DD Waiver Provider and Support Coordination Rates Restored

The rates for DD waiver providers and support coordination were restored to 2008 levels effective 4/1/2019 using money from the New Opportunities Waiver (NOW) Fund.  You all will recall the Council approved the use of the NOW Fund for this rate restoration at the October 2018 Council meeting and we had hoped the rates would be restored in January 2019.  However, OCDD did not receive the needed approval from the legislature and administration to use the funding to restore the rates at that time.

The rate restoration that went into effect today is through the end of this fiscal year.  Funding will have to be appropriated by the legislature to continue it beyond June 30^th.

Please see attached letter from Julie Foster Hagan that was disseminated to providers and others this morning.

Letter about Restoration of Waiver Fees

AUCD “Celebrating Leadership in Civil Rights”

For AUCD centers and programs across the country, the core civil rights vision of the ADA and other disability rights laws informs the approach we take to improving the lives of children and adults with disabilities and their families.

AUCD highlighted HDC in their “Celebrating Leadership in Civil Rights” Article found here: https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=1095

HDC’s example includes expanding their ‘diverse by design’ model of service delivery by intentionally developing policies to promote socioeconomic and racial integration in early childhood settings and inclusion of children with disabilities (e.g., increased quality, mixed funding and effective inclusion). Additional information on HDC’s efforts can be found here: https://www.aucd.org/template/page.cfm?id=1095#LA

Employment First Trainings Available

HDC in collaboration with Louisiana APSE has upcoming training classes on Employment First for the 40-Hour Core & 5-Hour Continuing Education Credits for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers. (There is a reduced fee for LA APSE members.)

See the LSU HDC Employment Initiatives Website for more information and to register

40 Hour Employment Core Training Certificate for LRS and Medicaid Employment Providers

• Baton Rouge – March 26-28, 2019
• New Orleans – April 16-18, 2019
• Lafayette- May 21-23, 2019
• Additional 5.0-hour classes available, see website for dates and topics

LRS Opens Order of Selection Category 4

Effective February 14, 2019m Louisiana Rehabilitation Services (LRS) opened Order of Selection (OOS) Category 4 and has begun serving those currently on the Category 4 waiting list, in addition to serving new referrals and applicants determined eligible in OOS Categories 1, 2, 3, and 4. See the following letter available in different accessible formats from LRS Director Melissa Bayham:

• PDF format .pdf: Opening OOS 4 – February 2019
• Word document .docx: Accessible Format Opening OOS 4 – Feb2019

ABLE Age Adjustment Act

Sen. Casey together with Sens. Moran, Van Hollen, and Roberts, reintroduced the ABLE Age Adjustment Act(S. 651). The bill makes ABLE accounts available to anyone who has acquired a disability prior to their 46^th birthday. ABLE savings accounts allow people with disabilities to save for disability expenses and long-term needs without risking many of their federal disability benefits, and are currently available only to those who acquire their disability prior to their 26^th birthday, leaving out millions – including veterans – who would otherwise qualify.

Learn more:

• Review information shared during Aging Committee hearing entitled, Supporting Economic Stability and Self-Sufficiency as Americans with Disabilities and their Families Age
• Visit the ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC)
• Watch a TWL about age expansion.

If you feel strongly one way or another:

• Call your Senators: Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Senators to educate them about this bill.

Countdown to Smooth Transitions

Transitions can be difficult for all students, particularly those with ASD and related disabilities.  It is especially tricky if we are asking them to transition from a preferred activity to one that is less preferred. In this webinar we will talk about why the skills necessary for smooth transitions are so hard for our students/children, what we can do to teach or support these skills and tools that can help us to smooth out the rough spots during transitions.

Medicaid Forums Open

Hello friends,

I want to alert you to public forums Medicaid is hosting beginning this week!  Medicaid is seeking public input around updating the Medicaid MCO quality measures.  Developmental screening is one of the proposed quality measures! This is so important because without robust developmental screening programs, children at risk for delay miss the opportunity for timely referral to early intervention therapies.

The Child Core Developmental Screening Measure, Percentage of Medicaid and/or CHIP Enrollees Screened for Risk of Developmental, Behavioral, and Social Delays Using a Standardized Screening Tool in the First 3 Years of Life, reported in 2016 estimated that less than 15% of Louisiana’s children insured by Medicaid received such screenings.  Quality work around developmental screening is a win-win for Louisiana’s children!  Please consider attending these public forums and advocating for the developmental screening measure.

For NOLA partners, the New Orleans Medicaid Quality Forum at Children’s Hospital State Street Conference Center is Wednesday February 20th from 6 – 8 pm.

Please make every effort to attend one of these events and advocate for the developmental screening quality measure.  Share this alert with all partners, everyone’s opinion counts!

Kindest regards.  Patti Barovechio

Quality Public Forums (PDF)

Chairman Scott, Senator Casey, and Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Workers with Disabilities Transition to Competitive, Integrated Employment

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor; Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA); and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) have introduced a bipartisan bill that would allow a series of competitive grants that would ease the transition as Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows subminimum wage, is phased out. Read the full press release on the Transition to Competitive Employment Act here.

Taming the Data Monster

I know teachers get tired of hearing about data, but showing progress of students with ASD is important for everyone who works with them.  In this webinar, we will share many different practical data collections strategies and tips for keeping the data monster tame and organized!

The Matrix and Beyond: Embedding Individualized Instruction

What do you know about embedded instruction?   It’s a way to teach individualized skills during routines and activities across school settings, including the general education classroom.  Sounds complicated, but it’s not!  We’ll break down the steps to planning and implementing embedded instruction to support learning and generalization of skills.  Join us on this journey!