Medical Insurance, Special Needs and Divorce

April 6th, 2009 by Saundra M. Gumerove

Many of us have children with special needs a who are medically involved–whether it is seizures, asthma, glaucoma, bipolar disorder or any other condition, the loss of medical insurance can be devastating financially.  This is particularly true in a divorce situation.

The questions is–which parent shall be required to maintain the medical insurance and for how long.  A little known fact, that provides the answer, is to look at the Eligibility section of each parent’s current medical insurance.  Many policies provide that where there is a child with a disabiity the onset of which is prior to age 22 (or 25 or 19, depending on the policy), the child remains eligible for medical benefits as long as the parent works for the company.  Proof must be provided that the child is disabled and that the child is unable to earn a living.  A doctor will have to certify that the child is disabled and unable to work and the child may have to be recertified periodically.

So, in the divorce situation, be sure that the medical insurance policy eligibility clause is read, understood and that the parent who has the better coverage is the one who is required to maintain the medical insurance for the child’s lifetime (or at least until the parent retires.

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ACTION ALERT: ITS UP TO YOU — STIMULUS BILL TO BE SIGNED TODAY: DEMAND OUR FAIR SHARE!

February 17th, 2009 by Saundra M. Gumerove

Stimulus bill to be signed today.

PRESIDENT OBAMA WILL SIGN THE STIMULUS BILL INTO LAW TODAY - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
NOW THE NYS BUDGET PROCESS HAS BEGUN EARNEST
BILLIONS IN FEDERAL MONEY - INCLUDING MEDICAID - IS EXPECTED TO NOW FLOW TO NYS. THOSE GROUPS THAT MAKE A STRONG ENOUGH CASE WILL GET THAT MONEY TO FILL HOLES IN THEIR BUDGET.
THOSE GROUPS THAT DON’T MAKE THEIR CASE WILL BE LEFT OUT. WE CAN’T BE ONE OF THEM.
A stimulus bill makes an even stronger case for our trend factor. It makes a stronger case for elimination of budget cuts to programs like Day Hab, ICFs, Unified Services,Clinics and development.
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Our Plan: Emailing and calling key officials (see below). Until the budget is passed this will be an ongoing effort. VOLUME IS CRITICAL. We must make sure our voice is heard over all the other very strong voices clammoring for the same thing

CONTACT THE LEADERSHIP BELOW!! THEY ARE KEY TO OUR EFFORTS

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SAMPLE MESSAGE #1 : DO THE RIGHT THING! President Obama has just signed the fiscal stimulus bill to revive the economy in large part by eliminating state budget cuts to services for our most vulnerable citizens. No group better fits this description than persons served in voluntary programs funded through the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. We urge you to support a desperately needed trend factor for these programs and eliminate huge budget cuts to Day Habilitation, ICF/DDs, Unified Services, Clinics and development. The stimulus makes an even stronger case for the elimination of all of these cuts and the provision of a trend factor. It would be unconscionable to leave our most vulnerable citizens out of a national policy intended to help the economy by protecting services to them and the low-paid workers who care for them.

SAMPLE MESSAGE #2:

* Don’t penalize our dedicated and underpaid direct support staff. Restore the trend for OMRDD services!

* Don’t devastate day habilitation services for adults with developmental disabilities. Restore the 4% cut and reject the regional fees for day habilitation services!

* Uphold New York’s commitment to families unable to continue caring for their adult children at home. Provide sufficient resources for residential development for families in need!

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THIS MUST BE A CONTINUOUS EFFORT.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Leadership

Governor Paterson: Phone 518-474-8390; email http://161.11.121.121/govemail

Speaker Silver : Phone 518-455-3791; district phone 212-312-1420; email Speaker@ assembly.state.ny.us

Senator Majority Leader Smith: Phone 518-455-2701; district phone 718-528-4290; email masmith@senate.state.ny.us

Assembly Minority Leader Tedisco: Phone 518-455-3751; district phone 518-370-2812; email TediscJ@ assembly.state.ny.us

Senate Minority Leader Skelos: Phone 518-455-3171; district phone 516-766-8383; email http://www.senatordeanskelos.org/9/Contact.aspx

Contact Info for your local State legislator

Senate switchboard: call 518-455-2800 and ask for your Senator’s Office

Assembly: call 518-455-4100 and ask for your Assemblyperson’s Office

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Governor Patterson’s Budget Cuts Endanger Individuals with Disabilities

February 17th, 2009 by Saundra M. Gumerove

Thank you to Margaret Puddington of The Coalition of Families, 562 West End Avenue, 2A, New York, N.Y. 10024,  (212) 799-2042 for the following:

URGENT!

PROTECT SERVICES FOR
PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITES

The Governor’s budget proposals will greatly damage critical services for people with developmental disabilities:

q    No trend (cost of living increase) for OMRDD services. For the first time in 15 years, there is no trend for OMRDD services!  The trend provides a salary increase for the hardworking and underpaid direct support staff who keep our children safe and help them gain new skills.  The trend is critical in helping to stem the turnover of our valued direct support staff!  It’s downright heartless to deprive direct support staff in voluntary agencies of a trend, while staff who do exactly the same work for the state will get a trend as part of their contract!

q    Cuts to day habilitation services.  Day habilitation services provide education and life skills experiences to 10,000 adults every day, through small-group community activities.  The Governor is proposing a huge cut to these services, amounting to a total annual loss of $28 million—a huge 4%!  In addition, he is asking for a regional flat fee for all day habilitation programs, so that, for example, a program serving people with complex medical needs who require intensive staffing would receive the same fee as a program serving people who require a much lower staffing ratio.  Day habilitation programs cannot absorb these two cuts without (a) rejecting individuals with more severe disabilities; (b) cutting staff, thereby endangering individuals’ safety; or (c) shortening program hours, thus jeopardizing the jobs of the many parents who will have to stay home to care for their children!

q    Moratorium on residential development.  Residential projects currently in progress have been delayed, cancelled, or put on indefinite hold because the proposed budget provides only minimal funding for residential development.  The Governor’s budget breaks New York State’s commitment, guaranteed in law, to provide residential services for families who are too old or infirm to continue caring for their adult disabled children at home. Parents are frightened about their children’s future!

Call or e-mail your legislators today. And keep calling.  With the newly signed federal stimulus bill, billions of dollars in federal money will flow to New York State.  We face tremendous competition from other groups for the available federal funds.   We must make our voices heard!
Copy the following message or use your own:

* Don’t penalize our dedicated and underpaid direct support staff. Restore the trend for OMRDD services!

* Don’t devastate day habilitation services for adults with developmental disabilities.  Restore the 4% cut and reject the regional fees for day habilitation services!

* Uphold New York’s commitment to families unable to continue caring for their adult children at home.  Provide sufficient resources for residential development for families in need!

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For Parents of Children with Autism - First Hundred Days Kit

February 17th, 2009 by Saundra M. Gumerove

Thank you to Tina Beaupariant of New York State Parent to Parent for the following information?

 

For a printable PDF document please go to: http://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/family_services_docs/100_day_kit.pdf

 

 

The Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit is created specifically for newly diagnosed families, to make the best possible use of the 100 days following the diagnosis of autism.

The kit contains autism information from experts, as well as parents of children with autism. The kit includes how to begin meeting your child’s needs, a week by week action plan for the next 100 days, and much more helpful information when you are just getting started.

Families whose children have been diagnosed within the past 6 months, and are age 5 or younger, may request a complimentary 100 Day Kit after completing our survey for recently-diagnosed families.

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For a Fun and Entertaining Moment

February 11th, 2009 by Saundra M. Gumerove

Vinny Basile (aka St. Marten) is an amazing person.  He was my daughter Lauren’s music teacher at the AHRC-Nassau Educational Center in Brookville, New York.  See for yourself by clicking here  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5l8WS0XU0c.  Enjoy!!

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