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PLUK eNews March
28, 2005
http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Mar_28_05.htm
Volume 3 Issue 16
Welcome to PLUK's electronic
newsletter!
(Download the printable pdf version at: http://www.pluk.org/eNews/Mar_28_05.pdf
)
We are proud to present news of interest for Montana families of children with disabilities and special health care needs, and for the professionals and educators who serve them; however, it does not constitute an endorsement.
Billings Associate Board planning Kids at Heart Gala,
May 13
The event will be at the Sheraton in Billings Friday May 13th and will
feature the band - the Midlife Chryslers. This band consists of Billings' area
doctors who participate in 4 or 5 performances a year for local nonprofits. The
Committee is excited about their involvement and is looking forward to the Gala.
In addition to the band's performance, the event will include heavy hors
d'oeuvres, a silent auction, a live auction, featuring auctioneer Bill Holt, and
much more. For information on sponsorships or tickets, call PLUK's office at 406
255-0540 or 800 222-7585.
Benefit Concert for PLUK-May 20, Kalispell
Flathead Valley PLUK presents:
Rob Quist & the Great Northern Band with Jack Gladstone in concert,
presenting their collaborated production of the Lewis & Clark Expedition May
20th at 7pm at the Kalispell Christian Center.
Rob Quist and Jack Gladstone, two of (the West's most celebrated entertainers
and songwriters, have united in an unforgettable new show, Odyssey West,
commemorating Lewis and Clark's epic journey West.
Gladstone and Quist literally bring the West to life with the rich historical
content of their original songs and narratives presented with dramatic live
footage as well as haunting photographic and artistic images of the Old and New
West.
Celebrate Our Heritage while supporting local children and adults with
disabilities. Proceeds also benefit Special Friends Advocacy. Ticket purchases
call 406/756-6159.
http://www.robquist.com/promopage.htm
Region V CSPD Bus Registration for Montana CEC
Bus to CEC: Region V CSPD is sponsoring a bus to Montana CEC Conference in
Billings. The bus will leave Missoula on April 12 and return on Friday, April
15th. Cost per person is $40. Please contact Nancy Marks at admin@cspd.net
if you would like a copy of the Bus Registration Form; the registration deadline
is April 1st. Please don't delay to register if you'd like to ride it's a great
opportunity for networking and saving mileage costs!
Press Release: NATIVE AMERICAN BRAIN INJURY CONFERENCE
April 26-27
Plans are well underway for presenting a successful Fourth Annual Native
American Brain Injury Conference to be held on April 26-27, 2005 at the
Mansfield Health Education Center (2900 12th Avenue North) in Billings, MT. Ian
Elliot of the MT Center on Disabilities (MCD) at MSU-Billings and Nell Eby of
the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Senior and Long Term
Care Division serve as Co-facilitators of this exceptional two-day event.
"All those who attend will be given the opportunity to experience a wide
range of remarkable workshop presentations by some of the country's leading
speakers in areas of empowerment, substance abuse and brain injury," says
Elliot. "Much of the Montana population still does not realize we are
second in the nation in per capita incidence of brain injury! We are called to
take active and positive steps in reducing the number of injuries to our fellow
Montanans through greater public awareness, prevention activities and treatment
education." This significant regional conference has as its' theme,
"Wakefulness - Exploring the impact of substance abuse on the Montana
Native American Population."
Co-Sponsored by the DPHHS Senior and Long Term Care Division and MCD in
collaboration with the Brain Injury Association of Montana, Mansfield Health
Education Center, registration to this Fourth Annual Native American Brain
Injury Conference features workshops, informational booths, two continental
breakfasts and a luncheon, admission to a family-oriented, "Rebuilding The
Circle" Concert by Singer/Songwriter Jack Gladstone of the Blackfeet Nation
on Tuesday evening, as well as opening ceremonies by the Northern Cheyenne Drum
Group from Lame Deer, Montana. Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg is also lending
his support of this conference. Though the conference is especially suited to
Native American persons with brain injuries and/or substance abuse issues, their
family members, associates, tribal leaders, law enforcement personnel, crisis
center personnel, educators and other professional care providers, all members
of the public are welcome to attend and actively participate. Continuing
Education Credits are available for Clinical Social Workers, Professional
Counselors, Licensed Addiction Counselors, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors
and POST Council Members.
Opening ceremonies featuring the Northern Cheyenne Drum Group from Lame Deer,
Montana kick off the conference on Tuesday morning, April 26th at 8:00 AM
following a 7:00 AM registration and continental breakfast. Additional
conference activities that day end with a Jack Gladstone concert. On Wednesday,
April 27th activities begin with another continental breakfast service at 7:30
AM, followed by a full round of presentations that end at noon.
This year's conference speakers on Tuesday, April 26th include Dr. Terry Tafoya,
PhD of the Taos Pueblo and Warm Springs Nations, who is a clinical psychologist
and traditional storyteller. The titles of his two presentations are, "Unasking
the Question…and Other Tactics of Change," and "You Didn't Say What
I Saw You Say." Dr. Tafoya uses American Indian ritual and ceremony in his
work as a Family Therapist at the Interpersonal Psychotherapy Clinic, part of
the University of Washington's School of Medicine in Seattle. Geoffrey Lauer
serves as National Director of Affiliate Relations for the Brain Injury
Association of America, and the title of his presentation is, "Did I
Mention It Had Teeth?" Other Tuesday presentations include, "10 Things
I Learned About Native Americans While Looking Up Something Else" featuring
Walter Fleming, PhD, who serves as Director of Native American Studies at
MSU-Bozeman, "10 Things I've Learned While Working With Indian
Nations" featuring nationally known leadership presenter, Fred Cowie, PhD,
and "Support Group Startup on Indian Reservations" by Stacy Rye,
Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Montana.
Tuesday evening's conference activity ends with the Jack Gladstone family
concert which includes Gladstone's exceptional acoustic music and messages of
empowerment backed by a multi-media presentation of memorable historical and
contemporary visual images. Though conference attendees are given an admission
ticket as part of their registration packet, all remaining General Admission
tickets for the 200+ seat, Mansfield Health Education Center will be sold to the
general public at the door. General Admission will be $10 for Adults and $7 for
Students/Senior Citizens/MSU-Billings staff. Ticket sales that evening will
begin at 6:30 PM outside the auditorium door. Call the MCD for advance
reservations.
Wednesday, April 27th presentations include, "Wellbriety - the Native
American Way" by Don Coyhis, Director of White Bison, Inc. centered in
Colorado, Springs, CO, and "Substance Abuse and Brain Injuries" by
Diana Roy, BA, LAC. A member of the Mohican Nation, Coyhis is the Founder and
President of a prominent American Indian non-profit organization that is
dedicated to developing culturally relevant treatment, prevention and recovery
materials to support Wellbriety. Diana Roy is a Native American who grew up on
the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Eastern Montana. She is now the current
Program Director of The Family Recovery Home in Williston, ND, and is well-known
for her presentations covering topics of Family, Addiction, Codependency and
Counseling. The April 26th and 27th conference ends at noon on Wednesday with a
talk by Sandra Hare of S-Hare Solutions entitled, "Coping with Caring: A
Guide to Burnout and Compassion Fatigue." Hare is not only a trained
actress and singer, but her diverse background includes professional experience
as a business owner, shopping center leasing/marketing agent, corporate manager
and non-profit consultant.
The Fourth Annual Native American Brain Injury Conference is funded in part by a
Montana Traumatic Brain Injury Implementation Grant awarded by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services
Administration to the Montana DPHHS Senior & Long Term Care Division.
Affordable early registration fees for the April 26th & 27th Conference are
$55 for Individuals, $65 for Professionals and $95 for a family of 3. A limited
number of conference booths are available for $95 each, which includes s
complimentary conference registration. After April 12th, 2005, an additional
$10.00 fee will apply. A limited number of scholarships (conference registration
fee waiver and Tuesday evening's complimentary lodging) are available for TBI
Thrivers and family members in need of financial assistance. The deadline to
apply for a scholarship is also April 12, 2005. Online registration is available
at www.msubillings.edu/mcdregister
and registration can be either mailed to the Montana Center on Disabilities or
made by phone. For additional information, concert ticket reservations or
registration details, please call Jeanie Monahan at the Montana Center on
Disabilities at 406-657-2312 or toll free at 1-888-866-3822.
Resource for Psychological Services in Missoula
One resource for low income children who are not eligible for CHIPS or
Medicaid is the Clinical Psychology Center.
The CPC is operated by the Department of Psychology at The University of Montana
and provides confidential assessment and psychotherapeutic services for
children, adolescents, adults, couples and families. The CPC is a free-standing
clinic, staffed by graduate students, that serves as the primary location for
clinical training. All services are provided under the direct supervision of
licensed clinical psychologists. The Clinic facilities include private
counseling rooms, observation rooms, group therapy rooms, and seminar rooms.
Visit http://www2.umt.edu/psych/clinical/cpc.html
for more information.
Legislative Update #10:
1. Appropriations. The Legislature will be on Easter recess until Tuesday,
the 29th. As mentioned earlier, HB-2 (Witt) has passed out of the House and now
will be considered by the Senate. The legislative process appears to be speeding
up. It now looks like a very full day beginning early on Tuesday. Until
recently, their Finance & Claims Committee was not scheduled to begin
debating HB-2 until Thursday, the 31st. The schedule now indicates they will
begin their review of it starting 8 a.m., Wednesday, the 30th,
section-by-section. They still have it scheduled on their calendar through April
1st. They're under pressure to make additional cuts to the "big bill",
as it's about $4 million over the spending cap, and there is some sizeable
sentiment that human services (Section B) didn't take enough cuts on the House
floor. Note: please urge members of Finance & Claims (notably Sens. Cobb,
Cooney - the Chair - Lind, Tester - also, President of the Senate - and
Weinberg) not to touch any of the general fund or tobacco tax (I-149) increases
maintained on the House side.
The House also starts a full day Tuesday, with Appropriations starting also at 8
a.m., Tuesday, then floor action beginning at 10:00. The committees and the full
House have lots of work to get caught up on, especially those dealing with
funding. Tuesday is the transmittal day for all other appropriations bills.
Note that HB 745 (Matthews) the important supplement appropriations bill
providing special funding through June 30th, the end of this biennium, did pass
2nd Reading in the House last week, but will still face 3rd Reading action on
Tuesday. It still contains some $2 million for Medicaid match in this year.
2. Other Legislation. Much attention in the coming days will be on the school
financing issue, but notably this week on tax proposals. Saturday, April 2nd, is
the transmittal deadline between either chamber for revenue bills (these include
income increases, gambling, business, oil and gas taxes, a property tax rebate,
etc.). I observed an interesting exchange on the Senate floor last Thursday,
when a small, obscure bill, HB 63 (Villa) was altered by a 90-page amended
offered by Senate Democrats adding $80 million for school funding. It was
prompted by the apparent House gridlock on this issue. Republicans finally
yielded with the assurance the amended bill will be reviewed by Finance &
Claims (this Tuesday).
Here is the most recent update of other bills we've been following:
HB 127 (Mendenhall) - passed Senate 3rd reading and has been signed by the
Governor. This revises the definition of seriously developmentally disabled and
was a legislative priority of the Systems Advocacy .
HB 197 (Jayne) - making it a felony for anyone convicted of abusing, neglecting
or exploiting an older adult or person with a developmental disability, at the
request of DPHHS. We've not tracked this one previously and it may have serious
implications. Even DDP wasn't aware of it until quite recently. It sailed
through the House, amended in the Senate (excluding the felony charge for
incidents concerning consumer-to-consumer), and awaits House concurrence.
HB 215 (Caferro) - completes a name change to the state DD council, and has been
signed by the Governor.
HB 336 (Lange) - appropriates $287,000 over the biennium to provide services to
youth with developmental disabilities who have graduated, until they reach age
19. It passed House Appropriations last week, 2nd Reading on the floor, and 3rd
Reading also on Tuesday.
HB 438 (Buzzas) - This bill would establish Braille literacy for blind or
visually impaired children throughout Montana schools. It passed Appropriations
and 2nd Reading last week, and also awaits 3rd Reading Tuesday.
HB 513 (Raser) - this will extend state tax credits to citizens who donate to
developmental disabilities programs. It still awaits consideration by Senate
Taxation this week.
HB 550 (Windy Boy) - Appropriates $100,000 over the biennium for the leadership
forum for youth with disabilities. Having already passed the House, it was heard
in Senate Finance & Claims and awaits executive action.
HB 687 (Mendenhall) - This is an important companion to the I-149 tobacco tax
initiative, as it makes provision to track tobacco sales, and compliments the
actions of the sub-committee that funded six auditors for tax collection. It
finally passed Appropriations and House 2nd Reading last week. It also awaits
3rd Reading Tuesday.
HB738 (Kaufmann) - Will establish an advisory commission to study all provider
rates and services provided by DPHHS. Rep. Kaufmann has agreed it can also be
another means to track progress and impact of the Medicaid provider rate
redesign. After significant amendments, it passed 3rd Reading in the Senate on
the 23rd and was returned to the House for concurrence on the amendments, though
the changes will require an updated fiscal note.
These have significant implications for the future of service provision by
DPHHS. This body is now expected to: review existing reimbursement rates paid to
all providers, and must consider level of financial risk taken by provider in
giving services, the complexity of the provider's services, the "capital
investment" made by the provider, the "administrative overhead"
necessary for conducting business, among others. Note below the following
language changes concerning the composition of the commission:
The commission membership must include a maximum of 15 individuals representing
providers, consumers of provider services, and family members of consumers and
must include a representative of the office of the legislative fiscal analyst
and the governor's office on budget and program planning, legislators, and
employees of the department. IS AS FOLLOWS:
(A) AT LEAST THREE PROVIDERS;
(B) AT LEAST THREE OF A COMBINATION OF CONSUMERS OF PROVIDER SERVICES AND FAMILY
MEMBERS OF CONSUMERS;
(C) TWO EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT;
(D) ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE LEGISLATIVE FISCAL DIVISION;
(E) ONE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE ON BUDGET AND PROGRAM
PLANNING;
(F) ONE MEMBER OF EACH OF THE TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES; AND
(G) ONE MEMBER OF EACH OF THE TWO MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES OF THE SENATE.
SB 41 (Keenan) - Establishing "funding principles" for Medicaid;
it's one of several the Senator offered as part of a larger Medicaid redesign.
It still awaits executive action in House Human Services, possibly this coming
week.
SB 93 (Cobb) - Requires DPHHS to report monthly to the Legislative Finance
Committee updating Medicaid cost estimates. It passed the Senate in January, has
awaited House Appropriations scheduling since mid-February, and now will be
heard Wednesday, the 30th.
SB 110 (Cobb) - While little known, this bill provides more authority for
Medicaid waiver demonstrations, among other things (such as the HIFA waiver). It
is arguably the most potentially significant piece of the Medicaid redesign
legislation. Passed the Senate on 2nd Reading last week, it's scheduled for 3rd
Reading on Tuesday.
SB 127 (Keenan) - Another of the Medicaid redesign bills, this focuses on
restructuring home & community-based waiver services. It was approved by
Houses Human Services as amended, it awaits House floor action.
SB 146 (McGee) - Based on a lawsuit, this bill intends to redesign - and fund -
Montana's public defender system, which could be a good thing for people with
disabilities on limited incomes. Passed Senate as amended, it's now referred to
House Judiciary.
SB 189 (Cocchiarella) - Would clarify conditions for workers compensation
evaluation. Had no real difficulty in either chamber. It was transmitted to the
Governor for signature last week.
SB 150 (Keenan) - Establishes cost-sharing for community-based Medicaid
services. Bill faced considerable opposition in House committee, especially from
advocates of children's DD services and their families. No Human Services
Committee action, as yet.
SB 153 (Cobb) - Establishes performance measures for DPHHS. It passed House
Human Services but awaits floor action.
SB 428 (Stapleton) - Establishes the 211 emergency human services system
statewide. The bill passed Finance & Claims and 2nd Reading on voice vote.
3rd Reading set for Tuesday.
SB 433 (Lind) - Creates a Medicaid pilot project for 50 developmentally disabled
individuals, providing retention of unspent funds in their annual cost plan for
future services, as well as a portion to the DDP "risk pool". It is
still awaiting House Human Services executive action
SB 485 (Ellingson) -This bill establishes for citizens a "next-of-kin"
registry, for purposes of hospital or long-term care facility visitation and
disposition of one's remains upon death, and be housed in the Attorney General's
Office. It received a storm hearing the 23rd in House Judiciary with lots of
questions and concerns by committee members, though no opponents. No action, as
yet.
SB 500 (Cobb) - Revises state election laws to facilitate voting accessibility
for people with disabilities. It was heard the 22nd in the House State
Administration and awaits committee action.
Charlie Briggs, CEO
CWB Consultation
511 Fifth Avenue
Helena, MT 59601
PH: 406/449-4075/406.431.9732(mobile)
"Riding the Bus with My Sister" to air on TV
May 1
Rachel Simon's book Riding the Bus with My Sister has been made into a
Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. The film will air May 1 on CBS stations
around the country.
April 19, 2005: Reasonable Accommodation: Best
Practices for an Interactive Process audio conference
Speaker: Bart Bartlett, County of Orange, Santa Ana, California
Beth Loy, Ph.D., Human Factors Consultant with the Job Accommodation Network
Kendra Duckworth, Human Factors Consultant for the Job Accommodation Network
The cost for the session is $25 for nonprofits and $40 for other entities for
each location, regardless of the number of participants at each location
(multiple people can attend at one location for the same flat fee). There is no
charge for participants who come to the following locations: Ohio Rehabilitation
Services Commission in Columbus, OH, and Southeastern Ohio Center for
Independent Living (SOCIL) in Lancaster, OH.
Sessions are 90 minutes in length and delivered via audio conference.
Participants are in a "listen-only" mode until the question and answer
period. The sessions are offered real-time captioned on the Internet, and a
transcript is developed and posted to the Internet following the session. In
addition, a digital recording of the session is archived on the Great Lakes ADA
Center web site at http://adagreatlakes.org/PnServices/AudioConferencing/Archives/
If you are unable to access this site, please email us at adaohio@aol.com,
and we will assist you further.
Important Tax Code Changes Clarified by SchwabLearning
Article
(Courtesy of Monday Morning in Washington, D.C.)
SchwabLearning.org has published an article that summarizes significant tax
benefits that can be taken by parent of children and youth with disabilities.
"Year 2004 Tax Benefits for Parents of Children with Learning
Disabilities" contains relevant advice for families of children with all
types of disabilities on issues such as medical expenses deductions, health
savings accounts, and much more.
Read the full article at http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=969.
Publication Series from the National Center for
Children in Poverty Focuses on Social Security and Children
The National Center for Children in Poverty has released a series of
publications describing the role of social security in protecting children. A
policy brief titled "Whose Security: What Social Security Means to Children
and Families" provides a description of the social security program, how
social security affects children and families, the effects of social security on
child poverty, and what's at stake for children and families in the current
social security debate. The brief is available at http://nccp.org/pub_wsw05a.html
or http://nccp.org/media/wsw05a-text.pdf.
A companion fact sheet is also available at http://nccp.org/pub_wsw05b.html
or http://nccp.org/media/wsw05b-text.pdf
The final publication in the series, titled "Children, Social Security, and
Private Accounts: 10 Questions for Policymakers," presents basic facts
about children and social security and questions about private accounts.
It is available at http://nccp.org/pub_wsw05c.html
or http://nccp.org/media/wsw05c-text.pdf
Parent's, Let's Unite for Kids - PLUK
516 N 32nd St
Billings MT 59101-6003
800-222-7585; 406-255-0540; 406-255-0523 (fax)
plukinfo@pluk.org
http://www.pluk.org
Edited by: Roger Holt rholt@pluk.org
Proofed & condensed by: Elisabeth Mills scribe@pluk.org
Mission Statement: Parent's Let's Unite for Kids unites parents, professionals, families and friends of children with special needs to support one another, and share information for the benefit of their children.
Vision Statement: Given information and support, individuals with disabilities and their families will feel empowered to advocate for themselves and participate fully in educational and community opportunities.
Statement on accessibility: Today, we endeavor to be conscious of the need for making all electronic information accessible, as we are aware of physical accessibility issues in our community. For design guidelines visit http://ncam.wgbh.org/cdrom/guideline/
Privacy Policy: We do not sell, rent, or lend the e-mail addresses of our subscribers.