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Hot Off the Press!


National and Around the World


Hot Off the Press! National and Around the World will be updated monthly highlighting the latest national and international disability news. Check out what is happening on the disability-front around the nation.

New Sign February 2010 - Report highlights family caregiving in the US

A new report, issued by the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with the AARP, provides a comprehensive portrait of family careigivers in America. For the first time ever this report also provides statistics on caring for children with special needs. Among the key findings:

  • 65.7 million Americans served as unpaid caregivers to an aged or disabled family member
  • Three in ten households reported that at least one household members served as an unpaid caregiver to either a child or adult within the past 12 months
  • 14% of respondents reported caring for their child with a disability
  • On average, family caregivers spend 20.4 hours per week providing care, but those caring for a child spend an average of 29.7 hours per week
  • 73% or respondents worked while also providing care, among those 66% percent reported a need to come in late, leave early or take time off to care for their family member

    A number of proposals have been developed by policymakers in an effort to ease the burden of caregiving. The most popular among family caregivers is the availability of a $3000 caregiver tax credit. Another popular proposal is a voucher program which allows the care recipient to provide the caregiver a minimum wage payment for some of their hours. Other proposals include respite services to provide a break from caregiving and a partially paid leave of absence from work.

    The report can be downloaded from the AARP website by visiting http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/caregiving_09_es.pdf.

    New Sign Action Alert! - February 2010 - Campaign fights for community based services

    ADAPT has recently launched a national campaign to protect the rights of Americans with disabilities when it comes to choice in long term care. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling 11 years ago that care must be provided in the community, states continue to allocate the majority of their Medicaid dollars to nursing home care. The federal government is doing nothing to correct the actions of the states, forcing thousands of individuals into nursing homes. In an effort to mobilize the Obama administration to enforce the law, ADAPT is calling on the disability community to participate in a three-prong national campaign:

  • Demand that the Obama Administration aggresively enforce the Olmstead Decision

  • File complaints with the Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (Visit: How To File a Complaint with the Office for Civil Rights) and the U.S. Department of Justice (Visit: Submit a Complaint) that document the violation of rights of individuals who have been forced into institutional settings

  • Document the disability community's efforts to fight back against state cuts by e-mailing your stories to defendingourfreedom@gmail.com

    The campaign's progress can be tracked by visiting www.defendingourfreedom2010.blogspot.com.

    New Sign February 2010 - SSA launches new website for Social Security Disability Beneficiaries who want to work

    The Social Security Administration has developed a new website dedicated to their Ticket to Work Program for individuals with disabilities. The Ticket to Work program provides a voucher that eligible individuals with disbilities can use to pay for employment-related services. This program has been largely underutilized and is simply waiting for you to tap into it. If you are currently receiving Social Security Disability Benefits and are interested in going to work, check out the Choose Work website at www.choosework.net.

    New Sign February 2010 - Think Beyond the Label - New campaign works to bust myths related to hiring workers with disabilities

    Think Beyond the Label has a simple goal - to raise awareness that hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense. Many employers continue to be "scared off" by the prospect of hiring an individual with a disability. This campaign aims to educate employers on available hiring incentives and to connect employers to qualified candidates with disabilities. Their website features a Business Case for hiring individuals with disabilities, a Tax Incentives Tip Sheet and Best Practices for finding qualified workers.

    Get your reality check by visiting www.thinkbeyondthelabel.com.

    New Sign February 2010 - Report highlights state of housing in America for people with disabilities

    The National Countil on Disability has recently issued The State of Housing in America in the 21st Century: A Disability Perspective. This report looks at the state of housing for people with disabilities with the intent to provide recommendations that can improve housing opportunities. The report found that affordability continues to be a major factor in the availability of housing for people with disabilities and that existing laws are doing little to increase the supply of accessible, affordable housing. The report also provides evidence of what can be effective in meeting the range of housing needs among a diverse group of consumers with disabilities. This includes best and promising practices drawn from real examples, and lessons learned from experts working on housing issues and policy. To read this report in its entirety, visit www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2010/NCD_Housing_Report508.pdf.

    January 2010 - Extra Help available to seniors and disabled for prescription drug costs

    Under a new law that changes what counts as income, more Medicare beneficiaries could qualify for Extra Help with their Medicare prescription drug plan costs. More specifically, it eliminates the cash value of life insurance from counting as a resource. Second, it eliminates the assistance people receive from others to pay for household expenses, such as food, rent, mortgage or utilities, from counting as income. Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for Extra Help could save an estimated $3,900 per year. To qualify, a person must be on Medicare, have limited income and resources, and reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. To learn if you qualify, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp.

    January 2010 - Medicaid expenditures for aged/physically disabled biased towards nursing home care

    Despite the 1999 Supreme Court Olmstead decision, which held that unnecessary institutionalization is discrimination against people with disabilities, and an overwhelming desire among the aged and individuals with disabilities to receive care in their home, Medicaid is continuing to spend two-thirds of long-term care dollars on institutional care. In FY 2008, only 4 states, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, spent more for community care versus nursing home care.

    Hot Off the Press! Archives
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