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Self-Determination Network News:

November 2021

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National Family Caregiver Month

November is National Family Caregiver Month. The Survival Coalition, the Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network, and the Wisconsin Family Caregiver Alliance released this three minute video to listen to some of the challenges facing family caregivers across Wisconsin: See Us: Wisconsin's Invisible Family Caregivers. 

Without this essential support from dedicated family members, many older adults and people with disabilities would not be able to live in their own homes and would be forced into expensive Medicaid-funded institutional settings. We encourage you to share this video with your legislators and tell them your story. 

It was a great Self-Determination Conference again this year! We understand many people missed being able to attend in-person, but we were glad so many were able to join virtually. Let's keep the conversation going! Share your comments, questions, and ideas. Join the conversation!

We want to congratulate this year's Diehard Award winners who were recognized at the Self-Determination Conference. These individuals received a Diehard Award for going above and beyond in supporting the lives of people with disabilities. Please help us congratulate and thank these people for their outstanding advocacy efforts:

• Vicky Gunderson
• Maria Nogueron
• Kate Rinehart
• Maureen Ryan
• Delores Sallis
• Jordan Anderson
• Sydney Badeau
• Kathryn Burish
• Mike Hipple

The Self-Determination Network includes some very talented members and we want to help you to get to know each other a little better. Member Spotlight is a great way for us to get to know each other better.

This month, we're shining the spotlight on Olivia. This determined self-advocate doesn’t let anything stop her from achieving her goals. As director of an advocacy program for high school students, she helps others learn leadership and advocacy skills. Stop by this month's Member Spotlight to get to know Olivia.  

Who should we shine the spotlight on next?

Stacy’s Journal

Check out the Latest Videos!

The Self-Determination Channel is a YouTube channel by and for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Unlike other channels, the Self-Determination Channel stands stand out from other channels on YouTube because self-advocates host the videos, and decide and create the content. Videos are posted a couple times a month on a variety of topics self-advocates care about such as technology, employment, caregivers, independent living, and advocacy.

Check out the newest videos on the channel:

• 2021 Self-Determination Conference:  Community Resources 
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: All Abilities Market
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: Block Party
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: Keynote: Self-Determination Strong
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: Diehard Awards 
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: Keynote: Redefining Disability 
• 2021 Self-Determination Conference: Wrap Up
• A Time I Advocated for Myself 

We encourage you to subscribe to the Channel (you can do so by clicking the red Subscribe button on any of the video pages).

Take five minutes to check out what's happening on the Self-Determination Network:

• Landmark Bill Introduced: New legislation was recently introduced that would create add-on plans for Medicare Home Health Benefit that would allow providers to mix in telehealth, transportation, personal care, and other services. Learn more about this new bill. 
• Benefits Increase: It was recently announced that Supplemental Security Income and Social Security will get a significant increase in 2022. Find out how much it will increase. 
• Workforce Study: A study was done about the workforce displacement and re-entry during the pandemic among direct care workers and workers other jobs. Find out what the study revealed.
• Technical Bulletins: The U.S. Access Board has released technical bulletins on accessibility to lavatories and sinks, washing machines and clothes dryers, and saunas and steam rooms. Read about what they specify
• Workforce Safety: Due to the nature of the job, home care workers are at increased risk for experiencing workplace violence. Learn how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is doing to try to prevent this. 
• Federal Funding Increases Home Care Services: The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a plan how to use funds to expand home-and-community-based services. Learn what they are planning to do. 
• Public Comment Needed on Voting Access Recommendations: The National Institute on Standards and Technology is seeking public comment on recommendations for addressing voting access for people with disabilities. Public comment closes November 22.
• Boost in Home-and-Community-Based Services: President Biden is moving forward with his push for the biggest increase to home-and-community-based services in 40 years. Learn what services this could improve.
• Transportation Grant Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 2021 competitive grant funding for projects that improve access to vital services for older adults and people with disabilities, and in low-income communities. Proposals due December 6.
• Family Caregiver Campaign: Due to the caregiver shortage across the country, family caregivers are overwhelmed and feeling the brunt of it. Find out what three policy changes advocates are  highlighting that would help family caregivers.
• Assistive Technology Survey: WisTech is looking ahead to 2022 and would like your input on what training topics you are interested in.  The survey closes December 10.
• Electronic Visit Verification Hard Launch Delayed: The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced that they are delaying the hard launch of Electronic Visit Verification. Read more about the plan.  

Upcoming Events

Here's a sample of upcoming events listed on the Self-Determination Network:

• Webinar: Disaster Response And Disability: Approaches For Citizen Responders: November 17, 12pm.to 1p.m., Online

Post your event on the Self-Determination Network and it can be included in future Network News emails to members! Questions? Suggestions?  Contact Stacy Ellingen. 

The Self-Determination Network is powered by InControl Wisconsin and supported financially by our members and Sponsors. We couldn't keep this Network going with you!  Find out how you can help support the Network.

Recently, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the soft launch of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) will be extended. Originally, hard launch was supposed to begin January 1,2022; however, they're extending the soft launch period.

With the soft launch extension:

• EVV is still required for Medicaid-covered personal care and applicable supportive home care services and has been since November 2, 2020.
• Provider agencies that are not currently using EVV are out of compliance with current DHS policy.
• Fee-for-service claims without EVV data will be paid.
• DHS has encouraged health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and managed care organizations (MCOs) to continue to pay claims without EVV data until the new hard launch date. This will provide consistency and coordination for provider agencies within the EVV program.
• Services without EVV data will be included in future capitation rate setting development for HMOs and MCOs.
• IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) fiscal employer agencies will not deny payment for provider agency claims until the new hard launch date.
• The IRIS non-compliant participant disenrollment process will be delayed. Participants are out of compliance with current DHS policy if their participant-hired workers are not using an EVV system during the soft launch phase.
• Provider agencies choosing to use an alternate EVV system that is not certified should complete the certification process as soon as possible. They are out of compliance with current DHS policy if they are not using an EVV system during soft launch phase.
• In fee-for-service, the Sandata EVV system is not a replacement for Record of Care timesheets until the new hard launch date.

DHS will continue to monitor the status of EVV and will be taking additional actions to further promote EVV usage and provider compliance during the extension.

Payers, provider agencies, and workers should use this extension to become more efficient with EVV, streamline processes, and take additional training as needed.

Wisconsin EVV Customer Care

If you have questions or comments about EVV, please contact Wisconsin EVV Customer Care via email or phone at 833-931-2035. Customer Care hours are Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. CT.

Annual Survey of Training Interests and Needs

WisTech is looking ahead to 2022 and would like your input on what training topics you are interested in. This survey will be used to guide them in selecting speakers and content for  professional development trainings. The deadline is Friday, December 10.

Take survey

Disability advocates are reacting with a mix of relief, disappointment, and managed expectations to the recent announcement of a “framework” deal to pass the Biden Administration’s “Build Back Better” social spending plan, which supporters hope will be accompanied by its parallel physical infrastructure plan. The original plans included many disability priorities such as a major boost in funding for home-and-community-based services and a big update to Social Security. 

Read more

• Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) via video-conferencing.
• Chronic Pain Self-Management Program (CPSMP) via telephone and toolkit.
• Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP) via video-conferencing.
• EnhanceFitness via video-conferencing.
• HealthyIDEAS via phone.
• HomeMeds via phone.
• Walk with Ease via self-directed enhanced toolkit.

Due to the caregiver shortage across the country, family caregivers are overwhelmed and feeling the brunt of it. Advocates are highlighting three policy changes that would greatly help reelevate some of the stress for family caregivers. 

• Expanding the state's unpaid family medical leave law 
• Expanding resources for Aging and Disability Resource Centers 
• Creating a partial tax cut for qualified expenses 

Read more

Congress is considering legislation to expand the availability of Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) by making additional resources available to states as part of a larger reconciliation bill. Although the reconciliation bill does not have bipartisan support, Democrats and Republicans have historically supported efforts to expand HCBS. This report focuses on streamlining and simplifying states’ HCBS waiver and state plan authorities into a single state plan amendment (SPA), with the goal of reducing complexity for states administering the programs and for beneficiaries navigating the system. Streamlining and simplifying the program would make services more uniform from state to state and across populations within a state. 

Read more

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of $3.5 million in Fiscal Year 2021 competitive grant funding for projects that improve access to vital services for older adults and people with disabilities, and in low-income communities. The main purpose of the Innovated Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM) Program is to improve access to public transportation by building partnerships among health, transportation, and other service providers. This program provides competitive funding to support innovative projects for the transportation disadvantaged that will improve the coordination of transportation services and non-emergency medical transportation services (NEMT). In the FY 2021 program, FTA intends to target funding for regional and statewide mobility management capital projects that support coordination and enable comprehensive community access, including access to NEMT, for underserved groups.

Eligible applicants are designated or direct recipients of FTA’s Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disability Formula Program, which provides formula funding to states for the purpose of assisting private nonprofit groups in meeting the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities when the transportation service provided is unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate to meeting these needs.

In addition applicants must serve as the lead agency of a regional or statewide consortium that includes stakeholders from transportation, healthcare, human service, or other sectors. FTA requires that applicants demonstrate that the proposed project was planned through an inclusive process with the involvement of the transportation, healthcare, and human service sectors.

Applicants must submit a proposal electronically by December 6. A synopses and full announcement are posted on Grants.gov. 

President Biden is moving forward with his push for the biggest increase to home-and-community-based services in 40 years. The reconciliation package includes $150 billion for Medicaid home and community-based services to help get people with disabilities off of waiting lists and address issues regarding the workforce of direct support professionals. 

Read more