Friday, December 5, 2008

Please submit your ideas to the Obama Administration

Note: Please visit www.change.gov. Click on American Moment. Share your ideas.

Here is what I submitted this morning:

I work at the Center for Independent Living of South Florida, and want to share an idea concerning enhancing services to rape survivors and domestic violence survivors with disabilities, particularly those who are deaf or hard of hearing and who rely on American Sign Language as their primary means of communication. Far too often, victims of rape or domestic violence who are deaf or hard of hearing are forced to communicate with law enforcement, rape treatment staff, and domestic violence staff without the assistance of a qualified sign language interpreter. On many occasions, the cost of hiring a sign language interpreter is a major concern to the service provider, particularly now, with the state of the economy.

My recommendation is to have the federal government subsidize these services. Can the Office on Violence Against Women, OVC, HHS, and other federal programs include money for these services when issuing grants?

In addition, many rape treatment centers and domestic violence shelters do not keep track of people with disabilities they have served. Can the federal government require them to keep track, to assess the demand for these services?

Thank you.
marc

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Information about the Tier System

Source: Florida Developmental Disabilities Council

Information about the Tier System

Source: Special Gathering

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Source: APD

Support Coordination

Source: APD

Talking Points on Tier Waivers

Source:APD

Monroe County - Extension of Time

Source: APD

Waiver > Tiers
Notice of Extension of Time To File Hearing Request In Monroe County


On September 2, 2008, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities issued Home and Community Based waiver recipients Notice of Tier Assignments in the implementation of the tier-level waiver system as created in Section 393.0661, Florida Statutes. The Notice of Hearing Rights attached to the Notice of Tier Assignment informed recipients that if they filed a request for hearing within ten (10) days of receiving the notice of tier assignment, their services would continue at the existing level until a final decision on the request for hearing.

On September 5, 2008, Governor Crist issued Executive Order Number 08-187 declaring a state of emergency due to the threat of Hurricane Ike. Thereafter, emergency evacuation of Monroe County was ordered. Because clients in Monroe County were forced to evacuate, they have lost several days in which to consider their tier assignments and file for an administrative hearing within ten (10) days of receipt of the Notice of Tier Assignment.

Therefore, for the resident of Monroe County only, the deadline for filing for an administrative hearing and insuring that services will continue at the existing level until a final decision is made on their hearing request is extended to September 22, 2008. All hearing requests received by September 22, 2008, will be entitled to have existing services continued pending a final decision on the request for hearing.

To request a hearing mail or fax your completed request to:Agency Clerk, Agency for Persons with Disabilities4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0950Facsimile – (850) 410-0665
You may contact your local APD office if you have questions or need assistance in completing a hearing request.

You may also view the Administrative Hearings Rights brochure located at http://apd.myflorida.com/customers/legal/docs/administrative-hearings-guide.pdf