Join NBRC for a Town Hall Meeting at ParentsCAN in Napa. We realize cultural and language barriers may impact your ability to access and utilize services- we would like public comment on our proposal for additional funding to address these disparities. Join us October 7th or 10th.
In California, some people living with disabilities and their families rely on a variety of public benefits provided by state and federal governments to make ends meet. They include Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, CalFresh, and other state health insurance programs.
These programs provide critically important services to the disabled but often do not allow individuals to save more than a total of $2,000, or earn more than $680 a month.
These restrictions are a disincentive for people with disabilities and their families to save for long-term needs, leaving them vulnerable to changes in health, living arrangements, unexpected emergencies, or simply the explosive growth in the cost of disabled care.
During the 2015-2016 Legislative Session, Senator Fran Pavley of Agoura Hills and Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin of Thousand Oaks co-authored and passed two bills, Senate Bill (SB) 324 and Assembly Bill (AB) 449, that will help ease financial challenges faced daily by people with disabilities. The new laws give Californians access to the federally recognized 529A – ABLE accounts.
An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account that can be established for the benefit of qualified individuals with disabilities. Contributions to the account, currently limited to $14,000 per year, can be made by family, friends, or the beneficiary themselves. The account’s earnings are allowed to accumulate tax-free, and the withdrawals, provided they are applied to qualifying disability expenses, are tax-free. One of the biggest benefits of the ABLE account is that the savings held in the account, up to a current $100,000 limit, is not counted against the $2,000 limit on personal assets for individuals to qualify for public benefits.
The ABLE program, once operational, will open up life-improving opportunities for California’s disabled and their families in much the same way ScholarShare 529 plans opened educational opportunities to California’s students. The treasurer’s office has administered the ScholarShare savings program for the past 16 years.
For more information about CalABLE and Advisory Council meetings, visit the CalABLE page on the Treasurer’s website.
BERKELEY — Reflecting a growing trend in health care, John Muir Health and UC San Francisco Health are teaming up to open a new outpatient center in Berkeley as soon as 2018.
The 100,000-square-foot facility will be located in West Berkeley and offer urgent care and primary care practices staffed by John Muir physicians. Read more.
About half a million babies are born in California each year, which translates to roughly 1,400 per day. Starting today, every one of those newborns will be tested for a rare genetic disorder that can destroy the nervous system. Their parents can thank a variety of people who pushed for the screening, but perhaps most of all a Vista mother who lost her son to the condition. Read more.
Hospital Volunteer with Down Syndrome Blossoms
John Hengesbaugh is a man of many passions. He loves food and social media. He loves performing and meeting new people. He loves flowers and volunteering. And he really loves that he can indulge all of these passions in one place. The place is Sharp Grossmont Hospital, where the 24-year-old Hengesbaugh makes flower arrangements and delivers them to patients. The passion is mutual.
“He is always in a good mood. He is happy to be here and he wants everyone around him to be happy,” said Sharp volunteer services manager Linda Van Fulpen. Read more.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is developing a revised Statewide Transition Plan (STP) that will be submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in October 2016. The STP describes how the State will come into compliance with new Federal Home and Community-Based (HCB) Settings Final Rule that became effective March 17, 2014. These regulations are CMS 2249-F and CMS 2296-F, which affect 1115, 1915(c), 1915(i) and 1915(k) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers and State Plan programs. All 1115, 1915(c), 1915(i), and 1915(k) HCBS waivers and State Plan programs must be in full compliance with the new Federal rules by March 17, 2019.
DHCS invites all interested parties to review the revised STP, including the CBAS Transition Plan, and provide public input. The 30-day public comment period will begin on August 29, and ends on September 29, 2016. Public comments on the STP should be submitted via the STP Public Comment Template
For information regarding the Transition Plan, and directions on how to submit public comment, please see here:
http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/ltc/Pages/HCBSStatewideTransitionPlan.aspx
As part of the California Department of Developmental Services’ (DDS) quality assurance response to the National Core Indicators (NCI) survey results, DDS is launching a campaign to get individuals with a developmental disability vaccinated for flu and those 65 years old and older, as well as those with certain chronic conditions, vaccinated for pneumonia. This is an ambitions goal, but vaccinations are easy to get and save lives.
For more information on what is a vaccination, how they work, and the suggested schedule for immunizations, please click here for the flu: flu_brochure_07_06; for pneumonia: pneu_brochure_07_06
For information on National Core Indicators data, please see here
The Association of Regional Center Agencies (ARCA) represents the autonomous regional centers objective to support and advance the intent and mandate of the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act. To learn about important legislative updates and current initiatives.
Click below for information and tools related to health and safety for self-advocates, direct support professionals, and vendors or providers.
English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Filipino
French
German
Hindi
Hmong
Italian
Japanese
Khmer
Korean
Lao
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Vietnamese