March 31st marks the closing of the open enrollment period for private health insurance provided through the marketplaces. The Department of Health and Human Services has estimated that over 6 million people have signed up for health insurance coverage. Some people may qualify for a special extended enrollment period if they have had problems signing up for insurance coverage before the deadline. If you think you qualify but haven’t been notified, you can ask for a special enrollment period by calling the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 and letting them know your circumstances. The call center will ask a series of questions to see if you qualify. Make sure you have evidence that you’ve tried to enroll but were not successful.
Monthly Archives: March 2014
New Data on Autism Prevalence Released by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Last week, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing that the prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continues to rise. The new rate of 1 in 68 reflects a 30% increase from two years ago when the CDC released data that 1 in 88 children has autism.
ASDs are a group of developmental disabilities that are often diagnosed in early childhood and can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges over a lifetime. The Arc is the largest provider organization for people with autism in the United States. Chapters of The Arc provide services and supports for people with autism, their families, and service providers. To read The Arc’s full statement, visit our blog.
Message from Senator Tom Harkin on The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) convened a group of disability, civil rights, and veterans advocates to strategize about a final push for ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Efforts are directed toward a vote in July around the 24th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Senator Harkin has a message for supporters of the treaty and a plea for assistance. Please go to http://www.harkin.senate.gov/help/crpdstories.cfm to watch Senator Harkin’s message.
Department of Labor Releases Guidance on Shared Living Arrangements and the Fair Labor Standards Act
The Department of Labor (DOL) has released Administrator’s Interpretation No. 2014-1 and Fact Sheet #79G: Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Shared Living Programs, including Adult Foster Care and Paid Roommate Situations. These documents provide additional guidance on how DOL’s Final Rule, Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service, might affect certain “shared living” arrangements. Shared living arrangements are often funded by Medicaid or other public sources and involve arrangements in which a person receiving supports and services and a direct care professional providing the supports live together. The new rule will take effect January 1, 2015.
Department of Housing and Urban Development to Host Webinar on Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities NOFA
On March 26, 2014 at 1:00 pm EDT, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will host a webinar providing an overview of the Section 811 Project Rental Assistance (PRA) Program. This webinar is for state housing finance agencies interested in applying for PRA under the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) released on March 4, 2014 making available approximately $120 million from FY13 and FY14 appropriations. The Section 811 PRA Program provides project-based rental assistance to state housing or other appropriate housing agencies to create permanent supportive housing for extremely low-income persons with disabilities. Applications are due May 5, 2014. Register for this Webinar.
New Affordable Care Act Resources From The National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative
The National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) has released two more fact sheets to help navigators and other assistors better work with people with disabilities. The most recent fact sheets address prescription drugs and working with disability organizations. In addition to the series of fact sheets being produced by the collaborative, NDNRC also developed a disability guide.
The NDNRC is comprised of seven national disability organizations which represent unique cross-disability experiences. The seven cross-disability organizations that are part of the collaborative include the American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD), the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), The Arc, and United Spinal Association. The NDNRC is funded through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Technical Assistance to Help States Comply With New Home and Community-Based Setting Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reposted technical assistance documents for states to assist them in complying with the new home and community-based setting rules. Documents originally posted on the CMS website were taken down and the original links are no longer active. A new set of documents was posted on March 20 and stakeholders may want to review them for any changes.
Office for Civil Rights Data Releases New Data About Students With Disabilities
The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released data it collected during the 2011-2012 school year. These data were collected from every school and district in the country, reflecting information about 43 million students without disabilities and 6 million students with disabilities. OCR reported that:
[S]tudents of certain racial or ethnic groups and students with disabilities are disciplined at far higher rates than their peers, beginning in preschool. The CRDC data also show that an increasing number of students are losing important instructional time due to exclusionary discipline.
OCR prepared a data snapshot that summarized some of its findings pertaining to students with disabilities and discipline. Data reveal that high school students with disabilities are retained or held back a grade at higher rates than students without disabilities. Students with disabilities make up 12% of high school enrollment but 19% of students in high school held back a year. Students with disabilities are twice as likely to be suspended as students without disabilities. Students with disabilities represent a quarter of students arrested and referred to law enforcement. Students with disabilities represent 58% of students placed in seclusion and 75% of those physically restrained. Black students represent 19% of students with disabilities but 36% of students with disabilities restrained using mechanical restraints. The data snapshot included state-level data.
New Information About Discipline Disparities For Children With Disabilities in Public Schools
The Discipline Disparities Research-to-Practice Collaborative released several resources concerning discipline policies in public schools. The Collaborative produced the resources in response to its findings that students with disabilities are suspended at disproportionately high rates – almost twice as frequently as their peers who do not have disabilities and for longer periods of time. The intersection of race and disability results in even larger disparities. Twenty-five percent of African American students with disabilities were suspended in 2009-10 compared to nine percent of white students with disabilities. The Collaborative reported that during the 2009-10 school year, more than 3 million students in grades K-12 were suspended. The Collaborative is comprised of 26 nationally recognized experts from the social science, education, and legal fields.
Grant Opportunity to Improve Academic Outcomes For Students With Disabilities
The Department of Education announced the start of the $134 million i3 grant competition for 2014. The Investing in Innovation grant competition includes among its six priorities improving academic outcomes for students with disabilities. The notice states:
There is a great need for effective supports to help students with disabilities meet academic content standards, particularly with the transition to new college- and career- ready standards in most school districts.
Letters of intent to submit pre-applications for the development grants, which fund applicants with promising but untested ideas, are due April 3, 2014.