Health and Wellness Resouces

Click on this link to access the Sonoran UCEDD Health & Wellness website.

The purpose of this website is to make it easier to find useful health and wellness information on the internet. It is primarily for individuals with developmental disabilities who want information to help them make choices about healthy living, and also for caregivers who support individuals with developmental disabilities.

Packed with lots of links and contacts for resources and it is very user friendly!

CNN Article: Children forced into cell-like school seclusion rooms

CNN.com. December 17, 2008

A few weeks before 13-year-old Jonathan King killed himself, he told his parents that his teachers had put him in "time-out."

"We thought that meant go sit in the corner and be quiet for a few minutes," Tina King said, tears washing her face as she remembered the child she called "our baby ... a good kid."

But time-out in the boy's north Georgia special education school was spent in something akin to a prison cell -- a concrete room latched from the outside, its tiny window obscured by a piece of paper.

Called a seclusion room, it's where in November 2004, Jonathan hanged himself with a cord a teacher gave him to hold up his pants.

An attorney representing the school has denied any wrongdoing.

Seclusion rooms, sometimes called time-out rooms, are used across the nation, generally for special needs children. Critics say that along with the death of Jonathan, many mentally disabled and autistic children have been injured or traumatized...

Click here for the complete article.

FAQ for NOW/COMP waivers

The office of DD has posted on their website a page of Frequently Asked Questions about the NOW and COMP Waivers. View the page here.

Also, Linda Wilson attended the DHR meeting on the new waiver last week. She is sharing her notes with all of us because for now, the trainings will be only in held in Macon and Atlanta. Thanks Linda!

December 8, 2008

Dr. Hall:

Separate allocation from rates.
Let families decide how to spend funds—gives them choices.
NSE and CHSS unbundled per Fed.
Rollout over one year.
Rates—required to do a rate analysis prior to 10/31/2009.
Still ranked 50th in funding in services for DD funding.
o 9th in new funding.
o 17th in wealth.
o 5th moving out of institutions—Olmstead.

Darlene:

Transition—NOW and COMP.
Services overview.
Region contacts.
Participant Directed Services list.

Doris:

Participant direction
Option—how and who delivers services.
o Participant in control:
Can use traditional agencies
Can handle yourself:
• All about choices:
o Services.
o How get services.
o How delivered.
o When delivered.
o Amount delivered.
Can use traditional and self-directed.
Centered around meeting needs of individual.
o Co-employer
Self-direct services but have traditional provider handle employee issues.
Do same function as Acumen.
Support Services Provider.
o FSS:- for self-direct you must have Financial Support Services provider
Today Acumen is the only provider, need more so have a choice, others are applying.
You do time sheets, etc.
Provider handles:
• HR services.
• Pay employees.
o Support Coordinator—work with SC:
To do FSS
Or co-employer option.
o Can opt out of FSS if don’t like it.
o Community Guides.
o Can have combination of self-directed and agency.
o PA—Prior Authorization—work with SC.
o Community Access—category for summer camps.

NOW/COMP:

NOW—mostly for those who live at home; extremely flexible.
COMP—for those who do not live in family home; generally need more services.
Ladder to move from NOW to COMP when required.
Exceptional rate—do anything to keep individuals out of institutions or nursing homes.
Respite—Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) is part of DHR.
o If two or more adults served in a facility require personal care license.
o Host home legislation—not under ORS regulation; can be respite homes.
COMP—for individuals needing more than $25K.
Rate caps on new waiver—Lower than providers currently charging.

Unbundle of NSE:

Perceived loss of services.
Individual situations—need to review with DD office individually.
Office of DD applying to Federal for changes to certain rates.
Has asked for individuals to give:
o Name.
o Contact number.
o So they can be contacted to discuss individual issues.
Dental Services—work to add to available services.
o Self-directing: can use “Individual Directed Goods and Services.”
o If under age 21, can be done by state.
Families cannot be reimbursed or handled by self-direct. Must be in ISP.
DHR reorganization:
o Standalone Division of DD, will still have regional systems.
Developing user manuals and guides to be able to understand details more easily.
o Available in January—“hopefully.”
o Thirteen overnight days for respite-today.
1244 15 minute units up to max of 3744
3744 units (15 minutes) per year.
250 hours.
ABA Services—new ways to handle.
o Community Access Services.
o Community Living Services.
August 1 started: Quality Assurance Initiative
o 3 to 1 funding from Fed.
Category caps are creating problems.
DCH leadership changes?
o More—can do.
Transportation issues.
o To fix permanently.
o Individuals decide.
Will post answer to questions on website: FAQ’s.
o Go to: What’s New with the Waivers?
Day Habilitation—Community access group, unbundle of prevocational support
o Prevocational support.
Day Support—Community access group, unbundled of prevocational support.
o Plus supported employment.
Chapter 1200—Respite documentation.
Dr. Hall will come to other locations.
Vendors can enroll to provide products such as diapers, etc.
o More applying or do separately through self-direct.
NSE and CHSS
o Had to be changed on 11/1.
o Others will changes when ISP is written on birthday.
If not getting answers from SC, contact the Office of DD.

Woman seeks ‘opportunity garden’ for people with special needs

One of Partners Graduate Nalini Isaac's pet projects combining gardening and providing transition opportunities for our kids has just taken off, with an article in the Macon Telegraph on Mon Dec 8th. This is one avenue to get to her Legislators.

Excerpt from article in Macon Telegraph on 12-8-08:

‘Nalini Isaac, a gardener and mother of a 25-year-old woman with Down syndrome, is trying to make an ‘Opportunity Garden ‘for people with disabilities a reality.’“I think it can provide opportunities to a variety of different community members said Isaac’. That’s why Cherry says she likes the idea of a garden designed for people with special needs.’

Please click here for full article.

Governor Perdue Announces November Revenue Figures

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that net revenue collections for the month of November 2008 (FY09) totaled $1,419,543,000 compared to $1,399,595,000 for November 2007 (FY08), an increase of $19,948,000 or 1.4 percent.

The percentage decrease year-to-date for FY09 compared to FY08 is -1.3 percent.

The detailed numbers will be posted here, on the Governor's website at: www.georgia.gov. Check back.

Study: Autism costs strain family finances

National survey shows impact of caring for a child with chronic disorder.

More than half a million U.S. children have autism with costly health care needs that often put an unprecedented financial strain on their families, national data show.

Compared with parents whose youngsters have chronic health care needs but not autism, those with autistic children are three times more likely to have to quit their jobs or reduce work hours to care for their kids. They pay more for their kids' health needs, spend more time providing or arranging for that care, and are more likely to have money difficulties, the study found.

"This is the first national survey that looked at the impact on families of having kids with special health care needs," said lead author Michael Kogan, a researcher with the government's Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Click here to read the entire article from MSNBC.

Family Forum in Macon, Dec. 15th

The Division of MHDDAD Office of Developmental Disabilities
will host an Evening Family Forum in Macon for
Waiver Participants, Representatives, Families, and Support Networks

Georgia’s ‘New’ DD Waivers:
“NOW” and “COMP”

When: Monday, December 15, 2008, 6:00 - 8:30pm

Where: The Anderson Conference Center, Atrium
5171 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon, GA 31206, 478-471-4864
For driving directions, please go to:
http://my.georgia.org/net/org/info.aspx?s=145045.0.27.3011

AGENDA

The Family Forum will provide an overview of the two new federal Medicaid waivers and plans for implementing the changes in 2008:

NOW: New Options Waiver for persons who live with family members or in their own home, and
COMP: Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program for persons who need a full range of out-of-home services or intensive, in-home services who do not otherwise quality for the NOW program

This seminar is the second in a series of events designed to educate participants, families, and representatives about the “new” waivers which are designed to offer persons more control over how their service dollars are spent. The session will include overviews of both waivers and specific roles and responsibilities for participants, representatives, families, and support networks.

Refreshments will be available for session attendees.

If accommodation is needed (interpreter, etc), please send your request promptly via email to RegistrationMHDDAD@dhr.state.ga.us or call Mat Winer at 404-463-0796.

Please Register by December 8, 2008, by clicking here!!

Family Forum in Metro Atlanta, Dec. 8th

The Division of MHDDAD Office of Developmental Disabilities
will host an Evening Family Forum in Metro Atlanta (Gwinnett) for
Waiver Participants, Representatives, Families, and Support Networks

Georgia’s ‘New’ DD Waivers:
“NOW” and “COMP”

When: Monday, December 8, 2008, 6:00 -- 8:30pm

Where: The Busbee Center at Gwinnett Technical College, Banquet Hall
5150 Sugarloaf Parkway, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, 770-962-7580
For driving directions, please go to:
http://www.busbeecenter.com/content.cfm?PageCode=maps


AGENDA

The Family Forum will provide an overview of the two new federal Medicaid waivers and plans for implementing the changes in 2008:

NOW: New Options Waiver for persons who live with family members or in their own home, and
COMP: Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program for persons who need a full range of out-of-home services or intensive, in-home services who do not otherwise quality for the NOW program

This seminar is the second in a series of events designed to educate participants, families, and representatives about the “new” waivers which are designed to offer persons more control over how their service dollars are spent. The session will include overviews of both waivers and specific roles and responsibilities for participants, representatives, families, and support networks.

Refreshments will be available for session attendees.

If accommodation is needed (interpreter, etc), please send your request promptly via email to RegistrationMHDDAD@dhr.state.ga.us or call Mat Winer at 404-463-0796.

Click here for registration.

Seeking Advocates for waiver funding at the Capitol

We're seeking advocates to come to the Capitol during the upcoming legislative session (January, February, March 2009) to talk with senators & representatives about funding DD waivers (the former MRWP & ICWP waivers). We will provide you with a how to do it lesson and our eternal thanks. With a very constricted state budget looming it's more important than ever to talk with as many legislators as possible to impress upon them the priority need for this funding. If you can spare half a day, a whole day or a "mom day," we could use your help!

Please contact Rita Haggerty at haggertyr@earthlink.net or 404-405-5855 to volunteer.

All Call For Proposals

Hello.

I am currently enrolled in the Gwinnett County Leadership Institute. My project team is putting on the first Gwinnett Family Conference on Saturday, March 7, 2009. My role in this is to make this an inclusive conference for parents with children with and without disabilities. It is my first step toward my life’s work to make the inclusion of persons with disabilities a reality in our communities.

I have come to know so many incredible people in Gwinnett County who are very willing to open the doors to inclusion. The Gwinnett Family Conference is one of those doors. However, inclusion will only work if you walk through those doors with me.

The focus of the Gwinnett Family workshop is to give parents the knowledge, skills and connections they will need to be involved in their children’s lives. While the conference is being held at Meadowcreek High School, parental involvement is not just with regard to children’s education. For many parents, however, being involved in their children’s education is a giant first step.

We will be needing workshop leaders on topics related to persons with disabilities and to persons without disabilities. We will also be having tables where organizations who support the focus of the Conference can provide information. There is no fee for these tables. We will also be needing assistance on the day of the conference, especially with activities to entertain the children and teens while their parents attend workshops. Workshops for children are also a possibility.

We would need to have a proposal for a workshop by December 12th. If that deadline is stopping you from making a proposal and a commitment, please express that so we may work with you.

Below is some preliminary information about the Gwinnett Family Conference. Please consider being involved. I would also appreciate it if you can forward this email to anyone you might know who might be a contributor.

Thank you for listening. I hope you will get involved and get others to get involved.

Paula H. Krone
phkrone@mindspring.com

Click here for more information.

Stimulus package would provide state budget relief to Georgia

(ATLANTA) - A briefing released today finds that the economic stimulus packages being considered by the U.S. House and Senate would provide more than $300 million in state budget relief to Georgia in the form of higher federal payments through the Medicaid and PeachCare programs.

As both the national and state economic situation continues to deteriorate, Georgia’s budget and its citizens are further squeezed. While a declining economy brings with it declining state revenues, it also brings growing demand for services as jobs are lost, healthcare costs increase, and wages fail to grow. Declining revenue combined with already low state expenditures threatens crucial services to Georgians in need.

In order to assist states across the country, an effort is underway in the U.S. House and Senate to pass additional economic stimulus legislation that includes direct financial assistance to states in need. One method, which was also used in federal fiscal relief efforts in 2003, is to increase payments to states through the Medicaid and SCHIP (PeachCare in Georgia) programs. This method is especially useful because it helps to immediately address state budget shortfalls and involves low administrative costs as it builds on existing programs.

Click here to read the briefing.

Special Announcement: "New" DD Waiver Informational Sessions for Families

PLEASE FORWARD THIS LINK TO FAMILIES AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN DD SERVICES.

Waiver participants, families, representatives, support networks, and advocacy groups are invited to attend an informational session about Georgia's "New" DD Waivers.

Two sessions will be held, one in the Metro Atlanta area on the evening of Monday, December 8, 2008 and the other in Macon on the evening of Monday, December 15, 2008.

Please help us to reach families throughout Georgia by distributing the two announcements posted on the Division of MHDDAD training website at where they can be printed or downloaded.

Registration online is quick and easy at www.cviog.uga.edu/training/dhr and the announcement includes details about how to do this. Because refreshments will be provided, please register so that we will know how many people to expect.

Information about how to request special accommodations is included in the announcement. Questions can be emailed to: RegistrationMHDDAD@dhr.state.ga.us

Governor Perdue Announces October Revenue Figures

Governor Sonny Perdue announced that net revenue collections for the month of October 2008 (FY09) totaled $1,386,860,000 compared to $1,387,997,000 for October 2007 (FY08), a decrease of $1,137,000 or 0.1 percent.

The percentage decrease year-to-date for FY09 compared to FY08 is 2.0 percent.

Click here to access the link to the details of October Revenue Figures.

NY family opposes end to care for brain-dead boy

NEW YORK (AP) - A Washington hospital has asked a judge for permission to stop treating a brain-dead 12-year-old cancer patient, even though his ultra-religious New York parents want to keep him on life support.

Motl Brody of Brooklyn was pronounced dead this week after a half-year fight against a brain tumor, and doctors at Children's National Medical Center in Washington say the seventh-grader's brain has ceased functioning entirely.

But for the past few days, a machine has continued to inflate and deflate his lungs. As of late Friday afternoon, his heart was still beating with the help of a cocktail of intravenous drugs and adrenaline.

That heartbeat has prompted Motl's parents, who are Orthodox Jews, to refuse the hospital's request to remove all artificial life support.

Under some interpretations of Jewish religious law, including the one accepted by the family's Hasidic sect, death occurs only when the heart and lungs stop functioning.

That means Motl "is alive, and his family has a religious obligation to secure all necessary and appropriate medical treatment to keep him alive," the family's attorney wrote in a court filing this week.

The family has asked the hospital to leave the breathing machine on and keep administering drugs until the boy's heart and lungs no longer respond.

Disagreements between families and medical providers over when to end care for terminally ill patients are common, experts say, but this case wound up in court with unusual speed.

Unlike Terri Schiavo or Karen Ann Quinlan, who became the subjects of right-to-die battles when they suffered brain damage and became unconscious, Motl's condition has deteriorated beyond a persistent vegetative state, his physicians say. His brain has died entirely, according to an affidavit filed by one of his doctors.

His eyes are fixed and dilated. His body neither moves nor responds to stimulation. His brain stem shows no electrical function, and his brain tissue has begun to decompose.

"This is death at its simplest," the hospital's lawyers wrote in a court filing.

The hospital said it would help the family move what it called the boy's "earthly remains" to another medical facility, but has found none willing to accept a brain-dead child.

The dispute wound up in court Sunday, when the family asked a federal judge to block the hospital from doing any further tests for brain activity.

Click here to read the entire article.

Special Needs Gift and Toy Fair November 15th

How to Make Toys Work for Your Child this Holiday Season

Sponsored by:
Metro East Center of the Georgia Learning Resources System (GLRS)
Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities (AADD)
DeKalb Developmental Disabilities Council

Date:Saturday, November 15, 2008

Time:9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

Place:Metro East GLRS
2415-C North Druid Hills Road, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30329
678-676-2417

Hands-on access to toys

Demonstrations for parents

Using toys to enhance your child’s social skills
Using toys to enhance your child’s language skills
Adapting toys to use switches

Door prizes

Appropriate for All Ages and Abilities

Drop by and try out a variety of adapted and “off the shelf” toys and gifts appropriate for individuals with special needs. Vendors will be displaying items for you to view and your child to enjoy. Ordering information will be available.

NOTE: In order to make this a memorable day for your child with special needs, we ask that parents bring only their special needs child to this fair.


*Metro East GLRS is housed in the Jim Cherry Teacher Center across the street from Target and Taco Bell. We share a building with Open Campus High School and DeKalb School of the Arts. Come in through the red doors.*

Australia: No residency for boy with Down syndrome

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Thirteen-year-old Lukas Moeller has Down syndrome. His father is a doctor who came to Australia from Germany to help fill a shortage of physicians in rural communities.

But now Australia has rejected Dr. Bernhard Moeller's application for residency, saying Lukas does not meet the "health requirement" and would pose a burden on taxpayers for his medical care, education and other services.

The case has provoked an outcry in the rural region of southeastern Victoria state, where Moeller is the only internal medicine specialist for a community of 54,000 people. Residents rallied outside Moeller's practice this week demanding the decision be overturned, and hundreds of Internet and radio complaints from across the country bombarded media outlets Friday.

Moeller vowed to fight the immigration department ruling.

"We like to live here, we have settled in well, we are welcomed by the community here and we don't want to give up just because the federal government doesn't welcome my son," he told reporters Friday.

The doctor has powerful supporters. Victoria Premier John Brumby has pledged to support the family's appeal, and federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said Friday she would speak to the immigration minister about the case.

Moeller moved to Australia two years ago with his wife Isabella, their daughter Sarah, 21, and sons Lukas and Felix, 17, to help fill a critical need for doctors in rural areas. They settled in Horsham, a town of 20,000 located about 100 miles northwest of Melbourne.

Moeller's temporary work visa is valid until 2010, but his application for permanent residence was rejected this week.

In its decision, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship cited Lukas' "existing medical condition," saying it was "likely to result in a significant and ongoing cost to the Australian community," according to a statement Thursday.

"This is not discrimination. A disability in itself is not grounds for failing the health requirement - it is a question of the cost implications to the community," the statement said.

Moeller said immigration authorities did not take into account the family's ability to provide Lukas with the care he needs.

"They think he is a burden for the Australian community," Moeller told the Melbourne radio station 3AW. "But we are absolutely able to support him and I don't want him to rely on any government pension anyway. He's well looked after. And actually he can contribute to the community here. He already is contributing to it."

Immigration officials "weren't even interested in what we have done and are able to do for him," the doctor added.

Moeller said Lukas attends a mainstream elementary school, where he has an aide, and receives speech therapy. The boy also plays soccer, cricket, golf and table tennis.

Cora Halder, head of the Down Syndrome InfoCenter in Germany, called the decision outlandish.

"The case with the Australian authorities is disappointing and unacceptable - especially because Australia has very advanced programs for people with Down syndrome, far more than in Germany," she told The Associated Press.

David Tolleson, executive director of the Atlanta-based National Down Syndrome Congress, agreed.

"What is the cost implication to the community of a doctor shortage?" Tolleson asked. "I assume the son had the same costs for the last two years and they were happy to have the family and use the dad as a doctor."

Click here to read the complete article.

Exciting News! Our New Waivers Are Here November 1, 2008

M E M O R A N D U M

TO: Persons with Developmental Disabilities; His or Her Family and Providers of Services

FROM: Stephen Hall, Ph.D., Director, Office of Developmental Disabilities

RE: Exciting News! Our New Waivers Are Here November 1, 2008

DHR Regional Offices: Please Immediately Distribute Widely to all Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Their Families and Providers of Services. If you receive this after November 27, 2008, please notify the Georgia Office of Developmental Disabilities.

Well finally! After three years of trying, the Federal Medicaid Office (CMS) and the Georgia Department of Community Health and those of us working in the Office of Developmental Disabilities within MHDDAD have our new waivers and services ready to go live on November 1 and we have a CMS approved waiver implementation plan to transition everyone into the new services over twelve months beginning this November.

And yes, everybody will have an individual budget based on his or her needs. Providers want to know what their big budget will be for the coming year and here it is: providers can safely predict it will be almost identical to last year’s budget. We have been spared cuts in services for persons in waiver services. Remember the big deal for Georgia’s new Medicaid waivers is our shift from a provider-centered system to person-centered system where individual families get their son or daughter’s budgets in the month that is two months before their son or daughter’s birthday month. This will give persons with disabilities plenty of time to choose their providers over the next twelve months.

Of course some providers are worried about how much money there will be and whether the person and their family will still choose them. Not to worry – there has been a legislative approved increase in funds to serve persons with developmental disabilities again this year and information from the seventeen other states that now offer self-directed supports and individual budgets says that 95% of families will stay with their current provider the first year, and only 10% of families every year will choose a different provider. Good providers already understand that a system that gives the family –the customer the choice—will bring more and more families.

and the necessary funding their way. In fact, good providers can expect to grow two to three times larger from families choosing to have their allocated funds given to these good providers.

So information about each person’s individual budget will flow first to the Support Coordinator who will inform the family so they can begin deciding what services will be provided in agreement with the needs identified in the person’s individual service plan, and they, the family will decide how much of the money goes to which providers that they choose. This turns the Developmental Disability system into a much more free American system where families are in charge of service and funding rather than the money going from the government to a provider and then the family having to go there to find out how much they got. I know this new way of doing business empowering families will make some providers nervous, but if you are a good provider you have nothing at all to worry about. They will still choose you.

Despite telling good providers that they can stop worrying about the money, worrying if families will choose them, some providers will still be worried. Again, good providers have nothing in the world to worry about. Mediocre providers probably do. Families will look out after their own son and daughter’s best interests and they will make sure that the taxpayer’s dollars they are using go to those providers that can do their son or daughter the most good.

We have conducted over 54 community forums and have spoken in person to more than 9000 families directly about these changes. And while an overwhelming number of persons with disabilities and their families love and will love these changes, as do most providers of services, there are some, some even good providers who are afraid they are going to lose funds to provide services. They must not be! In fact most providers will experience no change but receive the potential for increased funding, that is if the family chooses them to do all of their son or daughter’s services.

This is an exciting time for Georgians receiving these new individually funded waivers based on each person’s exact need, but not everybody wins.

Taxpayers win because their money is used to meet the exact needs of the individual person through individual allocation to meet that particular person’s exact needs. Families win because so many things that were not possible for their loved ones to be supported in the community during the day, in the evenings, and weekends are now possible in the new waivers. Providers win because good providers know what they are and will use the new funding to serve even more people. The only losers when the customer is in charge are mediocre providers that had the false security of a government contract for the money. Now it will be the families’ choice.

Safeguards are already in place to ensure that only DHR regional offices approved funds go to pre-authorized vendors of services. A lot of people have to say “yes” before the public funds are used but this time the first yes comes from the person and their family.

We will be fighting rumors and deliver on our promises to families who have fought so hard for these changes in Georgia. If you have something good to say or have a success story to tell, please share it with everyone. Nobody knows everything and we will make some mistakes in this month by month transition. We will stay in touch through our new website and as always by direct communication in your local communities. November 2008 through October 2009, the new Developmental Disability waiver transition months are truly great days for Georgians with developmental disabilities.

Peace, Love, Harmony . . . and the IFSP/IEP?

Developing an Effective Partnership
with your Child's Special Education Team
Training in Gwinnett County
7pm - 8:30pm
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Five Forks Public Library
Five Forks Trickum and Ronald Reagan
Lawrenceville, GA


Join Parent to Parent of Georgia and learn how you can become an effective communicator and be a more effective partner with your child's IFSP/IEP team.

This interactive 2-hour workshop will teach effective communication,
good listening skills, tips to defuse conflict, how to organize and
plan for meetings and includes information about how an IEP Buddy
can help you be an effective team member.

For more information, contact:

Parent to Parent of Georgia
1-800-229-2038
www.parenttoparentofga.org.

2008 Regional Conference on Down Syndrome and Other Disabilities

Celebrating the Journey:
YESTERDAY TODAY & TOMORROW

Nov 7–9, 2008

Atlanta Perimeter Marriott Hotel

JOIN FELLOW MEMBERS, NEW PARENTS, SELF-ADVOCATES AND PROFESSIONALS TO LEARN OF THE LATEST ADVANCES BY AND FOR PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME, NETWORK WITH OTHERS, AND CELEBRATE AT THE 30th ANNIVERSARY GRAND GALA DINNER DANCE!

BRIAN SKOTKO, KATHRYN SOPER, MITCHELL LEVITZ, PAT BAUER, ALL PROMINENT NATIONAL SPEAKERS PLUS EXCELLENT LOCAL PROFESSIONALS WILL OFFER YOU DOZENS OF WORKSHOPS AND PRESENTATIONS THAT WILL EDUCATE, INSPIRE, AND EMPOWER YOU!

About the Keynote Speakers:

Friday November 7
Mitchell Levitz is a Disabilities Specialist at the Westchester Institute for Human Development, a University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities affiliated with New York Medical College. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Down Syndrome Society and was the recipient of the 2004 Dan Piper Self-Advocacy Award. In addition to Count Us in: Growing Up with Down Syndrome, Mitchell contributed material to eight books including authoring two chapters “Voices of Self-Advocates” in Human Rights of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities: Different but Equal published by Oxford University Press in 2003 and “Self-Advocacy for a Good Life in Our Older Years” in Aging Rights, and Quality of Life: Prospects for Older People with Developmental Disabilities published by Paul H. Brookes in 1999.

Sunday November 9
Patricia E. Bauer is a journalist who has served as senior editor of the Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine; special assistant to the publisher of the Washington Post; reporter and bureau chief at the Washington Post, and pundit on public affairs television in Los Angeles. Bauer is a former member of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UCLA, where she participated in the ethical review of federally funded medical research on human subjects, and has addressed national and regional conferences on the rights of patients and people with disabilities. During the Carter years, she worked in the White House press office as editor of the White House News Summary. Bauer and her husband are among the founders of the Pathway Program at UCLA, a post-secondary program for young adults with intellectual disabilities. They are the parents of two young adults, one of whom has Down syndrome and is a survivor of leukemia.

Saturday November 8
Kathryn Lynard Soper is a mother of seven children, teenage to toddler; her youngest, Thomas, has Down syndrome. She is editor of Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives (Woodbine House, 2007) and is currently working on a companion volume. Her memoir about mothering Thomas, The Year My Son and I Were Born, will be published by the Globe Pequot Press in March, 2009. Kathryn is the founder and president of The Segullah Group, a nonprofit organization which produces literary works to benefit individuals, families, and communities. Her website is www.kathrynlynardsoper.com

Friday November 7
Brian Skotko, M.D., M.P.P., a resident physician at Children's Hospital Boston and Boston Medical Center, has dedicated his professional energies toward children with cognitive and development disabilities. In 2001 he co-authored the national award-winning book, Common Threads: Celebrating Life with Down Syndrome. He is a graduate of Duke University, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Brian recently authored major research on how physicians deliver a diagnosis of Down syndrome to new and expectant parents. He has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, NPR’s On Point, and ABC’s Good Morning America. Brian serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and the National Down Syndrome Society. He further serves on the Professional Advisory Council to the National Down Syndrome Congress. His website is www.brianskotko.com

Click here for more information.

Register for the 30th Anniversary Gala Celebration – Banquet, Program, and Dance. Send name(s) and check for $65 per adult to DSAA, 4355 J Cobb Parkway #213, Atlanta, GA 30339. Or click here to register online.

Click here for the Program.

Governor Perdue Announces September Revenue Figures

Governor Sonny Perdue announced October 8 that net revenue collections for the month of September 2008 (FY09) totaled $1,632,334,000 compared to $1,561,749,000 for September 2007 (FY08), an increase of $70,585,000 or 4.5 percent.

The percentage decrease year-to-date for FY09 compared to FY08 is 2.6 percent.

Please click here for the detailed document.

NOTES FROM THE SENATE
BY SENATOR JACK HILL,
4th DISTRICT

October 3, 2008

Here's the "Skinny" on the Constitutional Amendments on the General Election Ballot.

There are three Amendments to the Georgia Constitution on the Ballot Georgians will be voting on in the next three weeks. At least one of the Amendments is controversial but all three can be difficult for the casual reader to learn about. A good place to start is the website of the Association of County Commissioners, www.ACCG.org which has good information including a video on each amendment.

First of all, these amendments if passed, would AUTHORIZE STATE LAW to be passed to put these provisions into effect. So the passage of the Constitutional Amendments is not the final word on the content of the provisions. Secondly, it is also useful to remember that of all of the possible constitutional amendments introduced, only these three garnered the two thirds majority in the Legislature to be placed on the ballot, so they all had to have bipartisan support for you to have the opportunity to consider them.

AMENDMENT ONE - Would put into place a structure that would allow forestland owners to keep properties of over 200 acres from being subject to rising property values and valuation. The owner would agree not to develop the property but to leave in natural state for at least 15 years. Local governments would be compensated for the loss in tax revenue through a state program.

This is seen as a way to promote "Green Space" without the state actually purchasing properties and taking them completely off the tax rolls. If the owner reneges on the agreement, there are severe penalties to include obligation for the property taxes that would have been levied if the property had not been in the program. The Amendment also authorizes the payment of grants to local governments in lieu of the ad valorem taxes.

So far, conservationists and others such as the Georgia Forestry Association are supporting the amendment because it would protect lands in fast-growing areas from development and perpetuate the states tree-growing industry. County Governments are generally supportive, but the state School Board group is opposed because of the potential the state might not back up its commitment to replace the funds and school districts would be losers.

AMENDMENT TWO - Legalizes and restores a process that was ongoing before the State Supreme Court disallowed it. Redevelopment projects or Tax Allocation Districts (TADs) had become very popular in the Metro part of the state as a vehicle for development of blighted or non-tax producing properties. Again as in Amendment One, TADs involve freezing property tax values while redevelopment is going on. Tax revenue increases are reinvested in the properties. When finished, new taxes are collected when properties are sold or utilized based on the increased, developed value. School taxes, which can make up to TWO THIRDS of local property taxes are an important part of any approach such as this but their participation had been ruled unconstitutional by the Court. Under this amendment, school districts retain rights to decline participation. Without this amendment, most projects will not generate the savings to make investment in some areas feasible. Again, local governments are generally favorable to this amendment.

AMENDMENT THREE - Would authorize "private communities" to obligate future landowners for repayment of development costs. These self-contained communities have been developed in Florida and basically involve the complete costs of developing a community to be borne by the taxes and income from the residents and property owners of the development. This normally includes all infrastructure costs including roads, schools, etc.

Local governments have the say-so under this amendment to approve or disapprove these developments. Some are opposed because future property owners would owe payments to both the development and property taxes to local governments. Proponents say that potential buyers would have to be satisfied at the value of the property to make the investment and that these "planned communities" will offer the amenities wanted by future owners at no cost to local property taxpayers. Local governments have been generally supportive of the present form of this amendment.

VOTING EARLY
In case you had not noticed, voting early this year is more accessible and voter-friendly than ever before. Early voting started September 22, 45 days from Election Day. Today and until Friday, October 31, voters can go the local elections office or designated location and vote on the spot, no excuses needed. Just show a valid ID and vote early. For absentee ballots, you can pick up an application and mail it back to the Elections Office. Upon verification of signatures, a ballot will be mailed to the voter who can then mail it in or even fax the ballot in.

Georgia is expecting over one million voters to vote before Election Day with another three million possibly voting on Election Day.

Friday, October 31 is the last day for voting early.
Info? Try www.sos.ga.gov/ElectionCenter

234 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-5038 (phone)
(404) 657-7094 (fax)
E-mail at Jack.Hill@senate.ga.gov
Or Call Toll-Free at
1-800-367-3334 Day or Night
Reidsville office: (912) 557-3811

Urgent message from GAO

The Georgia Advocacy Office has asked for our help in getting this message out to families who have been denied the Katie Beckett Waiver. Please send this out to your networks.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To: Katie Beckett Parents

From: Georgia Advocacy Office

Date: October 3, 2008

RE: Katie Beckett Appeals and Motions for Summary Determination


It has come to our attention that many of you are being contacted by attorneys representing the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) about Katie Beckett appeals that you filed back in 2006 and 2007. We are concerned that DCH is employing scare tactics to get families to withdraw their appeals. Unfortunately, the GAO does not have the resources to provide individual legal representation to the hundreds of families affected by DCH’s actions. We are, however, committed to providing technical assistance in public forums and through communications on our website and through listservs to families so that they may be able to effectively advocate on behalf of their children.

We would like to briefly clarify a couple of matters about the appeal process:

• The lawyers for DCH have been filing what is called a Motion for Summary Determination with the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH). Under the OSAH rules (found at www.osah.ga.gov/documents/procedures/rules%20of%20procedure.pdf), you have twenty (20) days to respond to this motion.

• If you are going to be unable to respond within the 20 day time period, please fax a letter to OSAH staff attorney Jill Shotzberger, fax # (404)818-3716, at OSAH requesting a thirty (30) day extension to file a response to the Motion. Send a copy of your letter to the lawyer for DCH who sent the Motion for Summary Determination. Your letter should indicate your child’s name, a case number if you have one and an indication that you are appealing pro se (i.e., not represented by an attorney).

• If you have missed the twenty (20) day response time, don’t panic. You should still fax a letter to Ms. Shotzberger informing her that you have missed the filing deadline and that you wish to pursue your appeal and you request a thirty (30) day extension of time to respond. Send a copy of your letter to the lawyer for DCH who sent the Motion for Summary Determination.

• Please know that if your request for an extension is granted, it may be for less than the 30 days you have requested.

We are developing sample documents that you may wish to use in your appeal. One of those documents will be a sample Response to the Motion for Summary Determination. We will let you know when those documents are available and how to obtain them via email and listservs.

Please visit the OSAH website, http://www.osah.ga.gov/. Two helpful links are “About OSAH” and “Proceeding Pro Se: How to Present My Case.” The procedural rules for your appeal OSAH are located through the link “About OSAH” where you will click on “Procedural Rules” and then click “Administrative Rules of Procedure.”

If you are going to withdraw your appeal, we suggest that you sign a settlement agreement that clearly states that the State will not seek any reimbursement for any services or treatments paid for by DCH/Medicaid in exchange for your withdrawal of the appeal. Do not agree to give up your right to re-apply for Katie Beckett in the future.

We will be providing more information about Katie Beckett at a public forum on Tuesday, October 7th, from 1 pm to 4 pm at the State Bar Headquarters at 101 Marietta Street, 3rd Floor, Atlanta, GA 30303. (www.gabar.org/parking_deck/ - See bottom of the web page for directions, MARTA information, and parking) We are exploring other options for providing educational opportunities for families in the near future about this very important topic.



This document should not be construed as legal advice and this document does not create an attorney-client relationship.

DHR Memorandum: Exciting News! Our New Waivers Are Here November 1, 2008

September 26, 2008

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:Persons with Developmental Disabilities; His or Her Family and Providers of Services

FROM:Stephen Hall, Ph.D., Director, Office of Developmental Disabilities

RE:Exciting News! Our New Waivers Are Here November 1, 2008

DHR Regional Offices: Please Immediately Distribute Widely to all Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Their Families and Providers of Services. If you receive this after November 27, 2008, please notify the Georgia Office of Developmental Disabilities.

Well finally! After three years of trying, the Federal Medicaid Office (CMS) and the Georgia Department of Community Health and those of us working in the Office of Developmental Disabilities within MHDDAD have our new waivers and services ready to go live on November 1 and we have a CMS approved waiver implementation plan to transition everyone into the new services over twelve months beginning this November.

And yes, everybody will have an individual budget based on his or her needs. Providers want to know what their big budget will be for the coming year and here it is: providers can safely predict it will be almost identical to last year’s budget. We have been spared cuts in services for persons in waiver services. Remember the big deal for Georgia’s new Medicaid waivers is our shift from a provider-centered system to person-centered system where individual families get their son or daughter’s budgets in the month that is two months before their son or daughter’s birthday month. This will give persons with disabilities plenty of time to choose their providers over the next twelve months.

Of course some providers are worried about how much money there will be and whether the person and their family will still choose them. Not to worry – there has been a legislative approved increase in funds to serve persons with developmental disabilities again this year and information from the seventeen other states that now offer self-directed supports and individual budgets says that 95% of families will stay with their current provider the first year, and only 10% of families every year will choose a different provider. Good providers already understand that a system that gives the family –the customer the choice—will bring more and more families.

and the necessary funding their way. In fact, good providers can expect to grow two to three times larger from families choosing to have their allocated funds given to these good providers.

So information about each person’s individual budget will flow first to the Support Coordinator who will inform the family so they can begin deciding what services will be provided in agreement with the needs identified in the person’s individual service plan, and they, the family will decide how much of the money goes to which providers that they choose. This turns the Developmental Disability system into a much more free American system where families are in charge of service and funding rather than the money going from the government to a provider and then the family having to go there to find out how much they got. I know this new way of doing business empowering families will make some providers nervous, but if you are a good provider you have nothing at all to worry about. They will still choose you.

Despite telling good providers that they can stop worrying about the money, worrying if families will choose them, some providers will still be worried. Again, good providers have nothing in the world to worry about. Mediocre providers probably do. Families will look out after their own son and daughter’s best interests and they will make sure that the taxpayer’s dollars they are using go to those providers that can do their son or daughter the most good.

We have conducted over 54 community forums and have spoken in person to more than 9000 families directly about these changes. And while an overwhelming number of persons with disabilities and their families love and will love these changes, as do most providers of services, there are some, some even good providers who are afraid they are going to lose funds to provide services. They must not be! In fact most providers will experience no change but receive the potential for increased funding, that is if the family chooses them to do all of their son or daughter’s services.

This is an exciting time for Georgians receiving these new individually funded waivers based on each person’s exact need, but not everybody wins.

Taxpayers win because their money is used to meet the exact needs of the individual person through individual allocation to meet that particular person’s exact needs. Families win because so many things that were not possible for their loved ones to be supported in the community during the day, in the evenings, and weekends are now possible in the new waivers. Providers win because good providers know what they are and will use the new funding to serve even more people. The only losers when the customer is in charge are mediocre providers that had the false security of a government contract for the money. Now it will be the families’ choice.

Safeguards are already in place to ensure that only DHR regional offices approved funds go to pre-authorized vendors of services. A lot of people have to say “yes” before the public funds are used but this time the first yes comes from the person and their family.

We will be fighting rumors and deliver on our promises to families who have fought so hard for these changes in Georgia. If you have something good to say or have a success story to tell, please share it with everyone. Nobody knows everything and we will make some mistakes in this month by month transition. We will stay in touch through our new website and as always by direct communication in your local communities. November 2008 through October 2009, the new Developmental Disability waiver transition months are truly great days for Georgians with developmental disabilities.

ACTION ALERT Help Stop Back Door Cuts to Medicaid Services

The outpatient regulation is now at the federal OMB for clearance and is expected to go into effect in the next several weeks unless a moratorium is included in the Tax Extender Bill in the House (see Friday's Action Alert on this issue).

The outpatient regulation, first published on September 28, 2007, has a real and very wide impact reducing funding to many clinics and hospitals. The rule treats visits to a clinic where many services are offered, including outpatient clinical services for people with disabilities, as if they are purely a visit to a doctor's office.

Hospitals will no longer receive reimbursement for outpatient services provided through Graduate Medical Education. They will see their disproportionate share payments reduced and flat rate hospitals will be very negatively impacted.

In the modern approach to medicine we want to encourage preventive services and services outside the emergency room setting yet this rule does just the opposite. It cuts funds to outpatient services. See Table below for some of the services that will be affected by this Regulation.

Service
Medicare Coverage
Impact of Outpatient Rule on Medicaid
Day Treatment
*Medicare does not pay for day programs for individuals with
developmental disabilities.
*Medicare does not pay for day treatment such as intensive
psychiatric rehabilitation.

No funding for day treatment programs for persons with psychiatric or developmental disabilities.

Comprehensive primary care and ancillary services.

*Medicare does not recognize clinics that provide comprehensive
primary care and ancillary services. Therefore it reimburses them as if they were visits to private physicians.

No funding for some clinic services, such as lab and radiology services.

Select Services
*Medicare does not pay at all for certain services such as
vision, psychiatric and dental services (but only dental care received as an exception under the proposed rule.)

No funding for clinics that specialize in mental health services or services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

ACTION NEEDED:

Call Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Hoyer, Majority Whip Clyburn and Members of the House Ways and Means Committee (see list below)- TODAY.
Ask them to include a moratorium on the Medicaid regulation IN THE TAX ENXTENDER BILL. Use the Capitol Switchboard to reach your Members at 202-224-3121.

FREE Seminar:

Please pass on ........ This is an important learning event, to PROTECT the future of your loved ones.
Planning for Families with Special Needs... Scroll down for topics covered.
* Network with folk from local support groups and agencies .Many resources available.Light refreshments will be served.

When:Tuesday, October 7th, 2008-6:30 p.m.

Where: Rosewood Ballroom
170 College Street
Macon, GA 31201

Who:Presented by Krista Dowling ,Financial Advisor -Smith Barney

PLEASE RSVP Krista.dowling@smithbarney.com
OR Tgoodridge@bibb.k12.ga.us, Nisaac@bibb.k12.ga.us

CO-HOSTED BY:
Bibb County Parent Mentors
Nalini Isaac & Terri Goodridge
Natalie Brown,Kinship Care Specialist
Middle Georgia RDC/Area Agency on Aging
484 Mulberry St 175-C Emery Highway
Suite 450 Macon, GA 31217
Macon, Ga 31208

SPEAKERS:
Krista Dowling
Financial Boone
Vice President-Wealth Management
(404) 266-6349

Seminar will cover:

Did you know that if you give a person with special needs more than $2,000 a year in his or her own name, that person may be disqualified for government benefits?

Fortunately, there are ways to protect those benefits. A Special Needs Trust is one of the key ways for your disabled loved one to receive an inheritance or gifts and still be eligible for Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid.
• Preventing the loss of government benefits, including Supplemental Security Income
• Providing additional income to facilitate a better quality of life
• The role of a trustee and how to select one
• Balancing the needs of other family members and beneficiaries

**Light refreshments will be served. Network with folk from local support groups and agencies. Many resources will be available.

Governor Perdue Announces August Revenue Figures

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that net revenue collections for the month of August 2008 (FY09) totaled $1,259,630,000 compared to $1,353,789, 000 for August 2007 (FY08), a decrease of $94,159,000 or 7.0 percent.

The percentage decrease year-to-date for FY09 compared to FY08 is 6.8 percent.

The detailed report will be available. Click here.

As you may be aware, the Easter Seals Georgia Coalition was awarded the grant for the Champions for Children with Exceptional Needs Initiative. Included in the Coalition are Easter Seals Southern Georgia, Easter Seals North Georgia, Easter Seals West Georgia, Easter Seals East Georgia, Easter Seals Middle Georgia and Parent to Parent of Georgia. The Champions for Children Program is funded by a $4.87 million five-year grant from The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. This grant was made possible by a one-time 2006 Georgia Legislature allocation.

The Easter Seals Georgia Coalition is pleased to announce the implementation of the Champions for Children Program in more counties beginning October 1, 2008. Click here for the list of counties.

This final phase will ensure availability of the program on a statewide basis. For more information on the Easter Seals affiliates and the counties they serve, please visit our website at www.easterseals.com.

The Champions for Children Program is designed to primarily assist children and families that no longer meet the eligibility requirements for the TEFRA/Katie Beckett Medicaid program. The program will provide direct financial assistance and support services for Georgia’s medically fragile and special needs children and their families. An Easter Seals Champions Coordinator will work directly with families to determine eligibility, identify service needs as described by the family and connect them with resources and services.

Families residing in the counties listed may access services by calling the Easter Seals Coalition toll free number: 1-866-584-3742. A description of the Champions for Children Program, the application for services and other information is available on the new website www.championsforchildrenga.org. While the $500,000 in annual funding over the next five years will be a wonderful resource for families, we recognize that all needs will not be addressed. However, the Easter Seals Georgia Coalition is committed to serving the needs of children and families to the greatest extent possible using a family friendly approach.

The Easter Seals Georgia Coalition wanted to ensure that a simple and effective process was put in place, which is why we rolled out the Champions for Children Program in stages. We realize that many of you will have specific questions about the eligibility criteria for the Champions for Children Program and the application process. We encourage you to call our toll free number with inquiries. We promise to connect you with other resources if you do not meet the eligibility criteria for this particular program. We also promise later on to provide you with an opportunity for your feedback on the Coalition and how we might improve services.

NOTES FROM THE SENATE BY SENATOR JACK HILL,

August 29, 2008

Last week’s column outlined Georgia’s 20 place jump in tax burden on its citizens. This is perplexing, so this week’s column begins an analysis of spending and taxation history, first by state government and later by local governments.

Additionally, the Governor’s recent discussions about the Homeowners Tax Relief Grant (HTRG) raises interesting questions about the growth of all levels of government in Georgia. This week’s column will examine the current size of state government and its growth over the last twenty years.

Population Growth and Inflation
In examining government spending over time, there are two factors that to be considered in order to paint an accurate picture of growth. First, it is important to understand and account for the growth in population that Georgia has experienced over the past few decades. Between 1989 and 2008, Georgia’s population grew by about 3.5 million people. As Georgia’s population has grown, state government has become larger and more expensive. It is helpful to examine the budget in terms of what the state spends per citizen. Looking at the amount spent per citizen, per capita is a way to gauge whether government spending is growing faster than the population it serves. In addition to accounting for Georgia’s growing population, there is inflation to consider. In order to account for inflation, the consumer price index (which measures the cost of goods over time) is used to more accurately gauge prices.

Total Appropriations
In 1989, the state legislature appropriated approximately $6.4 billion in state funds. Which was about $990 per citizen.
·In 1994, the total amount appropriated was approximately $8.9 billion, or $1,245 per citizen. However, when adjusted for inflation, the government actually spent only $1,045 per citizen.
·In 1999, the total amount appropriated was approximately $12.7 billion, or $1,571 per citizen. Adjusted for inflation, the state only spent $1,179 per citizen.
·In 2004, the total amount appropriated was approximately $15.2 billion, or $1,701 per citizen. Adjusted for inflation that amounts becomes $1,137.
·In 2009, the total amount appropriated in the general budget was approximately $20.1 billon. This will not be the final amount appropriated for 2009 as the legislature has not yet passed the amended budget, which will certainly be lower. However, if the original appropriation were to stand, it would equal $2,028 per person in 2009 dollars, but only $1,167 in 1989 dollars. However, once the $1.6 billion is taken out of the budget to account for the revenue shortfall, the total budget for 2009 will be about $18.5 billion, or $1,867 per person in 2009 dollars. When this figure is adjusted for inflation, the state is spending only $1,074 per person.

Therefore, when the amount spent by the state is adjusted for both inflation and population growth, it is clear that the state is spending more per citizen ($84) than it did twenty years ago but spending less, (-$105) than it did ten years ago.

Spending by Agency
The Senate Appropriations Committee divides the state budget by 13 Subcommittees. An easy way to study spending trends is looking at funding through those subcommittees.

While some subcommittees have shrunk in their share of the state budget, others have grown.

The Community Health Subcommittee, which is primarily composed of the Department of Community Health, received about $1.37 billion dollars in 1998. In 2007, the agencies within the Community Health Subcommittee were appropriated $2.04 billion, even adjusted for inflation, this is about 48 percent more than ten years ago. Similarly, funding for education agencies has increased from $4.5 billion to $5.8 billion between 1998 and 2007 in inflation adjusted dollars.

While overall per capita spending has not grown tremendously across the state over the last twenty years, the issues and areas where the state spends its funds have changed over time. For example, state spending on agencies within the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee accounted for $41.9 million in 1998. By 2007, the Agriculture Subcommittee accounted for only $34 million of the state budget (when adjusted for inflation to be comparable to 1998 dollars). In actual dollars agriculture agencies only increased from $41 million to $42 million across these 10 years. Similarly, the Natural Resources Subcommittee, which includes the Department of Natural Resources, the Forestry Commission, and the Soil and Water Conservation Commission among others, was appropriated close to $141.3 million in 1998. These agencies accounted for $116.2 million in 2007 in inflation adjusted dollars. In actual dollars the Department only increased from $141 million to $146 million across 10 years.

So, the conclusion is that state spending and taxation has changed little in the past 10-20 years on a per capita basis adjusted for inflation. In today’s dollars – the adjusted 2009 budget will return the state to the same level as two to three years ago.

Next week, how local spending has changed over time.

Senator Jack Hill can be reached at:
234 State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334
(404) 656-5038 (phone)
(404) 657-7094 (fax)
E-mail at Jack.Hill@senate.ga.gov
Or Call Toll-Free at
1-800-367-3334 Day or Night
Reidsville office: (912) 557-3811

Article in the AJC regarding Tropic Thunder, by Mary Yoder, AADD's Executive Director

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I recently saw the movie “Tropic Thunder.”As the lights brightened in the theater and moviegoers around me remained to laugh and talk about the film, I saw the faces of people I have known, people with intellectual disabilities who have experienced all kinds of abuse —- sexual, physical, psychological, emotional and economic —- at the hands of “normal” people.

The movie created intense feelings for me, feelings that still linger. While the disrespectful and derogatory terms used to describe people with intellectual disabilities were offensive to me, my overwhelming feeling is a grave concern that this kind of ridicule will perpetuate increased assaults on the dignity, and even safety, of people with developmental disabilities.

It is a reality that around 85 percent of women with developmental disabilities are victims of violence or sexual abuse in their lifetimes and that 32 percent of males will be victims. Many will be victims again and again.

As a society, we are called to defend and support our most vulnerable fellow beings, not to put them at further risk. Yes, the assaults in “Tropic Thunder” were verbal —- some might say “only verbal” —- but the words we use reflect and reinforce what we believe, and once those words leave our mouths, they influence the thoughts, perceptions and actions of others. I have met too many people who believe that persons with intellectual disabilities are somehow less than human, or not capable of deep and complex thoughts and feeling —- therefore targets for ridicule, mistreatment and even abuse. This movie devalued, demoralized and dehumanized fellow human beings.

Few of us want to hurt other people, yet the words we use can and —- as history has proven over and over again —- do result in dehumanization, prejudice, segregation, isolation, wasted lives and even abuse and death. From this history, we know it is much harder to hurt someone when we see them as people first.

I am proud to work for the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities, an organization that has focused on inclusion for all for more than 50 years. AADD works to help people with developmental disabilities secure greater independence, dignity and respect. Derogatory comments and disrespectful characterizations such as those in “Tropic Thunder” undermine our efforts to build communities of support, acceptance and opportunity for children, adults and families living with developmental disabilities.

I implore you to think twice before using derogatory terms or laughing at people because they have disabilities. Consider reaching out to someone who has an intellectual disability and find the gifts she/he brings to family and community, or talk to an employer who knows firsthand that people with intellectual disabilities make great employees. I ask you to put people first, period.

Click here for the link.

Governor Perdue releases reorganization plan for DHR:

Creates stand alone agency for mental health, addictive disease programs

ATLANTA – Today Governor Sonny Perdue released the findings of the Health and Human Services Task Force, which calls for a new Department of Behavioral Health encompassing the mental health and addictive disease programs currently housed in the Department of Human Resources.

“Since DHR’s creation 35 years ago under Governor Jimmy Carter, our state’s growth and healthcare needs have changed dramatically,” Governor Perdue said. “This restructuring of DHR recognizes those changing needs and puts in place a framework for a more efficient, effective delivery of these critical services.”

In addition to a new department focused solely on behavioral health, the proposed reorganization plan calls for merging the Department of Community Health with the public health and health regulation programs of DHR to make up a reconstituted Department of Health. Current DCH Commissioner Dr. Rhonda Medows would lead the new Department of Health.

The remaining social services under DHR would become the Department of Human Services. Programs included in this department would include Developmental Disabilities, Aging, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and Child Support. Current DHR Commissioner B.J. Walker will lead the new Department of Human Services.

The proposal calls for legislation to be introduced when the General Assembly convenes next January with the transition to the new agencies occurring on July 1, 2009.

“It has been exciting serving with my fellow legislators and governor’s staff as we look to transform the delivery of health and human services in Georgia,” said Senator Renee Unterman. “This has been a lot of work and there still is a lot of work to do. This is a step in the right direction and I look forward to working closely with the agencies, legislature and advocacy communities on these important changes.”

In addition to Sen. Unterman, three other legislators served on the task force: Sen. Jack Hill, Rep. Ben Harbin and Rep. Mark Butler.

“This is a positive step on the road to correcting our mental and public health systems,” Rep. Butler said. “It is a huge step for this administration to pull these fragile lives out of this larger mix to get them the help and attention they need.”

'Tongue computing' could help disabled

cnn.com/technology

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- The tireless tongue already controls taste and speech, helps kiss and swallow and fights germs. Now scientists hope to add one more ability to the mouthy muscle, and turn it into a computer control pad.

Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic, tongue-powered system could transform a disabled person's mouth into a virtual computer, teeth into a keyboard -- and tongue into the key that manipulates it all.

"You could have full control over your environment by just being able to move your tongue," said Maysam Ghovanloo, a Georgia Tech assistant professor who leads the team's research.

The group's Tongue Drive System turns the tongue into a joystick of sorts, allowing the disabled to manipulate wheelchairs, manage home appliances and control computers. The work still has a ways to go -- one potential user called the design "grotesque" -- but early tests are encouraging.

The system is far from the first that seeks a new way to control electronics through facial movements. But disabled advocates have particularly high hopes that the tongue could prove the most effective.

"This could give you an almost infinite number of switches and options for communication," said Mike Jones, a vice president of research and technology at the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta rehabilitation hospital. "It's easy, and somebody could learn an entirely different language."

Click here to read the complete article.

Georgians Asked to Contribute to State Transportation Strategy

IT3 Website Goes Live, September Listening Tour Announced

ATLANTA— Governor Sonny Perdue and state transportation leaders today launched the Investing in Tomorrow’s Transportation Today (IT3) website – www.IT3.GA.Gov. The site will provide all Georgians an opportunity to give input on a major transportation initiative that state leaders will propose in the coming months.

“Through IT3, we will transform Georgia’s transportation system,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Working together, the State Transportation Board, GDOT and
GRTA are listening to the concerns and desires of the public, our elected officials, the business community and other interested groups. With this input,
we will shape a comprehensive and effective strategy for addressing Georgia’s transportation needs.”

To give Georgians a chance to speak directly with state transportation leaders regarding the IT3 initiative, Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Commissioner Gena Abraham and Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Executive Director Dick Anderson will hold listening sessions across the
state. The listening tour will be held during the week of September 22 in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Dalton, Macon, Savannah and Valdosta.

“The website will provide regular updates of our work on IT3 as well as the opportunity for members of the public to share information that will help us
shape Georgia’s transportation strategy,” said Commissioner Abraham. “We encourage everyone to visit the site, learn about IT3 and its goals, and to let
us know their ideas for keeping Georgia’s transportation network the best in the nation.”

“We are committed to listening to the public’s concerns and ideas,” Anderson added. “In addition to meeting with community leaders throughout the state,
Commissioner Abraham and I will visit cities around the state to hear, in person, what our citizens feel should be our strategic priorities.”

The Listening tour schedule is:

Monday, September 22, 4 -7 p.m., Macon, Commissioner Abraham
Tuesday, September 23, 4-7 p.m., Savannah, Commissioner Abraham, Mr. Anderson
Wednesday, September 24, noon – 2 p.m., Dalton, Commissioner Abraham, Mr. Anderson
Wednesday, September 24, 4-7 p.m., Atlanta, Commissioner Abraham, Mr. Anderson
Thursday, September 25, noon – 2 p.m., Valdosta, Mr. Anderson
Thursday, September 25, 4-7 p.m., Columbus, Mr. Anderson
Friday, September 26, noon – 2 p.m., Augusta, Mr. Anderson

Specific locations in each city will be announced in early September.

A Richmond County commissioner questions the rights of mentally challenged people.

NBCAgusta.com
By Navideh Forghani nforghani@nbcaugusta.com
Story Published: Aug 19, 2008 at 10:46 PM EDT

Story Updated: Aug 19, 2008 at 10:48 PM EDT

It's become an issue of discrimination! One Richmond County Commissioner is asking, should the mentally challenged be allowed to live on their own? The topic was brought up after the president of a neighborhood association complained about two mentally challenged people renting a home in their neighborhood.

Commissioner Corey Johnson says the neighborhood should be informed before mentally challenged people are moving in.

"I find it disturbing if you have two people who are mentally retarded living together. It's like having two blind people living together. How is one going to show the other how to maneuver?" said Commissioner Corey Johnson, District 2.

It's a statement that sent shock waves during Tuesday's commission meeting. District Two Commissioner Corey Johnson had another idea.

"It still should be some rules and regulation to mentally retarded people living in a home together," said Commissioner Johnson.

District Three Commissioner Joe Bowles was quick to react.

"Being someone who moved into a home that two mentally retarded people lived in, it does nothing to the property value of your home and does nothing to your neighborhood. They are loving people and should be treated as such," said Commissioner Joe Bowles, District 3.

The heated debate sparked when the president of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association went before the commission complaining about an unlicensed behavioral group home operating in the neighborhood.

But that's not exactly the case. The homeowner tells NBC Augusta he's renting his home out to two mentally challenged people.

“They are just a little slow. They don't walk the streets or play loud music. I don't understand what the problem is," said Isaac Miller, homeowner.

So what is the big deal? We took that question to Commissioner Johnson.

"These people don't have the mental capacity to operate in an everyday environment. There could be some problems. It's been known that they wander off. We don’t know what the situation could come about. We need to make sure we are doing what we can to hinder that for both parties, for their well being and the people in the community,” said Commissioner Johnson.

But those who disagree say this is discrimination.

"We are living in the year 2008 and we need to make accommodations for people who are the most discriminated against group, people with disabilities," said Commissioner Bowles.

"People with disabilities have the right to live where they choose and be supported as they need to be," said Estelle Muherin Duncan, Serenity Behavioral Health Systems.

“Considering Brown verses Brown was 54 years ago. It seems the victims have become the aggressors," said Miller, homeowner.

NBC Augusta has learned the roommates don't live alone entirely. They receive assistance from Serenity Behavioral Health Systems, a group that helps care for the disabled.

Commissioner Johnson also wants to form a committee to take a closer look at the issue.

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United States Mint Unveils Design for First U.S. Coin with Readable Braille

July 2, 2008

WASHINGTON - United States Mint Director Ed Moy unveiled the design for the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar at the National Federation of the Blind's annual convention in Dallas, Texas, during the March for Independence on July 2, 2008.

"The United States Mint is proud to present the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar coin design. It will be the first coin ever minted in the history of our country to contain readable Braille characters," said Director Moy. "I am looking forward to presenting the design for this unprecedented coin, and I am pleased that the United States Mint is playing a role in the cause of bringing literacy to all blind and visually impaired Americans."

A prototype was displayed at the convention for the attendees to examine and experience the Braille on the coin prior to being available for purchase. (Click here for a high resolution image of the prototype reverse.)

The coin will go on sale in the spring of 2009, the bicentennial anniversary of Louis Braille's birth. (Click here for high resolution images of the obverse and reverse.)

In addition to commemorating the life and work of Louis Braille-the inventor of the Braille reading and writing system-surcharges from the sale of the coin are authorized to be paid to the National Federation of the Blind to help fund Braille literacy initiatives. Braille did not become the official method of reading and writing for the blind in the United States until the 20th century.

Previously, the Alabama commemorative quarter-dollar, one of the coins in the United States Mint's popular 50 State Quarters® Program, used Braille in the image honoring Helen Keller. The 1995 and 1996 Paralympic Silver Dollars, minted to commemorate the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, also featured Braille. The Braille on those coins was too small to be read by the visually impaired.

Besides the readable Braille on the 2009 Louis Braille Bicentennial Silver Dollar, the coin has distinguishing features apparent to the visually impaired community, such as size, weight and reeded edges, as do all coins issued by the United States Mint.

Contact: Press inquiries: Genevieve Billia (202) 354-7222
Customer Service information: (800) USA MINT (872-6468)
Link to Article

Unlock the Waiting Lists! Action Alert

Right now, the Board of the Department of Human Resources is reviewing the budget.

We need your help to ensure that they do not make cuts to supports for people with disabilities.

To help, go to: http://www.unlockthewaitinglists.com/advocate.html

On Monday, the news wasn’t good for Georgia’s state revenues. Governor Sonny Perdue, struggling to deal with an expected $1.6 billion budget shortfall, has ordered agencies to cut their budgets by 6 percent for this year and has told them to offer budget proposals for midyear adjustments in January and for the year that begins next July 1 that show how they could achieve cuts of 6, 8 and 10 percent if necessary.

We must be unified in saying simply, “No Cuts to Services for People with Disabilities”

By going to http://www.unlockthewaitinglists.com/advocate.html, please let the Governor and the DHR Board know how critical these supports are for people with disabilities. Ask them to do no harm!

Georgia has over 6,160 people with developmental disabilities currently on community waiting lists. The waiting lists grow every year by 1,000 people because individuals and families fall into crisis, or caregivers pass away. Over 700 students age out of the school system every year needing supports. The multi-year funding plan called for 2,500 services last year, and we received only 500. This year the plan also calls for 2,500, and the current budget proposal includes only the 150 MRWP services we need to meet the requirement of the Money Follows Person initiative.

Unlock Mission Statement
The mission of this campaign is to reduce and/or eliminate waiting lists for the over six thousand people with disabilities and their families who need home and community-based services. To learn more, go to www.unlockthewaitinglists.com

Please forward this link on to your friends and family.

HELP CHART THE FUTURE OF THE ARC

August 18, 2008
To: State and Local Chapter Leaders
From: Peter V. Berns, Executive Director

We need your help. As you may know, The Arc of the United States' Board of Directors has a Task Force on Affiliation and Growth that is assessing the current status of the organization and mapping out plans for the future. This planning process will only be successful if we have active participation of stakeholders at all levels of the organization.

To gather input our consultants, Tom McLaughlin and Stacey Zelbow of Grant Thornton, have created a confidential online survey. The link to the survey is:

http://surveys.gt.com/arc-of-the-us-stakeholder-survey

We would like to have the survey completed by as many people as follows. So please help us by doing the following:
> Take the survey yourself by clicking on the link.
> Forward the link to all of your board members, staff, self-advocates, members, volunteers, donors and colleagues in the field. Encourage them to complete the survey as well.
>Provide assistance to individuals that may not have internet access, by providing a computer in your office that they can use to complete the survey or by completing it for them.

Thank you in advance for your help in making this planning process a success.

The Arc - Web Privacy Statement (Privacy Page)
Community - Member Email Subscriptions (Email Preferences Page)

NOTES FROM THE SENATE BY SENATOR JACK HILL, 4th DISTRICT

August 15, 2008
09 July Revenues Can't Compete With Boom 07 July Figures

If you had been studying the state revenue trend lines for the last two fiscal years you realized what a high revenue series of months, May and June, of FY07 coupled with July of FY08 were. July a year ago jumped over 10% above the previous year. So, the first month of the 09 Fiscal Year had a high hurdle and could not get there. July's revenues came in at $1.213 billion which was 6.6% under the July 07 figures. While this is certainly not the news we might have hoped for, realistically, nobody could have expected much different. This decrease amounts to $86,391,000.

The Senate Budget Office has produced a set of calculations that shows we are in pretty good shape taking in $1.213 billion for July. Basically as a percentage of the year’s budget July usually takes in, the $1.213 billion collection is pretty close to the number needed.

There is little good news inside the numbers for the month....but as some folks say, you can't tell much by one month. The weakness by individual income tax is shown by the fact that as a percentage of the total revenue for the month, individual income tax is only 46.9% where it usually accounts for 50% or more of revenues.

Sales Tax collections were down a net figure of $27 million or -5.3% for the month. Local sales tax distribution continued positive going up by $22.6 million. Again, local governments receive sales taxes from food sales and the state does not, so rising food prices favor local tax collections.

Motor fuel taxes continued the trend of last fiscal year. Excise taxes, collected by the gallon, were down by $3.6 million or -9.1% as the high cost of fuel continued to reduce driving and per gallon sales. Sales tax collections on fuel rose $3.4 million or 8.9% so the two just about net out. Unfortunately this is below the estimate needed to fund the commitment to DOT for the year.

Corporate tax collections continued a slide over the last 12 months falling by $20.5 million or -62.2%. Again one month is not telling for these type collections, but the trend is troublesome; revenues have been negative every month but one since last November. Corporate tax returns were down $3 million or -46.3% and Net Corporate Refunds were up $10 million.

All of the smaller categories of tax collections were negative as well.

Inside Sales Tax Categories

Sales tax categories continued to be negative compared to a year ago and some were double digit decreases. Utilities were up 22.4%, probably the result of rate increases and the weather. All categories of sales tax collections were down including food which dropped 21.5%, amazing considering the documented increases in many food basics. Double digit decreases showed in automotive, -11.5% and lumber, -13.5%. Other negatives included apparel at -4.4%, General Merchandise at -5.5%, and miscellaneous services -8.6%. Manufacturing may be a bright note at just about flat for the month, -0.1%.

Again, the one positive was that the state took in $1.2 billion dollars in July as we move towards a downward revised estimate of $17.292 billion for the 2009 Fiscal Year. Although the months swing up and down seasonally during the year, the state generally needs to average $1.44 billion a month to make the new revised budget.

There was a positive note, encouraging news from the Department of Economic Development last week as Commissioner Ken Stewart reported that the department helped gain 19,668 jobs in Georgia last fiscal year with $3.26 billion in new investment. He also reports that the film/movie tax credit is drawing interest and there is a double digit list of interested production companies planning to come to Georgia.

GOING TO FREEZE YOUR CREDIT SCORE? HERE'S THE INFO YOU NEED:
You can now freeze your credit report under legislation passed this past session effective August 1, 2008. Here are the addresses of the three credit reporting agencies.

Equifax Security Freeze, P. O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348, www.equifax.com 1-800-685-1111

Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013, www.experian.com,
1-888-397-3742

TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, Ca 92834, www.transunion.com, 1-888-909-8872

There are exceptions that you might want read over. You can access the legislation at www.legis.state.ga.us, HB 130.