new CMS approved Innovations waiver when a 2nd or 3rd LME is selected to participate.
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Local Mental Health Agency Hopes to Retain Control
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Robert Boyer / Times-News
2010-03-29 17:25:29
The leader of the Alamance-Caswell Local Management Entity wants the state to waive a requirement forcing the agency to join a sister entity. In North Carolina, LMEs oversee public mental health services and services for those with developmental disabilities and substance abuse issues.
The Alamance-Caswell LME began looking to join another local management entity after Rockingham County's departure in 2009 dropped the number of covered persons to under 200,000, the minimum number of "covered lives" the state Department of Health and Human Services requires for LMEs. As a result, the state slapped the Alamance-Caswell LME with a 10-percent budget cut for the 2010-11 budget that begins July 1.
Currently the state is requiring the county commissioners in Alamance and Caswell counties to dissolve their LME partnership on June 30, 2011, and join a new LME the following day.
Dan Hahn, Alamance-Caswell's executive director, is hopeful the state might waive the merger requirement and allow his agency to continue to operate as a stand-alone LME without further 10-percent annual budget cuts. |
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Announcement for the Durham and Asheville Town Halls
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The Coalition announces the Durham Town Hall to be held on May 10 at TROSA at 1820 James Street.
The Asheville Town Hall will be held this coming Monday (April 19) at the Mountain Area Health Education Center at 501 Biltmore Ave. Please see the following travel note if attending.
TIME: All meetings are from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Doors will open at 6:00 PM and the program begins at 6:30
Background:
The Coalition, 40 organizations advocating together to meet the needs of North Carolinians living with the developmental disabilities, the disease of addiction, & mental illness, have been hosting a series of town hall meetings on MH, DD, & SA services across the state.
These listening sessions will:
· Provide a briefing on the current budget cuts and future budget outlook
· Offer an opportunity to share your opinions about MHDDSA services and supports; in person, in writing, or online
· Update you on how to make a difference on these issues
ASHEVILLE TRAVEL NOTE:
Beginning in early January, visitors to MAHEC will encounter a road closure at Biltmore Avenue just north of Biltmore Village. The road will be closed in both directions for several months for bridge repair. Please use the directions below to get to MAHEC during this road closure.
From I-40 Eastbound, take Exit 50 and turn LEFT onto Hendersonville Road.
From I-40 Westbound, take Exit 50B onto Hendersonville Road.
Get in the LEFT hand lane - this will allow you to take the left fork onto McDowell St. (instead of the right fork onto Biltmore Ave.) when Hendersonville Road splits at the second stop light.
Continue to follow McDowell Street to the third stop light. Turn RIGHT onto Doctor's Drive.
When Doctor's Drive intersects with Biltmore Avenue, turn LEFT.
At the first stop light, turn RIGHT onto Granby Street. Take the first LEFT into the MAHEC parking lot. |
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PLEASE JOIN US!!
Tuesday, June 1st:
The Coalition Legislative Advocacy Day
& Popcorn Rally!
ADVOCATE FOR BETTER FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES & ADDICTIVE DISEASE SERVICES AND SUPPORTS
at the ...
COALITION RALLY - June 1 at NOON!
Behind the Legislative Building on Jones St.
Parking available at State Fair Grounds (Gate 9) with bus services to Legislative Building.
Registration will open at 8 am on the back portico of the Legislative Building. Participants can get information on the day's legislative committee meetings, the current budget proposal and begin visits with legislators.
Advocacy Trainings will take place in the Legislative Building Auditorium (third floor). Beginning at 9AM, short trainings will be held on ways to effectively communicate your message to Legislators. Volunteers will also be on hand in the auditorium with tips & techniques for making the most of your legislative visit.
Popcorn will be available on the portico beginning at 11 am! Please note that lunch will NOT be provided - popcorn will be served as refreshments.
The Coalition encourages your participation in this event to advocate for funding for mental health, developmental disability and addictive disease services. For more information on the event, please contact Elizabeth Cloud at ncpaelizabeth@mindspring.com or Erin McLaughlin at emclaughlin@mha-nc.org. |
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5,300 Housing Vouchers for Non-Elderly Person with Disabilities | |
5,300 Housing Vouchers for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities.
Information Bulletin #307 (4/2010).
Many of you remember the Information Bulletin issued on 6/30/09 announcing that HUD had issued a "Proposed Notice" - $30 million for 4,000 housing vouchers for non-elderly disabled persons.
HUD received 175 comments! Terrific response. Many of you wrote HUD!
Many (not all) of the problems in the Proposed Notice have been eliminated
or modified.
On April 7, 2009, HUD and CMS issued a joint release announcing a Notice
of Funding Availability (NOFA). The number of vouchers that will be
available has increased to 5,300 and they're putting up $40 million. Here
is web address for the NOFA: Click to View These vouchers will be awarded on a competitive basis. Your Public Housing
Authority must apply for these in order to receive them. Now the fun
really begins. You - advocates for persons with disabilities - must make
sure your Public Housing Authority applies before July 7, 2010. HUD plans
to announce the winners in October, 2010.
There are two categories of vouchers - Category 1 for 4,300 for persons
with disabilities, and Category 2 for 1,000 persons with disabilities in
institutions who want to live in the community but cannot afford to
without a voucher. Public housing authorities can apply for both
categories; maximum number of vouchers for housing authorities relates to
the number of baseline units it already has, i.e., larger housing
authorities can apply for more vouchers than smaller authorities, as well
as other "threshold requirements."
Non-elderly disabled family means the head, spouse or sole member of the
family is under 62 and the person with a disability. Can your housing
authority identify such families on their waiting list?
A housing authority can use Category 1 funding for people in institutions
as long as it establishes a preference under its housing choice voucher
program. Category 2 funding is only for families transitioning from an
institution to the community. For people who might be "at risk" of going
into an institution, HUD states that "PHAs are encouraged to establish a
preference for families at risk of institutionalization for Category
1...."
People in institutions - Category 2 folks - are not the natural
constituencies of local public housing authorities. Also, most likely,
people in institutions are not even on a public housing authority's
waiting list. Therefore, some creative effort must be focused on this
category. The HUD "Response to Public Comments," which is at the above
web address, explains what housing authorities can do to address this
issue.
Disability advocates should be contacting their State Medicaid officials
immediately. Your State Medicaid officials know if there is a State
agency that can apply directly for Category 2 vouchers. If there is, make
sure this is actually happening. If there is no such State agency, then
your State Medicaid officials (MFP and others) must quickly develop a
relationship with local Public Housing Agencies! This will probably be a
new venture for your State Medicaid officials and the Public Housing
Agencies.
We do not expect your Housing Authorities to welcome you (or even your
State Medicaid agency) with great enthusiasm because applying for these
vouchers will take work, effort and time. Volunteer to help them.
In a number of States, we do not expect your State Medicaid officials to
welcome you, because they have been so long not in the business of freeing
persons with disabilities from institutions that such efforts are not part
of their culture. Yikes, free people. What a novel idea.
Yes, nothing comes easy! You have 90 days. The clock is running. There
are disability advocates throughout the country who will help you. Let's
us know if you need assistance.
Also, please keep a record of who you contacted, what dates, what they
said, etc. We will collect it after 7/7/10.
Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues |
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NCARF Annual Leadership Forum | |
Annual Leadership Forum
April 21-23, 2010
Blockade Runner
AGENDA:
Wednesday, April 21
11:00 am Golf Tournament
5:00 pm Board of Directors Meeting
Thursday, April 22
9:00 am- 9:15 am Registration
9:15 am-9:30 am Business Meeting - Welcome
9:30 am- 10:30 am Managed Care Waiver Update
Dave Richard
10:30 am-10:45 am Break
10:45 am-11:30 am Managed Care Waiver Update Continued Q&A
Dave Richard
11:30 am-1:00 pm Luncheon
1:00 pm-2:30 pm Services Reduction Survey-Update from the
Coalition
Jennifer Mahan
2:30 pm-2:45 pm Break
2:45 pm-3:45 pm Regional Meetings
6:00 pm Social Event
Friday, April 23
9:00 am-9:45 am Annual Business Meeting
9:45 am-10:45 am DMH Update
Marie Kelley-LME Liaison 10:45 am-11:00 am Break
11:00 am-12:00 pm VR Update
Linda Harrington
Meet the Speakers
 Dave Richard has been the Executive Director for the Arc of North Carolina since 1989.
The Arc of NC is a private, non-profit advocacy and service organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Dave Richard is responsible for the administration of the organization's policies and programs, and is accountable to the volunteer board of directors through the President. Specific responsibilities include:
· Staff and budget management
· Government affairs advocacy
· Consultation and advocacy with individuals and families
· Fundraising activities
· Grant writing activities
· Membership development
· Board and committee consultation
· Public education and information activities
Liaison with human service and community organizations
Jennifer Mahan
Jennifer Mahan has worked for Mental Health Association in North Carolina since December of 2000 and currently holds the position of Director of Policy and Advocacy Initiatives, and serves as Chair of two large statewide advocacy coalitions: The Coalition, advocating for the needs of individuals with addictive disease, developmental disabilities and mental health disorders and The Covenant with North Carolina's Children, advocating for a broad range of issues affecting children and families. Ms. Mahan has a background in consumer advocacy, information and referral programs, and human services policy focused on mental health, substance abuse, and low-income benefits programs.
Linda Harrington holds an MSW from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of North Carolina. A native of Chicago, she worked in psychosocial rehabilitation for 13 years at Thresholds of Chicago. During those years she served on various boards and commissions, including six years on the Board of Directors of Access Living, a Center for Independent Living, and the State Rehabilitation Council. She has been living in Raleigh since 1999 and considers North Carolina her home now. Linda began work at the Department of Health and Human Services in 2001 as the Program Planner/Evaluator at the Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing. In January of 2002, she became the Director of that Division and in May of 2005 became the Director of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. She is very excited about the programs and services that DHHS and DVRS have to offer the people of North Carolina.
Marie has over 30 years of employment with the State of North Carolina. The first 25 years of her State career were at O'Berry Center, a State operated developmental center for persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities. Marie worked in Outreach Services at the Center for the majority of these years in a number of capacities including coordinating the department, providing training and technical assistance to community programs, developing community resources, working with Area Mental Health Programs, and managing all admissions and discharges to and from the Center.
While at O'Berry Center, Marie wrote and was funded for a grant project to develop supported employment opportunities for individuals living in the Center and living in the community. As a part of this grant, Marie developed individual job placements, work stations in industry, and mobile work crews, hired, trained, and supervised job coaches, screened and matched individuals to job placements, and developed a committee of community partners to support the development of work opportunities for individuals with I/DD. The grant project also focused on job training for local high school students who would be transitioning from school to work.
Since 2004, Marie has worked with the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, LME Systems Performance Team. The primary responsibility of the team is to provide technical assistance to the LMEs and to monitor the LMEs based on the Department of Health and Human Services Contract with the LME. The LME team also works with the LMEs regarding policy interpretation and funding issues. Marie is also currently working with the implementation of the self-direction option of support and services for persons in the CAP-MR/DD Supports Waiver.
Accommodations
Call Today to make your reservations!
Accommodations:
The Blockade Runner
275 Waynick Boulevard
Wrightsville Beach, NC 28480
Phone: 800.541.1161
NCARF's reduced room rate for Wednesday April 21st is $89 and for April 22-23 is $109.
Discountedroom rates are available the nights of April 19 - 26. All rooms in the NCARF room block are Harborview. Ocean view rooms are available at $139. Be sure to reference the North Carolina Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (NCARF) to receive the group rate. The discounted rate was available until April 07, 2010. Reservations are currently only being accepted on a space available basis and may not be eligible for this rate.
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NCARF 2010 Golf Championship |
Save the Date!
2010 NCAF Golf Championship
April 21, 2010
Wilmington Municipal Course
331 S Wallace Ave.
Wilmington NC, 28409
Individual $50
Foursome $200
Entry fee include: green fees, cart fee, boxed lunch, complimentary beverages & snacks, swag bag and awards.
Register Today! |
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Governance Policies
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NCARF is gathering Board of Directors and Organizational Governance Policies for member reference. We'd love to have your contributions. Please send the policies to Michelle Eggleston, meggleston@firstpointresources.com. We'll post them at www.ncarf.com in the members only area. Please send exactly how you would like them posted. If you have questions, please let us know. |
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News to Share?
Please send any news you wish to include in the weekly updates to
NCARF Staff
***The information in the NCARF Weekly Update is presented for informational purposes. Unless expressly stated, opinions may not be the opinion of NCARF as an organization. Inclusion of information in the Weekly Update is not meant to imply endorsement by NCARF or its member organizations. NCARF cannot guarantee the accuracy of all information that is passed along from various outside sources. |
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