In January 2017, the Department of Justice released a guidance statement to various criminal justice entities regarding compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the their health, safety, and welfare of people with disabilities. The guidance was issued to explain that Title II of the ADA ensures that those with disabilities are treated equally and are afforded equal opportunities by state and local governments. The guidance letter includes many examples on how criminal justice entities can be more inclusive and offers various resources to achieve this goal. The document also provides opportunities to increase ADA compliance and ways to promote positive community outcomes.

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A new free app allows people who are deaf or hard of hearing to easily communicate with others. Connect by BeWarned is an application that converts text to speech and the other way around.  Users can also use textual templates or create your own for any everyday situation.

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The shortage of direct care workers is no secret  in Wisconsin.  Governor Walker's 2017-2019 budget calls for a four percent increase in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for personal care.  While this may help ease the shortage, advocates feel it won't fix  the problem.  70% of personal care agencies report that they don't have enough workers to cover their clients approved hours.  Many feel there needs to more of an increase.

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Statistics show that one of every five adults living in the U.S. have a disability.  Regardless if they're working or not, people with disabilities and their caregivers usually have higher daily living and medical care costs.  The tax code allows some of these costs to be deductible.  This article gives some tax strategies for people with disabilities  and caregivers to consider:

• Open an ABLE account
• Opt for a higher standard deduction
• Obtain child and dependent care credit
• Seek the disability credit
• Claim a person with a disability as a dependent
• Deduct medical expenses

Learn more about these strategies

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a short video slideshow that explains how Medicaid works now and what is at stake as policymakers in Washington consider converting program financing to a block grant or per capita cap. The video describes how Medicaid is funded under current law, whom it covers and how spending is distributed across various groups of enrollees, including children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.

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The voices of people with disabilities and their families are so important in shaping public policy at the local, state and federal levels. Here's a great new document from People First WI that shows what's in the Governor's proposed budget for the WI disability community, along with questions you can ask your legislators and the Governor. Share widely and contact your state Senator and Assembly Rep! You can also use this at Disability Advocacy Day on  March 21st in Madison.  Let your voice be heard!

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The federal government currently pays a fixed portion of states’ Medicaid costs, varying by state but averaging about 64%. Previous congressional budget and health plans have proposed converting Medicaid into a block grant or imposing a per capita cap. This article describes how, under these proposals, costs will shift to states and how it will effect programs.

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Recently, a leaked copy of the plan to eliminate the ACA and develop a per-capita plan for Medicaid (the federal program that funds Family Care/IRIS, BadgerCare, Katie Beckett, Children's long-term supports and autism programs, etc. in Wisconsin) was released. While changes in the plan are expected, here's an overview of the direction the bill would take regarding the ACA and Medicaid.

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