A monthly e-newsletter for the DD Council Network
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For an accessible version of Field Notes,
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DD Network News
March was an unbelievable month in the
DD Network!
I want to thank all of you who took time to support DD Awareness Month. Our campaign this year was very successful but we want to hear from you - please be sure to complete the
2017 DD Awareness Month Campaign Survey and let us know your thoughts!
I also want to acknowledge all those who attended the Disability Policy Seminar, or worked from within your state or territory to educate policymakers about the importance of Medicaid and good health care for people with developmental disabilities. Together, we made a difference. Collectively we rejoiced when the President announced he was pulling the American Health Care Act when it failed to garner enough votes for passage on the House floor. But we all know that the fight is not over. We have much work still to be done over the coming weeks and months to help policymakers at all levels understand what Medicaid means for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the policy update included here in Field Notes, NACDD Public Policy Director Cindy Smith shares some ideas for how you can help during the Congressional recess that will take place from April 7 until April 24. This is the time to meet with your members of Congress, staff, governors and state legislators at home to share your stories.
Meanwhile, NACDD continues to collaborate with the DD network partners and others in support of self-advocacy. The new Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) has been established through an AIDD grant to Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE). Recently, NACDD, NDRN and AUCD all met with the leadership of SARTAC and AIDD to learn all about the plans for this new resource center. Over time, it promises to grow to be an outstanding website and initiative that will support more self-advocates taking a role in the community and gaining access to the workplace through fellowship opportunities. Check out their
Facebook page and like it to learn more.
NACDD continues to address supports for self-advocacy in many ways and encourage all self-advocates to become more involved at all levels of NACDD work. We have self-advocates serving on our Board of Directors, serving on our key committees, presenting and running sessions at our Annual Conference and much more. If you know good folks who want to get involved in a meaningful way, let me know.
Happy spring everyone!
Donna
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POLICY NEWS & INFORMATION
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Members of Congress are back in their districts for a two week recess which started on Friday, April 7th. Before they left, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Neil Gorsuch for the U.S. Supreme Court. This means that they will have to finalize appropriations when they return to DC after the recess.
The current
C
ontinuing
R
esolution
(CR)
is set to expire on April 28th and Congress will need to pass a new
CR or final bill before that date
to keep the government open. Despite not having completed the funding process for FY17, the appropriations process for FY18 has begun.
In the House of Representatives, the deadline for Members of Congress to submit their priorities is April 8th. NACDD has been working with Rep. Langevin (D-RI),
Co-chair of the House Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus,
and our colleagues at NDRN and AUCD to show broad support for the DD Act programs. Thank you to everyone for reaching out to offices and providing NACDD with information to educate offices about the important work of the Councils and making our request for increased funding to 76 million!
As Congress heads into the recess, it is critical that persons with disabilities and their families continue to educate and inform members about the critical importance of the quality, comprehensive, nondiscriminatory and affordable health care, such as provided for by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the importance of the Medicaid program. The Medicaid program must not be used to pay for the repeal of the ACA! While the American Health Care Act, introduced in the House of Representatives was not voted on in late March, it is still being worked on in Congress, and healthcare and Medicaid will likely be part of a continuing discussion after the recess. Please take time during the recess to continue to ensure every member of Congress learns about the importance of these programs to persons with developmental disabilities and their families.
Coming soon! The NACDD website is developing a page for Medicaid information and resources for your convenience. Stay tuned for the link.
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ITACC WEBSITE ~ UPDATES & INFORMATION
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Other News Page
Cultural and Linguistic Competence: Definitions, Frameworks, and Implications for Developmental Disabilities Councils
Webinar #1 PowerPoint (Tawara Goode) 3/14/17
(Slides are copyright protected and shared with permission from the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development)
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The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
AAPD is pleased to announce the release of its
NEW Career Center - a tool for job-seekers with disabilities to search for employment opportunities as well as a place for employers to post jobs and connect with potential employees with disabilities.
2016 Year-in-Review
The momentum of the last three quarters extended employment gains into 2017 for Americans with disabilities, as reported in this special year-in-review edition of the Trends in Disability Employment-National Update (nTIDE). Visit the nTide website and scroll down to
Special Report
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DIVERSITY, INCLUSION and CULTURAL & LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE (DICLC)
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D
ICLC
Resources & Opportunities to support DICLC in all aspects of DD Council Work
Minority Health Month. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) has launched the annual observance of National Minority Health Month. The theme this year, Bridging Health Equity Across Communities, emphasizes the collaborative, community-level work being done across the nation to help achieve health equity.
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Web-Based Learning & Reflection Forums
April 13, 2017 | 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern
Developing Organizational Policies that Reflect the Values of Cultural & Linguistic Competence - Register Here
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FFATA REMINDER!
The Federal Funding Accountability Transparency Act (FFATA) requires all prime grantees (DD Councils) to report on sub-awards (grants or contracts awarded by the Council) in FFATA Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS) if the initial sub-award is equal to or greater than $25,000.
Information entered in FSRS will then be displayed on USASpending.gov associated with the prime award furthering federal spending transparency. Additional FFATA information and terms and conditions can be found
here
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STATE PLAN AMENDMENTS - Public Comment Period
State plan amendments are due no later than August 15, 2017. If your Council is making a major change to the State plan, the Council is required to allow a minimum 45-day public comment period available to citizens in the State/Territory. Please allow time to collect and analyze comments received on the State plan. Following a review of the comments, the Council may consider additional changes based on the public comments received.
Note:
A major change of a 5-year goal that alters the intent of the original would be addressed as a State Plan Amendment.
STATE PLAN FOLLOW-UP TO TIER 2 SUMMARY REPORTS
Many Councils are in the process of addressing weaknesses and compliance concerns noted in the 2017-2021 Tier 2 Summary Review Reports for each state plan. All weaknesses and compliance concerns must be submitted no later than August 15, 2017 in the ACL Reporting System. Many Councils are not making major changes, but need to address items in objectives, the annual work plan, evaluation plan, logic model, and other areas as noted. The clear majority of comments do not require a formal public comment period and would not be subject to the federal 45-day requirement. However, Councils have indicated their practice of posting revisions to the state plan on their website as a matter of transparency and to keep the public updated. If you have State/Territory policies and/or procedures that apply in addition to Council practices, please remember to incorporate them into your process.
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For Your Information: Changes at the Administration on Disabilities
Ophelia McLain, Director of the Office of Program Support within the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, was selected to participate in this year's President's Management Council Interagency Rotation Program. As the name of the program suggests, participants spend six months at another participating agency to help them develop and/or enhance leadership competencies. Ophelia began her detail at the Department of Transportation on Monday, April 3, and she will return to ACL at the end of September.
While Ophelia is away, the responsibilities of the AOD management team have been shifted as follows:
- Allison Cruz has assumed Ophelia's responsibilities and is now the Acting Director of the Office of Program Support.
- Thom Campbell has taken over Allison's primary responsibilities as the Acting Director of Office of Innovation, while also continuing to lead the innovation programs within the Independent Living Administration.
You can reach Allison at
[email protected]
or 202-795-4334 (office) or
202-868-9713 (mobile)
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UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
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NACDD 2017 Annual Conference
A Quality Life: Count Me In!
July 11-14
Registration is now open for NACDD's 2017 Annual Conference - A Quality Life: Count Me In! in Salt Lake City, Utah.
IT
ACC Technical Assistance Institute (TAI)
July 11-12, more information to come!
HCBS Settings Rule
The NACDD Member Services Committee will be hosting a webinar on
April 20, 2017 at 3:00pm ET on the status of the HCBS Settings Rule. Alison Barkoff, Director of Advocacy of the Center for Public Representation, will present an update for the Councils on Developmental Disabilities about the HCBS Settings Rule and share the latest information on the status of state implementation the HCBS Settings rules and recent guidance from CMS related to the Rules.
There will also be a facilitated a discussion about strategies DD Councils are using to impact statewide transition plans and how other federal policies, including potential Medicaid reforms, could impact implementation.
To join the HCBS webinar,
Conference call number: 800-832-0736
Room number: 4880400
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This publication is supported through AIDD's contract (#HHSP233201600068C) with NACDD to provide technical assistance to the national network of DD Councils.
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