Please note that Work Adjustment Training is no longer subject to financial need!
 
Work Adjustment Training (Revisions to 2-24-11)
Section 2-24-11, Work Adjustment Training is being revised to increase clients' access to work adjustment training and to improve the infrastructure of our CRP partners by allowing them to serve additional clients. Until further notice, work adjustment training shall not be subject to financial need when it is otherwise appropriate for an individual as part of the individual's plan for employment. Comparable benefits should be used to the maximum extent, when available. Support services for participation in work adjustment training, such as transportation or maintenance, shall continue to be subject to financial need. Any exceptions to the provision of support services shall be submitted to the Chief of Policy for approval.

Download a registration form and register today! 
 

  
ATTENTION NCARF Members!  

On Friday, January 22 there will be an important NCARF Director's Meeting in Greensboro at the FirstPoint offices. We highly urge Directors/Presidents to attend or at the very least send one senior staff member to the meeting if preservation of funding and services is an important issue to you (which we assume it is to all of you).  

 

Please note that the NCARF Legislative Agenda-Director's Meeting will run concurrently with the NCARF Human Resource Training.  It would be a great opportunity for you to participate in the Director's meeting and bring an appropriate person from your organization to participate in the Human Resource Training.

 

This meeting will be a time to orient us all to the fiscal and political realities of the "short" legislative season that begins the second week of May.  Funding is not expected to get any better and current state revenue collections are already $100 million behind projections!

This will also be a time for us to develop our legislative goals for 2010 together as an organization.  The meeting will begin at 10:30 and we expect to be finished around 2:30.

I'd like to personally challenge each CRP to have their state representatives visit the organization before the legislative session begins in May.  The Director's Meeting will give you the talking points for that visit.  The legislators must understand the seriousness of the funding and services situation.  We must put a face on the services we are providing and make sure that our legislators throughout the state KNOW WHO WE ARE.
 
We do really good work, and help people improve their lives every day....but outside of the CRP community we don't get a lot of respect or recognition.  And we have no protection from further budget cuts unless we make sure we are more broadly known.

Please plan to attend this meeting!

Alicia Camacho
NCARF President 2009/2010

 
Marlo W v. Canlser and Salacki

On December 11, 2009, Disability Rights North Carolina filed a lawsuit in federal court, naming Lanier Cansler, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and Karen Salacki the Area Director of the Beacon Center LME.  The suit was filed on behalf of Marlo M. and Durwood W., two individuals who receive Thomas S. services and live in Wilson, North Carolina.
 
Marlo and Durwood are both enrolled in the CAP-MR/DD Medicaid waiver program, but also rely on a measure of services funded with State dollars to provide each of them with around-the-clock staffing.   Various service limitations imposed under the CAP-MR/DD regulations don't permit Medicaid to fund the necessary 24/7 staffing that Marlo and Durwood require.
 
The suit arises from the decision made by Ms. Slacki to terminate all state-funded services for Durwood and Marlo, thus forcing them to move from their own apartments and into group homes or institutions such as the O'Berry Center.  The Department of Health and Human Services declined to waive the CAP-MR/DD rules to permit Medicaid to pay for the care that Marlo and Durwood require.   The loss of services was set to occur on December 15.
 
It is alleged in the lawsuit that Ms. Salacki's actions in terminating the Plaintiffs' services and Secretary's failure to waive the CAP rules violate the Americans with Disabilities Act as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Olmstead v. L.C.   On Monday, December 14, Judge Terrence Boyle issued a Temporary Restraining  Order  requiring the Beacon Center and DHHS to maintain services for Marlo and Durwood until a hearing can be held to hear evidence on Plaintiffs' Motion for a Preliminary Injunction.
 
The Judge originally scheduled the hearing for December 28, 2009 but the State has asked for it to be re-scheduled to January 11, 2010 which we do not object to as long as the TRO is extended.  
 
We will let the community know when the hearing date is finalized.
 
Vicki Smith
Executive Director
Disability Rights NC
2626 Glenwood Avenue, Suite 550
Raleigh, NC 27608
Phone: 919-856-2195

 

In Such a Time as This...
Responding Wisely in Difficult Times
March 7-9, 2010 Sheraton Imperial Hotel & Convention Center
Durham, North Carolina

Sponsored by CRA and ASANC

Mark the dates on your calendar and join us as we explore issues and solutions to the challenges we all are facing in these difficult times. This event will be a cross-disability conference with sessions that will appeal to
self-advocates, direct support professionals, families, supervisors, managers, case managers, clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, service providers and more. 

 

For more information including speaker names/bios, session titles/descriptions, agenda, etc visit http://www.craconferences.com/ncconf.html.  

   
Communication Bulletin #107 is now posted to the DMH web site. You can find this document and attachments at:
http://www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/announce/index.htm

   
A set of quick reference guides that provides information about Schedule A appointments. Using the Schedule A appointing authority, qualified job candidates with disabilities who meet the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) guidelines can be hired non-competitively. These publications can be downloaded in PDF format or ordered online.

 

This information has recently been updated, and can be read by visiting this link:  

Click Here

  
Are you LinkedIn?  Consider setting up a free account and joining the NCARF group.

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. As of October 2009, LinkedIn had more than 50 million registered users, spanning more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.  For more information on LinkedIn, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LinkedIn.   

I have created a group on LinkedIn for NCARF.  This includes discussion areas, job postings, as well as a place to post links to relevant news articles.  I think that online networking can be a valuable tool to keep us virtually connected.  In addition to the NCARF group, I am setting up sub-groups so that staff in our organizations can connect in their job areas (such as programs, human resources, business development, quality assurance, finance, etc.).

The NCARF group can be located at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1779230&trk=anetsrch_name&goback=%2Egdr_1260809135224_1  

Consider setting up a LinkedIn account, connecting with me and joining the NCARF group!

Alicia Camacho
NCARF President 2009-2010