July 25, 2008

UCP releases news report.  Texas ranks 50^th in national study of Medicaid services.

United Cerebral Palsy has released its third annual report on how well individual states serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through Medicaid. In The Case for Inclusion, UCP ranks all 50 states and District of Columbia using a variety of key measures. At 50, Texas is ranked next to last.

Compared to 2007, this year‘s report is a mixture of good and not-so-good news. For instance:

• More people are leaving large institutions, but there are still nearly 38,000 Americans living in 173 large state institutions (16+ beds) across 41 states.
• Nineteen states (up from 16 last year) serve more than 80 percent of their consumers in home-like settings.
• Fifteen states (up from 10) say they help significant numbers of families stay together through robust family support programs.
• Thirty-nine states (up from 33) support individuals going to work and maintaining their Medicaid benefit through a Medicaid buy-in program.
• Fewer adults participated in competitive employment.
• Consistent with last year, 15 states report very large and long waiting lists for services.

Along with the statistics, the report offers guidance on tactics and policy proposals to help advocacy organizations, self-advocates, families, service providers, policymakers and others take up the fight to improve circumstances in their own states.

Read the full report online.

 

State Auditor recommends more improvements in DADS, DFPS processes at state mental retardation facilities.

The Texas State Auditor‘s Office has just released An Audit Report on State Mental Retardation Facilities, the Department of Aging and Disability Services, and the Department of Family and Protective Services. (July 2008).

While auditors acknowledge the agencies have made some improvements, the report says they still need to work on several significant processes. The following recommendations come from the report:

1. DADS should strengthen certain processes associated with consumers‘ community living options.
   • DADS should improve its documentation of required community living options discussions with consumers, as well as its documentation of the reasons for not providing community living arrangements to consumers.
   • DADS should improve documentation supporting decisions about consumers‘ living arrangements.

2. DADS should strengthen its processes for investigating complaints and incidents at state schools and public and private community facilities to identify violations of state rules and Medicaid requirements.
   • DADS should improve the timeliness of initiating investigations of lower priority complaints and incidents, while continuing its timely response to the highest priority complaints and incidents.
   • DADS should ensure that quality assurance reviewers do not process and review their own work.
   • DADS should ensure that it imposes penalties on the licensed community ICF/MR facilities at which it identifies noncompliance with state rules and Medicaid requirements.
   • DADS should ensure that facilities do not hire individuals with histories of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

3. DFPS should strengthen its processes for investigating allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation at state schools and government-run community facilities.
   • DFPS should ensure that it contacts consumers and facilities in a timely manner.
   • DFPS should conduct investigations in a timely manner.
   • DFPS should ensure that it makes accurate initial assessments of allegation priorities.

The full report contains more detail on each of the recommendations, the agencies‘ responses to the recommendations, and a lot of useful information for advocates concerned with conditions in Texas state schools. It‘s available on the State Auditor‘s website.

 

Heads up San Antonio and El Paso! DPC is headed your way!

DPC staff and members are hitting the road this fall, adding two more stops to their ongoing community outreach road trips. It‘s a great opportunity for advocates beyond Austin to learn more about the benefits of participating in DPC. Locations and dates appear below. Contact Toni Byrd, DPC Project Coordinator, to find out more. (Look for contact info at the end of the newsletter.)

• San Antonio
  September 5-7
  Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (CTD) Annual Convention
  Holiday Inn El Tropicana River Walk Hotel
  110 Lexington Avenue
  

• El Paso
  October 30
  VOLAR Center for Independent Living
  “Our Lives” Disabilities Conference 2008
  Wyndham El Paso Airport
  2027 Airway Blvd.
  

 

Save the date: Conference will focus on health care transitions for children, young adults with chronic illness.

Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children‘s Hospital have released preliminary information on their upcoming conference: Chronic Illness and Disability—Transition from Pediatric to Adult-Based Care. Two days of sessions begin Nov. 13 at the M.D. Anderson Basic Sciences Research Building in Houston. For complete information, check out the save-the-date announcement(pdf document, Adobe Reader required).

 

HHSC seeks participants for school to work focus groups.

The Health and Human Services Commission is hosting two focus groups comprised of young adults with disabilities and family members to learn about their experiences in making the transition from to school to work and into adult roles in the community. The agency will use information from the groups to conduct a larger telephone survey of 500 youth with disabilities and/or their parents/guardians.

Participants will receive a $100 incentive/expense allowance. There are limited funds for travel; arrangements must be agreed upon in advance.

The sessions will take place in Austin at HHSC‘s headquarters, the Brown-Heatly Building, 4900 N. Lamar. Dates, times and other details are as follows:

• Tuesday, August 12
  7:00-8:30 p.m.
  Participants: Parents/advocates, with a focus on those with experience of young adults aged 18-24 with cognitive disabilities.

• Wednesday, August 13
  7:00-8:30 p.m.
  Participants: Young adults aged 18-24 with disabilities who are able to communicate in a focus group setting.

If you would like to commit to participating in one of the focus groups, or know someone who would, please print and complete this Microsoft Word Document form and submit it to:

Sarah Roper Coleman
Health and Human Services Commission
Brown-Heatly Building
4900 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78751-2316
Phone: (512) 487-3398
Email: Sarah.Roper-Coleman@hhsc.state.tx.us

If you don't have Microsoft Word installed on your computer, get the form in Adobe pdf format.

 

DPC Member Spotlight: Texas Association of the Deaf

Contact Person: Dr. Steve C. Baldwin, President
Address: 501 Havana St., Austin TX 78704
Phone: (DirectVP) 1-866-927-1045
E-mail: steve@deaftexas.org  Website: http://www.deaftexas.org

Overview: The mission of TAD is to advocate for civil rights of Deaf Texans and to make sure to have accessibility in our daily lives, especially within the court system, state agencies, communication and education in general.

We have four officers and three board directors who are elected every two year by the TAD membership.

What were your three best achievements in the past year? What are your three greatest challenges currently?

Of the three greatest achievements the last 15 years, we made sure Texas Legislature passed laws on Relay Texas, American Sign Language and free postsecondary tuition. Of the current achievements of my administration since 2006, we revived a declining TAD, due to apathy, reached out to many organizations and revived THE DEAF TEXAN (it‘s on our website: www.deaftexas.org). We developed a new website, increased membership from 100 to 625, etc.

May I add some wonderful news? The National Association of the Deaf will award two of our board members major awards in New Orleans next month. Dr. Steve Baldwin will receive the Greenmun Memorial Award for his leadership (symbolizing the best deaf state association in the country) and Dr. Gertie Galloway will receive the Spirit of the NAD. Such awards will put us on the national map.

If your organization could change one public policy right this minute, what would it be?

I would want DARS to review services rendered for the deaf and hard of hearing consumers in Texas. Since the revamping of state agencies eight years ago, especially the old Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, TAD wants to see a revitalization of more proactive services, visibility and empowerment.

How long has your organization belonged to the Disability Policy Consortium?

Since I took over as president in 2006, TAD reconnected with many state agencies and organizations. We are back on track, but I have no idea how long TAD has associated with DPC. Nevertheless, I appointed David Pierce as our representative from TAD.

How has your organization benefited from being part of the DPC?

As I learned more about DPC via emails and reports from Mr. Pierce, I realized how important DPC is to TAD. We will continue working together.

 

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