One Last Opportunity to Ask that the State's Budget Include Funding for School Districts that Secure Employment for Students with Disabilities

Wisconsin Legislature
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 14, 2015

Rep. Dean Knudson, Member, Joint Finance Committee(608) 266-1526
Senator Leah Vukmir, Member, Joint Finance Committee(608) 266-2512
Rep. John Nygren, Co-Chair, Joint Finance Committee(608) 266-2343
Senator Alberta Darling, Co-Chair, Joint Finance Committee(608) 266-5830

JFC REPUBLICANS PROTECT LONG TERM CARE
Remove Governors Proposed Changes, Preserve Self-Directed Care

MADISONOn Thursday, Republican leaders on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) announced the rejection of Governor Walkers proposed long term care changes, while pursuing limited reforms with strong legislative oversight. Rep. Dean Knudson (R-Hudson) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa) unveiled the changes alongside JFC Co-chairs Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills).

In removing the Governors changes to FamilyCare and IRIS, the legislators proposed giving the Department of Health Services (DHS) limited authority to negotiate with the Federal Government on potential changes to FamilyCare to integrate long term and medical care, with the following requirements:
Require public and stakeholder input before any changes are made.
Require self-directed care with budget authority, to be defined in statute.
Require a regional model with multiple Integrated Health Agencies (IHA) per region.
Require an independent actuarial study to set rates.
Require the acceptance of any willing provider for a multi-year transition.
Preserve ADRC services.
Require final approval of any waiver application by the Joint Finance Committee before submission to the Federal Government.

This plan requires public input, includes a self-directed option, and gives patients choice between competing providers. Integration of care provides better care for customers and doctors, as well as a better value for taxpayers.

Go to the Wheeler Report (www.thewheelerreport.com
<http://www.thewheelerreport.com&gt and see10:53 AMannouncement form Vukmir,Knudsen, Nygren and Darling that JFC has taken the governor's LTC proposalout of the budget.

A great article inDisability Scoopwritten by Michelle Diament about how the White House hired a disability liaison to address the needs of the disability community. The new liaison has lots of experience advocating for people with disabilities.

New Disability Liaison On Board At White House

By Michelle Diament

There is a new staffer at the White House tasked with addressing the needs of the disability community.

Maria Town took over this week as an associate director in the White Houses Office of Public Engagement. In the post, she will focus on incorporating the needs of people with disabilities in Obama administration activities.

The new hire comes just over a month after Taryn Mackenzie Williams left the role. Williamswasin the position temporarily and has since returned to the U.S. Department of Labor where she was stationed previously.

Town, who has cerebral palsy, is a full-time, permanent hire, White House officials said.

Before joining the presidents staff, Town worked as an adviser in the Labor Departments Office of Disability Employment Policy. In that role, she focused on improving employment among youth and young adults with disabilities.

Marias track record on bolstering youth with disabilities as they transition into the workforce and her demonstrated skill crafting career development opportunities in classrooms, fostering leadership for young people with disabilities and building opportunities for inclusive volunteerism will serve the existing efforts of the White House on behalf of Americans with disabilities well, said Rebecca Cokley, executive director of the National Council on Disability, a federal agency that advises the president on disability issues.

Source:http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/05/06/new-disability-liaison/20272/

An interesting article inDisability Scoopwritten by John Fritze about how Social Security is facing resistance while trying to expand services online. The fear is that it will minimize face-to-face assistance for seniors and people with disabilities. Several interesting points are made in this story.

Social Security Shift To Online Services Prompts Concern

By John Fritze

A push to expand online services at the Social Security Administration is meeting resistance from a federal union that represents thousands of agency employees and groups that fear the effort will minimize face-to-face help for seniors and people with disabilities.

Tucked into an otherwise uncontroversial planning document released by the Woodlawn, Md.-based agency last week were recommendations to increase the use of Internet-based self-service sites and to rely more heavily on video conferencing instead of in-person hearings to determine whether a claimant is eligible for benefits.

Social Security officials said the plan is intended to steer the agency toward the type of online service Americans have come to expect from businesses such as banks and airlines. A more up-to-date approach, they said, would help the agencys 60 million beneficiaries accomplish some tasks without having to set up appointments or wait in lines.

How the agency delivers services will be a central issue in the coming years as more baby boomers leave the workforce and begin to collect benefits. In the next 25 years, the number of beneficiaries in the retirement program is expected to increase by more than 70 percent, to about 80 million people.

We have to use the technology thats available to us, Carolyn W. Colvin, the agencys acting commissioner, said in an interview. We know that there are the realities of the budget, and [thats] going to require us to continue services in the most efficient manner.

Others, including the American Federation of Government Employees, said applying for disability benefits or deciding when to begin collecting retirement is more complicated than buying an airline ticket. Union leaders are concerned that the push toward online services will lead inevitably to reductions of the agencys roughly 1,250 field offices across the country.

About 28,000 employees work in those offices, and nearly 180,000 people visit them every day.

These are complicated legal decisions. Its not like depositing a check at the bank, said Nancy Altman, co-director of Social Security Works, a Washington-based coalition that advocates for beneficiaries. We should be opening new field offices given the number of people who are reaching retirement age.

Social Security field offices, like firehouses and schools in city neighborhoods, are closely watched not only by the people they serve but also by lawmakers, whose staff members are often called upon to intervene with the agency on behalf of constituents.

The Senate Aging Committee issued a scathing report last year on Social Securitys procedures for closing field offices. Congress ultimately approved requirements that make it more difficult for the agency to close an office.

Colvin said Social Security remains fully committed to sustaining a field office structure that provides face-to-face services. She rejected the idea that the web service and field offices are mutually exclusive.

Critics said the agencys commitment leaves a lot of wiggle room. They point to instances in which offices were closed or their hours were cut amid budget cuts handed down from Washington.

Saying youre going to keep a field office structure does not mean youre going to keep the current field office structure, said Witold Skwierczynski, president of the AFGE council that represents thousands of field office workers.

The whole thing smells of more Internet service as opposed to face-to-face service, he said. When youre faced with a major decision, you want to talk to someone whos an expert and can help you.

Colvin, clearly sensitive to the broader debate over service delivery, noted repeatedly that the agency briefed union leaders as the document was being crafted. On a website dedicated to the plan, which is called Vision 2025, officials included a quote that suggested that labor had endorsed the effort.

Several unions cited in that quote, including a council of the American Federation of Government Employees, said the suggestion was inaccurate.

Jim Marshall, president of AFGE Council 215, said he could not have endorsed the plan when it was released last week because he had not yet read it.

None of us would have endorsed a plan that we hadnt seen, he said. I believe many portions of the vision can be supported with modifications and future revisions.

The quote was removed from the site.

The National Treasury Employees Union is also reviewing the implications of the plan. The union represents about 1,600 employees involved with deciding whether applicants are eligible for disability payments an effort that has resulted in huge backlogs.

The union supports the Social Security Administrations goal of reducing the case backlog and improving workplace efficiency, NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley said. We believe that the agencys Vision 2025 plan, if framed and implemented appropriately, can be a tool to achieve those goals.

Social Security has nearly 64,000 employees, including more than 11,000 in Maryland making it one of the largest federal employers in the state.

The agencys plan calls for an expansion of video hearings as a way to shift pending disability review cases to offices that have less overwhelming caseloads.

Some administrative law judges who hear those cases have criticized the video hearings in the past, saying that they make it harder to assess a claimants response to questions.

But Randy Frye, president of the Association of Administrative Law Judges, said the technology has improved and that many judges are resigned to video conferencing as a less-than-ideal, cost-cutting compromise.

Its still an inferior process, Frye said. But its clearly the way of the future.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/05/04/social-security-online/20262/

Proposals are now being accepted for the 2015 Self-Determination Conference.

KEEP MOVING FORWARD:Freedom, Choice, Change
November 9-11, 2015
Kalahari Convention Center

Are you interested in presenting at the Self-Determination Conference?

We are looking forsession presentationsthat focus on creative and innovative practices that expand Self-Determination and Self-Directed principles, activities, and outcomes. Presentations should be interactive and use a variety of methods for sharing information and promoting learning. All sessions should also have a self-advocate as the lead or co-lead presenter.

Please complete the proposal formand submit to: Jenny Neugart atJennifer.neugart@wisconsin.govor mail to BPDD, 101 E. Wilson St., Room 219, Madison, WI 53703.

All proposals are due by 12 pm onJune 1st.

Watch for more information on the WI-BPPD website.

Join us inMoving Self-Determination Forward!#SDMovingForward

FilClissa
Deputy Director
WI Board for People withDevelopmental Disabilities
101 East Wilson Street, Room 219
Madison, WI 53703
608.266.5395
fil.clissa@wisconsin.gov

This is a great article inDisability Scoopwritten by Jon Schmitz about accessible transportation. He points out that while there have been vast improvements in the last decade, more work needs to be done. Some valid points are brought up in this piece.

Disability-Friendly Transportation Hard To Come By

By Jon Schmitz

While progress in improving transportation for people with disabilities has been evident in the past decade, persistent barriers remain, the National Council on Disability reports.

Much has happened in the last decade. More people with disabilities are riding public transit than ever before and yet, in many areas, significant barriers to ground transportation for Americans with disabilities remain pervasive, said chairman Jeff Rosen in a statement.

The report will be formally released on Monday as the national council, which advises the president, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policy, meets in Pittsburgh, part of a series of events marking the 25th anniversary of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

While the report praises the gains in public transit, it singled out the nascent alternative taxi industry for failing to do enough to accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Taxi alternatives like Uber, SideCar, Lyft and others could open up exciting business opportunities and provide much-needed travel options for passengers with disabilities, said Marilyn Golden, senior policy analyst for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, authors of the report.

However, court cases and news reports show potential customers being routinely discriminated against because of service dogs and wheelchairs, she said.

A synopsis of the report says: Emerging transportation models like Uber, SideCar and Lyft have vigorously resisted regulations typically imposed on the taxicab sector, harming the taxi industry and evading requirements that serve the public interest, including deficits in service to people with disabilities. Uber openly claims it is not covered by the ADA.

The report also took Amtrak to task, saying the passenger railroad has lagged behind in meeting ADA requirements for its stations, platforms, train cars, reservations practices and communications access.

Spokespersons for Uber, Lyft and the railroad could not immediately be reached for comment.

Other findings as detailed in the synopsis are that ridership on traditional fixed-route buses and rails by people with disabilities has grown far faster than use of specialized paratransit services. It said great gains have been made in best practices for paratransit in on-time performance, telephone wait times, no-show policies and eligibility standards but they are often not implemented.

The council report said minimal transit service in rural and remote areas still creates serious barriers to employment, accessible health care and full participation in society.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/05/01/disability-transportation-hard/20258/

This is a very interesting article inDisability Scoopwritten by Jay Hancock about changes in the managed care system. He points out that Medicaid programs across the country are outsourcing management care. This is especially interesting given the current happenings in Wisconsin.

New Rules Expected For Medicaid Managed Care

By Jay Hancock

HARTSVILLE, Tenn. Lynda Douglas thought she had a deal with Tennessee. She would adopt and love a tiny, unwanted, girl with profound disabilities named Charla. The private insurance companies that run Tennessees Medicaid program would cover Charlas health care.

Douglas doesnt think the state and its contractors have held up their end. In recent years she says she has fought battle after battle to secure essential care to control Charlas seizures, protect her from choking and tube-feed and medicate her multiple times a day.

If you have special-needs children you would not want to be taking care of these children and be harassed like this, Lynda Douglas said. This is not right. No way, shape or form is this right.

State Medicaid programs across the country, which operate with large federal contributions, have outsourced most of their care management in recent years to insurance companies like the ones in Tennessee. The companies cover Medicaid members who are poor and those with disabilities in return for a fixed payment from taxpayers.

That helps government budgets but sets up a fundamental conflict of interest: the less care these companies deliver, the more money they make. Nationwide, such firms made operating profits of $2.4 billion last year, according to regulatory data compiled by Mark Farrah Associates and analyzed by Kaiser Health News.

In an attempt to manage that tension, Washington regulators are about to initiate thebiggest overhaul of Medicaid managed-care rulesin a decade. Prompted by growth of Medicaid outsourcing, concerns about access to care and stories like Charla Douglas, the regulations are expected to limit profits and set stricter requirements for care quality and the size of doctor networks.

We want the enrollees to have timely access to integrated, high-quality care, James Golden, who oversees Medicaid managed care for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told a group of insurance executives in February. Theres been some question about some of these issues.

Tennessee Medicaid plans operated by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, UnitedHealthcare and Anthem are amongthemostprofitableMedicaid insurers in the country, according to data from Milliman, a consulting firm. The state, which runs one of the most respected Medicaid managed-care programs in the country, adopted that design in the 1990s and named it TennCare.

State officials point to quality data and survey results as evidence that the companies are doing a good job while allowing the state to spend far less on Medicaid than predicted. More than90 percent of TennCare customers surveyedlast year said they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied, officials note.

Our patient satisfaction scores are at the highest over the last five years theyve been in 20 years of the program, said TennCare director Darin Gordon, who worries new HHS rules could hinder states from improving Medicaid quality while controlling costs. Dont hamstring us from doing other innovative activities that are going to be able to help try to improve the health and well-being of our population.

But doctors and patient advocates say state savings and insurer profits come at the price of inadequate physician networks, long waits for care and denial of treatments like the ones for Charla Douglas. Answering another question in the survey,30 percent of adultssaid the quality of their TennCare care last year was only fair or poor.

BlueCross is more organized and more strategic in its denials, and the other plans might be more careless, but the way it plays out for folks on the ground level is the same, said Michele Johnson, executive director of the Tennessee Justice Center, a nonprofit law firm that helps TennCare members navigate the system. What we find is that all three plans will deny care.

Medicaids expansion in most states under the Affordable Care Act has obscured another big but more gradual change:More than half of Medicaid beneficiariesnow receive coverage from private insurers, known as managed care companies, with incentives to limit care. The surge helped prompt inquiries by HHS inspector general last year that found widely varying state standards for access to doctors and poor information for members on where to find them.

In one nationwide study, half the doctors listed in official directories werent taking Medicaid patients. Among doctors who were, a quarter couldnt see patients for a month.

In Tennessee views diverge sharply on whether the proposed federal rules, expected soon, are necessary. Many say the system is far from adequate.

Dena Deweese, who runs a primary care practice in Knoxville, has problems finding specialists for her patients who are covered through Amerigroup, a TennCare contractor and Anthem affiliate that recently began operating in the area.

I kept running into no, no, no, she said. Ive still got lots of folks that are simply not taking it.

Amerigroup says it only recently started covering TennCare members in the area and is still expanding its network. Since January we have added more than 3,600 specialty physicians, said company spokeswoman Cindy Wakefield.

TennCares member-per-doctor standard for primary care is among the worst in states that have such rules one provider per 2,500 members. Even for urgent care, TennCare rules allow waiting times of up to two days for an appointment.

The state allows one neurologist per 35,000 TennCare members, although most states have no network standards at all for such specialists.

Even when children are having seizures, Crossville pediatrician Suzanne Berman often cant get a TennCare neurology referral for weeks.

I have a kid who urgently needs to see a specialist, she said. We call and we beg. We can see you in three months, the neurologists nurse will say. OK we can see you in two weeks. No, we cant wait that long.

Often she must send the child to a hospital emergency room to get the proper care its the only way I have found to jump the queue, she said.

Douglas Springer, a gastroenterologist and, until recently, president of the Tennessee Medical Association, recognizes states need to control Medicaid expense.

The cost in that population keeps going up and up and up, he said.

But he favors new rules to ensure adequate doctor networks and limit insurer profits.

If they can make it hard on [a patient], and make it so the networks are poorly funded or poorly populated, then nobody can go see anybody, he said. They dont have to spend any money.

Evelyn Manley said she had to fight to get TennCares insurers to cover even a portion of the behavioral therapy that doctors recommend for Christian, her five-year-old son with diagnoses of autism and Down syndrome.

Im grateful for TennCare, she said. But it could definitely improve.

Lynda Douglas, 69, knew she wanted to adopt Charla a decade ago as soon as she took her for foster care from the state. Charlas problems include cerebral palsy, a badly curved spine, frequent seizures and osteoporosis. She cannot speak and takes most food by tube. She is 16, weighs less than 80 pounds and loves Barney the dinosaur.

Douglas, who lives about an hour east of Nashville, says she has often struggled to get adequate treatment for Charla. But she was grateful that TennCares contractors sent daytime nurses to monitor her seizures, keep her from choking, activate an implanted device to control seizures, administer medicine and maintain a tube that delivers medicine or nourishment eight times a day.

Then more than a year ago UnitedHealthcare reduced the nursing to one hour a day even though Charlas condition hadnt improved. Douglas protested with the help of the Tennessee Justice Center and a pro-bono lawyer and won, but TennCare appealed. It took two more rounds of adjudication before a judge ruled in Douglas favor late last year.

The managed-care companies are making a mint down here, Douglas said. Theyre getting rich at the expense of the kids. This is not right.

UnitedHealthcare made operating profit of $236 million last year on revenue of $2.8 billion in its Tennessee Medicaid business, according tostate filings. Anthems operating profit for TennCarecame to $53 millionon revenue of $946 million. BlueCrosss operating profit for TennCarewas $121 millionon revenue of $1.8 billion. Those results do not include expenses for taxes, depreciation and other items not directly related to health coverage.

Our care teams worked with the family and with [Charla Douglas] physicians and other providers to assure that her services were appropriate for her special health care needs, UnitedHealthcare said in a prepared statement. The managed-care plan followed TennCares contract and care guidelines, it said.

This year Charla switched to the BlueCross TennCare plan to better coordinate her care with two other children with disabilities in the Douglas household, one foster and one adopted. In March the plan denied coverage of the seizure-control pump that Charlas doctors prescribed, saying it was medically unnecessary.

BlueCross now says it will pay for the procedure. A spokeswoman blamed the initial denial on a physicians failure to provide the needed medical information.

Like TennCare officials, the managed-care industry is urging HHS not to publish overly rigid regulations that bog plans down in paperwork and hinder them from making investments to keep members healthy.

Youre dealing with a huge variation in population covered by Medicaid from state to state, said Jeff Myers, CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America, an industry lobby. Each state has an insurance commissioner. Presumably theyre very good about making decisions about insurance regulation to suit local conditions, he said.

Myers and other officials expect HHS to issue rules for medical loss ratios that limit profits and force plans to spend a minimum portion of revenue on medical care. Such restrictions already apply to other insurance under the health law.

Imposing blanket profit standards on diverse Medicaid programs would be terrible policy, he said.

TennCare director Gordon, who frequently advises other states on Medicaid, rejects suggestions that managed-care networks are inadequate or that contractors deny needed care. Third-party surveys show that 90 percent of Tennessee doctors take TennCare and most of them take new TennCare patients, he said, although consumer advocates dispute this.

TennCare members sometimes have trouble seeing specialist doctors, but so do patients in commercial plans, he said. Like many state Medicaid directors, he wonders how HHS can publish network rules for 50 states with widely varying geographies and health systems.

We actually have a pretty solid network, he said, with systems to closely track how contracted insurers are performing. The HHS investigation into Medicaid doctor networks looked at it very narrowly and gives you a less complete picture of whats going on in the states, he said.

Written the wrong way, Gordon said, HHS limits on managed-care profits could discourage spending on coordinators who improve care quality at decreased cost.

Yeah, were a little concerned, about the proposed rules to be published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, he added. There are some things that we think may have adverse effects.

Other Tennesseans tend to oppose Washington decrees no matter what they say.

We need to keep CMS out of our business. They have done nothing but screw everybody up, said Iris Snider, an Athens pediatrician who praises the job Gordon and other officials have done with TennCare. It really worries me when we finally get a system thats working reasonably well for my patients.

Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/04/29/new-rules-medicaid-care/20254/

Connect|Share|Learn|http://sdnetworkwi.org/

Thank You to Our New NetworkSponsors!

We would like to thank Innovative Services, Inc. and LinkEd for becoming our newest sponsors of the Self-Determination Network. The Network would not exist without its fabulous sponsors, who provide in-kind and financial support.To learn about how you can become a Network Sponsor, contactDeb Wisniewski.

Aging Empowerment Conference

Join InControl Wisconsin and other sponsors on June 1^stfor a one-day conference exploring self-determination and empowerment in aging at the Glacier Canyon Lodge Conference Center at the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin Dells. This statewide event will examine new approaches to providing support to older adults that encourage autonomy and choice.

The keynote address entitled, Self-Determination: Past, Present, & Future will be given by Dr. Kevin Manhoney. Dr. Mahoney, Professor of Social Work at Boston College and Founding Director of the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, will share a national perspective on the expansion of self-determination in long-term care. To prepare for the future, we need to understand the past and achievements that bring us here today. What can we learn from the evidence of success that supports this model of service delivery as we look toward the future? This keynote will help us understand the challenges and opportunities we may face in continuing to advance self-determination.

Stay tuned for registration information!

Check out this months Member Spotlight

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.

For this month, we shine the Spotlight on April Nutter. This great parent believes that self-directing your supports can make a world of difference. Stop by this monthsMember Spotlightand get to know April!

Who should we shine the Spotlight on next?

Stay informed about the latest on the Budget Proposal

We continue to keep theBudget Proposal pagewith the latest information. On theLearn pagewe just added links to informational hearings that were held at the capitol about Long-Term Care. Now is the critical time totake action! Let your voice be heard!

The Results are In!

We asked people what they are doing about the proposed changes to IRIS and Family Care. Nearly 50% of people said that theyre sharing their story/thoughts with the Governors office and/or their legislators. Over 20% of people attended Disability Advocacy Day, budget training workshops, and/or public hearings. Nearly 20% of people also reported that theyre talking to people about the changes and/or reading about them. About 9% of people said that they are talking to local media and/or writing letters to newspapers about the proposed changes. Now, we want to know which programs you use to self-direct. Take our newone-minute poll.

Join us for another Coffee Break!

• Coffee Break: An Update on Wisconsins State Budget Proposal: Thursday, May 6th, 2015, 9:00a.m. to 9:30a.m. CST

Family Care. IRIS. SeniorCare. ADRCs. Personal Care...

Wisconsin Governor's Budget Proposal is currently in the hands of the Joint Finance Committee. It includes major changes to the Long-Term Care system in Wisconsin.

So what's in the budget? What's not? How will it affect your life or the life of people you care about? What can you do about the changes being proposed?

Join our special guest,Lynn Breedlove, to ask questions, share your thoughts andlearn more about the budget proposal. Lynn is the board president for InControl Wisconsin and a outspoken advocate for self-determination.

The Coffee Break is a live discussion (chat) on the Network, open to all members. Each Coffee Break has a different theme - participants will be asked to share their thoughts, questions, ideas and challenges on the subject.

You can join the discussion (chat) any time during the Coffee Break. Just sign in on the SD Network during the time you want to participate on the Network and then go to the Chat Room.

There's no need to register - however, it would help if you would RSVP so we have some idea if you will be joining us.

Stacys Journal

Network Manager, Stacy Ellingen, continues to share some of her personal experiences with us. This month she shares herJourney to Employmentwith us. We encourage you to ask her questions and/or share your experiences as well.

It Only Takes "Five"

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

• Take a Survey about the ADA: The ADA Wisconsin Partnership posted a survey people can take about the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Neat Resource: The ADA Wisconsin Partnership posted a really neat resource about an online newsletter regarding the ADA. Check it out!
• Accessible City: This is a great article about how Madison is becoming more accessible for people with disabilities.
• ABLE Act: An article about how the ABLE Act is moving forward in some states.
• Questionable SSI Payments: This is an interesting article about how there were billions of dollars of questionable SSI payments in 2014.
• Call for Exhibitors: The Across the Lifespan Conference is looking for exhibitors for their 2015 conference. Find out how to get involved today!
• Call for Proposals: The Across the Lifespan Conference is looking for presenters for their 2015 conference. Find out how to get involved today!
• Caregiver Pay: An interesting article about the push to give in-home caregivers pay protections.
• Service Animal Fraud: This is a blog about how service animal fraud is on the rise and whats being done to prevent it.
• Free Bus Rides: Find out which Wisconsin county is offering free bus rides to people with disabilities.
• Youth Leadership Forum: The Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) is now accepting applications for 2015. The deadline is May 11^th.
• Post news or start a discussion: It's easy to do and a great way to share information and network with others!

New Members

Stop by to welcomeournewest members

• Sheworksfor a company whose mission revolves around self-determination.
• This person iscommitted to self-determination.
• Hes a smallbusiness ownerwho is very interested in advocacy.
• Thisguardianis very upset about what the government is trying to do with self-directed support programs.
• She is theDirector of Vocational Serviceswith Innovative Services, Inc.
• This person has a ton of experienceworking with people with disabilities.
• Hespassionate about self-determination.

Do you know someone who should join the Self-Determination Network? Spread the word and invite friends, families and other interested folks!

Upcoming Events

Here's a sample ofupcoming eventslisted on the Self-Determination Network:

• WI FACETS Spring Self-Advocacy Workshop: Self-Advocate Spotlight: April 28^th, 6pm to 8pm, WI FACETS, Milwaukee WI
• Circles of Life Conference 2015; April 30^thto May 1^st, Holiday Inn Convention Center, Stevens Point WI
• Coffee Break: An Update on Wisconsins State Budget Proposal: May 6^th, 9am to 9:30am,SD Network Chat Room
• The National ADA Symposium: May 10^thto 13^th, National Center for Civil & Human Rights, Atlanta GA
• Living a Self-Determined Life Conference: June 1^stto 2^nd, Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells WI
• ADA Free Pontoon Boat Rides on Madison Lakes: June 14^thto August 16^th, Tenney Park, Madison WI
• ADA Legacy Bus Tour: June 25^th, 11am to 4pm, State Capitol, Madison WI
• State-wide Institute on Best Practices in Inclusive Education 2015:July 27^thto 29^th, Westwood Conference Center, Wausau WI
• 3rd Annual Disability Pride Festival: July 25^th, 12pm to 5pm, Brittingham Park, Madison WI
• Self-Determination Conference: November 9^thto 11^th, Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells WI

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

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