February 12, 2024
Minutes
Minutes
Attendees via Zoom: David Breglia, Abby Stivers, Amanda Parker, Betsy Hopkins, Brenda Smith, Carol Snyder, Craig Patterson, Hanna Daigle, Heidi Mansir, Helen Hemminger, J Richardson Collins, Jamie Whitehouse, Julianna Zaharis, Kim Humphrey, Kristin Overton, Laura Cordes, Lorraine DeFreitas, LyAnn Grogan, Margaret Cardoza, Mark Kemmerle, RJ Adler, Rob, Robin Levesque, Shane Ashe, Shelley Zielinski, Staci Converse, Vickey Merrill, Cullen Ryan, and a few people who didn’t identify themselves and/or left prior to the conclusion of the meeting.
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted. For the sake of time, Cullen read the names of participants.
Featured Speaker: Laura Cordes, Executive Director, Maine Association for Community Service Providers (MACSP). meacsp.org Topic: An introduction to the Second Session of the 131st Legislature, including bills to watch, what to expect, and the ways people can advocate to effect positive change in the Legislative Session.
Cullen: I am pleased to welcome Laura Cordes, Executive Director, of the Maine Association for Community Service Providers (MACSP), providing an introduction to the Second Session of the 131st Legislature, including bills to watch, what to expect, and the ways people can advocate to effect positive change in the Legislative Session. As you’re listening to Laura’s presentation, please be thinking about what we should consider submitting in the 132nd Legislature, where any bill can be submitted for consideration. Thank you for being with us, Laura!
Laura Cordes: Thank you for having me! MACSP is an association of 90 organizations in Maine that provide support and services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Autism, and Brain Injuries in Maine. MACSP provides leadership on behalf of its member organizations and those they serve through advocacy, education, and collaborative working partnerships at all levels of government and throughout the community.
As I’ve done over the past few years, I’ve created a Google doc for the Second Regular Session of the 131st Legislature to support the MCHQS' interest in monitoring and engaging in bills of interest. The doc contains an updated list of bills of interest, links on how to testify in person, by zoom, and/or how to submit testimony, as well as a list of Committee members (click here for more information). I always hope that others will contribute to the Doc and suggest additional bills to track!
The Second Session is the “Short Session” and is scheduled to run from 1/3/24 – 4/17/24. In the short session only emergency bills, Governor’s bills, and bills carried over from the previous session can be heard. There are a number of carryover bills that are being considered. Many of these have already had public hearings and as such will not receive additional public hearings. Public Hearings and Work Sessions for the Second Session are well underway.
Laura provided an in-depth overview of the entire Google Doc. For information on what she covered in the presentation please refer to the Google Doc.
Governor’s Supplemental Budget
Bills of Interest: To look up any bill click on this link and enter bill number:
(Below is a list of bills reviewed during the meeting. Please scroll through the below document to view all of the bills listed.)
Cullen Ryan introduced himself and welcomed the group. Minutes from the last meeting were accepted. For the sake of time, Cullen read the names of participants.
Featured Speaker: Laura Cordes, Executive Director, Maine Association for Community Service Providers (MACSP). meacsp.org Topic: An introduction to the Second Session of the 131st Legislature, including bills to watch, what to expect, and the ways people can advocate to effect positive change in the Legislative Session.
Cullen: I am pleased to welcome Laura Cordes, Executive Director, of the Maine Association for Community Service Providers (MACSP), providing an introduction to the Second Session of the 131st Legislature, including bills to watch, what to expect, and the ways people can advocate to effect positive change in the Legislative Session. As you’re listening to Laura’s presentation, please be thinking about what we should consider submitting in the 132nd Legislature, where any bill can be submitted for consideration. Thank you for being with us, Laura!
Laura Cordes: Thank you for having me! MACSP is an association of 90 organizations in Maine that provide support and services to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Autism, and Brain Injuries in Maine. MACSP provides leadership on behalf of its member organizations and those they serve through advocacy, education, and collaborative working partnerships at all levels of government and throughout the community.
As I’ve done over the past few years, I’ve created a Google doc for the Second Regular Session of the 131st Legislature to support the MCHQS' interest in monitoring and engaging in bills of interest. The doc contains an updated list of bills of interest, links on how to testify in person, by zoom, and/or how to submit testimony, as well as a list of Committee members (click here for more information). I always hope that others will contribute to the Doc and suggest additional bills to track!
The Second Session is the “Short Session” and is scheduled to run from 1/3/24 – 4/17/24. In the short session only emergency bills, Governor’s bills, and bills carried over from the previous session can be heard. There are a number of carryover bills that are being considered. Many of these have already had public hearings and as such will not receive additional public hearings. Public Hearings and Work Sessions for the Second Session are well underway.
Laura provided an in-depth overview of the entire Google Doc. For information on what she covered in the presentation please refer to the Google Doc.
Governor’s Supplemental Budget
- The Governor will release a Supplemental Budget in February – it has not been released yet but should be in the very near future.
- These are proposed adjustments to the biennial FY 24 and FY25 budget that was adopted last year.
- The Appropriations Committee will follow with public hearings on the proposed changes. These public hearings are often heard by the Department/topic (i.e., Housing, Developmental Services, etc.).
- The Governor has committed to spending 100 million on storm damage recovery and response to Lewiston shootings.
- She has also committed to leaving 100 million to be carried over to the next Legislature.
- In her State of the State written address she notes a forthcoming plan that “reforms our approach to educating pre-k children with disabilities, eliminating our status as an outlier among states, and ensuring that our children receive the “free, appropriate, public education” they deserve.” We have yet to see a bill or the budget initiative pertaining to this in this Session. A 3-year Implementation Plan regarding integrating pre-k into the school districts, which came out of a bill last session that initiated a Pilot Project on this, was reported back to the Education Committee.
- Bills on the Special Appropriations Table require funding for passage and would likely need to be pulled from the Table and included in the Supplemental Budget in order to be funded.
Bills of Interest: To look up any bill click on this link and enter bill number:
(Below is a list of bills reviewed during the meeting. Please scroll through the below document to view all of the bills listed.)
Discussion:
-It was stated that LD 2166 (An Act to Establish a Grant Program to Increase Postsecondary Educational Opportunities for Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder) currently importantly includes Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability, or TPSID language (for more information see Think College’s webpage on TPSID).
Cullen: Thank you for including LD 2167, An Act to Develop Maine's Economy and Strengthen Its Workforce by Establishing an Office of New Americans, in the bills of interest. The creation of an Office of New Americans would create more community inclusion for this population. New Americans currently make up 16% of the workforce. This population is essential in helping Maine resolve its workforce challenges.
Laura: I would highly encourage people to reach out to their representatives – even if it’s something as simple as “I support this bill”, because they take all of this into consideration when they caucus and decide how to vote.
-It was asked if religious schools are included in the referenced education reform.
Laura: That’s a really good question. The Department is working on its own definition of Special Purpose Pre School, but I don’t believe it takes religious-based schools into consideration. The Special Purpose aspect is key, as it is different from private schools.
-It was asked if there is a Housing Committee. It was also stated that the Judicial Committee is also relevant.
There is a Housing Committee – it’s the Joint Select Committee on Housing and it was created specifically for the 131st Legislature. There is also a Labor and Housing Committee, but for this Legislature housing-related bills are being taken up by the Joint Select Committee on Housing. Information on the Judiciary Committee can be found here.
Cullen: Thank you very much, Laura, this was very informative. And thank you all for your collective advocacy educating Legislators about what you’re encountering, offering your expertise, and helping them understand the needs of people with ID/DD, so that they can make good decisions. Sharing your personal stories is very effective, and we’re all better for it. Thank you for raising your voice; I hope you continue to do so throughout this Session! Every seat in the Legislature will be up for election/re-election this fall. Please continue to raise your voice and tell your stories. This Coalition strives to be an informational clearinghouse, and a vehicle for collective grassroots advocacy – striving to make the world a better place for people with disabilities, a world in which they can truly live, be included in their communities, and they can launch and thrive. Telling our stories is essential to ensure we move the needle forward.
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
Helen Hemminger – Maine Children’s Alliance: The Maine Children’s Alliance is pleased to announce that our 2024 County Profiles are now available. These two-page profiles include a summary of each county’s strengths and challenges, demographic data, and progress on 14 indicators of child and family well-being in Maine. Each of the indicators are hyperlinked to the corresponding measure that is in the KIDS COUNT Data Center, so a reader can find out more about the source of the data as well as longer term trends. I wanted to ensure this group had this information and knows that they can use it and me as a resource.
-It was asked if Native Americans are included in the data.
Helen: This is an interesting question and an interesting data point. We think about this a lot and sometimes we can get data, and sometimes we can’t. Often times the data set isn’t large enough or there isn’t 5 years’ worth of data to include.
Helen: Additionally, I have another document that I would like include in the minutes. I am not an expert, but this is an important report that our senior policy analyst at Maine Children’s Alliance is working on with a selected group of stakeholders. It is in response to LD 1528 (passed in 2023) and speaks to the path to implementing better services for ages 3 & 4 who need early intervention to address developmental delays. Last year, the Legislature moved this responsibility from CDS to the school districts. This document is the 3-year plan to accomplish that. Currently in Maine, about 18% of children who qualify are not being served. Many others are getting services in special purpose preschools which is not the national norm and may set kids up for being in more segregated educational situations in kindergarten and beyond. Atlee Riley with Disability Rights Maine stated more than half of their cases right now are 4-year-olds denied access to a public pre-K. It might be advantageous to invite the contact for this new implementation plan (Dr. Megan Welter) to present this at a future meeting.
Cullen: Thank you for sharing this with us all and thank you for all you do!
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Betsy Hopkins: I’m aware that Children’s Behavioral Health Services is being transitioned to the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). This hasn’t had an impact on any of the work we’re doing together.
I wanted to share that last Session, the Legislature passed LD 1003, An Act to Increase Access to Behavioral Health Services for Children and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism. This bill created a Stakeholder Group, run by OCFS and OADS, to discuss the idea of implementing a no eject/no reject proposal based on concerns raised, primarily in hospital settings, of people being brought to a hospital from a group home or their own home who is unable to support them when they’re ready to be discharged. Dean Bugaj and I came together with the required stakeholders, originally as a larger group and then as two separate workgroups as the challenges on the children’s side were different from the adult side. We met every other week for about two and a half months and had really great conversations and received a lot of input. This isn’t as easy as simply putting together a policy and implementing it, which quickly became clear in our workgroups. We put together a joint DHHS report that we shared with the Legislature last week (click here for the report) which lays out next steps.
Staci Converse - DRM: It was a good group and an interesting conversation. It’s definitely more challenging than it may seem but it’s good work to be moving forward.
Betsy: Some additional updates:
-OADS A Path for ME Highlights – February 2024: In this new quarterly newsletter, we will be highlighting important information about the SIS-A assessment tool, the Lifespan Waiver, and other services relating to A Path for ME. We hope you find this newsletter helpful and welcome your feedback. (Below is information from the Quarterly Update. For all of the updates please click here.)
REMINDER: $100 Assessment Incentive Still Available for Section 21 or 29 or Waitlist Members: If you or a member that you support has not taken the SIS-A assessment yet, there is a recent SIS-A member incentive to take the SIS-A right now. The SIS-A is high-quality data that helps inform the Person-Centered Planning process. It also provides OADS with support information for the design of innovative service options through the new Lifespan Waiver.
This SIS-A member incentive is available for people who are:
Contact the Maximus Help Desk to schedule a SIS-A assessment:
Call 833.771.4639 or email [email protected].
SUPPORT: Contact the Maine SIS Assessments Help Desk: Interested members should contact the Maine SIS Help Desk and ask that an assessment be scheduled: (call 833.771.4639 or email: [email protected]). Maximus will follow up to schedule an appropriate date/time and location.
If you have other SIS assessment related questions: Contact the Maximus – Maine SIS Help Desk team from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday to learn more:
-Proposed HCBS Lifespan Waiver Service: Community Resource Coordination Stakeholder Informational and Listening Session for Self-Advocates: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services as we host an informational listening session. This session is focused on individuals who are self-advocates for services related to Intellectual Disabilities or Autism. During this session we will provide a brief overview of the Community Resource Coordination (CRC) Service being proposed within the Lifespan Waiver. We would like to hear about any feedback this group has about their current case management services and get input on how the proposed Lifespan Waiver service of Community Resource Coordination could improve this experience.
Please use the link below to register for the Zoom session. Friday February 16th, 2024 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Zoom Registration: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvcu2opjkvG92Qr0SmQZw-wiE8fQtxh8rA Real-time transcription and captioning (CART) as well as American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all attendees. If you need other accommodations to attend, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected].
-Newly released Lifespan Waiver FAQs (4th Edition): In June 2023, the Department announced that future updates about the Lifespan Waiver would be published in regularly updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents. The latest Lifespan Waiver FAQ is now released. You can find this document in the Resources section of the Lifespan webpage:
Lifespan 4th Edition FAQ As new information is developed, there will be additional Stakeholder Information sessions provided. The Lifespan Waiver is expected to start in 2025, with additional public comment periods. For more information about the public comment opportunities, please see question 7 of the FAQ.
-SIS-A Updates and Question and Answer Session: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) and Maximus, our SIS-A assessment vendor for a SIS-A Question and Answer session. The session will focus on the Supports Intensity Scale for Adults 2nd Edition (SIS-A) needs assessments and will also offer updates. The SIS-A needs assessments will be for Sections 21 and 29 members and those on the waitlists. The SIS-A needs assessment will eventually be required for participation in the Lifespan Waiver. We invite you to attend this session to learn about the SIS-A in Maine. There will also be time for attendees to ask questions. All attendees are required to register for the session using the link below. A link to join the Zoom session will be sent to your email after you have registered. February 22, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Link: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcOmopjIuGd2I0OSn4m1tIpGvdevYLSVn
If you need an accommodation, such as real time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL) or other language interpretation, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected].
-Provider Lifespan Readiness Grants: In preparation for the new Lifespan Waiver, OADS is working with providers to offer “Provider Readiness Grants” using American Rescue Plan Act funds under Section 9817 to help providers be ready to provide many new services in the waiver. OADS is meeting with a provider stakeholder group to provide input on a provider survey, which will inform the grant process and offer providers options to apply for the grants by late spring 2024.
-New Resources are now available from the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) Youth Transition Team: The Youth Transition Team is happy to announce the rollout of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Transition Planning webpage. The webpage highlights important information regarding transition and includes a printable timeline that can be used as a guide during youth transition planning. The Youth Transition Team was created as a pilot project supported by the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) to improve the transition process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other related conditions (ORC). The goal of this project is to provide training, quality oversight, and resources that offer more consistent approaches to supporting youth with IDD, ASD, and other related conditions as they transition from the OCFS children’s system to the OADS adult system. The Youth Transition Team has been working to develop and provide information and resources for cross-training school personnel and community case managers to provide person-centered support to youth as they seamlessly transition to adulthood. Reporting will allow the team to identify the greatest transition training and support needs.
To connect with a Transition Liaison in your area, you can email [email protected]
The Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds this initiative under Section 9817.
-It was stated if people are having difficult understanding transition services, it seems to indicate a need to make it understandable.
Betsy: You’re right. That’s partly our approach to the Lifespan Waiver starting at age 14. Once an individual is eligible for OADS services at age 14 they will have a Community Resource Coordinator to provide some coordination support. What we hear from so many people is that there’s too much going on for them to understand what they ought to be doing, their choices, and what’s next. We’re hopeful that by having them come to us when they’re younger, having one waiver they’ll have for the rest of their life, and the integration of a Community Resource Coordinator will all greatly help with some of the confusion that’s out there currently. The Transition Liaisons are the 4 staff we have throughout the state, and the Transition Planning Webpage was an endeavor to immediately respond to the need to have all of the transition information in one place. The fact is currently we have a children’s system and an adult system. We want one system which streamlines everything.
Cullen: Thank you, Betsy, for being here and providing all of these updates!
DHHS – Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs
Shelly King forwarded the Quarterly Youth Transition Project update via email after the meeting.
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr
Libby Stone-Sterling could not attend the meeting, but forwarded the following update via email:
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed - No update
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Staci Converse: Last week the Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court overturned a lower court order that terminated a mother’s parental rights. The mother had two children, one of which she was reunited with, and the second child had significant disabilities that required 24/hour in-home nursing care. These nursing services were never provided by the Department. The court terminated parental rights and the child went into foster care. The mother appealed and her lawyer requested amicus briefs (friend of the court documents/letters). DRM and the ACLU got involved at the appellate level and filed an amicus brief with the Court in August 2023. The organizations argued the state should have evaluated whether the mother could have cared for her child if given the nursing services to which he was legally entitled. Instead, the state inappropriately terminated the mother’s parental rights because she was unable to provide complex nursing care on her own, effectively punishing her for the state’s own failure. The Court agreed. The amicus brief also raised the issue, for the first time in the appeal, that the mother herself may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation because of a possible intellectual disability. Parents with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the reunification process in child welfare cases such as this one. The Court agreed, and ordered the lower court to reconsider whether the mother has an intellectual disability and “how it bears on both parental fitness and the Department’s reunification obligation.”
(Click here for the DRM/ACLU Joint Statement on the decision. Click here for the Maine Supreme Court’s Final Decision.)
Cullen: Thank you very much, Staci!
LD 924 Task Force Update: - No update
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
State Legislature Update – No additional updates.
Other Business:
The next meeting will be on Monday, March 11, 2024, 12-2pm, via Zoom*.
Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2024 the October and November meetings will be the 3rd Monday due to the holidays)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].
-It was stated that LD 2166 (An Act to Establish a Grant Program to Increase Postsecondary Educational Opportunities for Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder) currently importantly includes Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disability, or TPSID language (for more information see Think College’s webpage on TPSID).
Cullen: Thank you for including LD 2167, An Act to Develop Maine's Economy and Strengthen Its Workforce by Establishing an Office of New Americans, in the bills of interest. The creation of an Office of New Americans would create more community inclusion for this population. New Americans currently make up 16% of the workforce. This population is essential in helping Maine resolve its workforce challenges.
Laura: I would highly encourage people to reach out to their representatives – even if it’s something as simple as “I support this bill”, because they take all of this into consideration when they caucus and decide how to vote.
-It was asked if religious schools are included in the referenced education reform.
Laura: That’s a really good question. The Department is working on its own definition of Special Purpose Pre School, but I don’t believe it takes religious-based schools into consideration. The Special Purpose aspect is key, as it is different from private schools.
-It was asked if there is a Housing Committee. It was also stated that the Judicial Committee is also relevant.
There is a Housing Committee – it’s the Joint Select Committee on Housing and it was created specifically for the 131st Legislature. There is also a Labor and Housing Committee, but for this Legislature housing-related bills are being taken up by the Joint Select Committee on Housing. Information on the Judiciary Committee can be found here.
Cullen: Thank you very much, Laura, this was very informative. And thank you all for your collective advocacy educating Legislators about what you’re encountering, offering your expertise, and helping them understand the needs of people with ID/DD, so that they can make good decisions. Sharing your personal stories is very effective, and we’re all better for it. Thank you for raising your voice; I hope you continue to do so throughout this Session! Every seat in the Legislature will be up for election/re-election this fall. Please continue to raise your voice and tell your stories. This Coalition strives to be an informational clearinghouse, and a vehicle for collective grassroots advocacy – striving to make the world a better place for people with disabilities, a world in which they can truly live, be included in their communities, and they can launch and thrive. Telling our stories is essential to ensure we move the needle forward.
End Presentation (round of applause would have occurred were it not for everyone being muted and on Zoom)
Helen Hemminger – Maine Children’s Alliance: The Maine Children’s Alliance is pleased to announce that our 2024 County Profiles are now available. These two-page profiles include a summary of each county’s strengths and challenges, demographic data, and progress on 14 indicators of child and family well-being in Maine. Each of the indicators are hyperlinked to the corresponding measure that is in the KIDS COUNT Data Center, so a reader can find out more about the source of the data as well as longer term trends. I wanted to ensure this group had this information and knows that they can use it and me as a resource.
-It was asked if Native Americans are included in the data.
Helen: This is an interesting question and an interesting data point. We think about this a lot and sometimes we can get data, and sometimes we can’t. Often times the data set isn’t large enough or there isn’t 5 years’ worth of data to include.
Helen: Additionally, I have another document that I would like include in the minutes. I am not an expert, but this is an important report that our senior policy analyst at Maine Children’s Alliance is working on with a selected group of stakeholders. It is in response to LD 1528 (passed in 2023) and speaks to the path to implementing better services for ages 3 & 4 who need early intervention to address developmental delays. Last year, the Legislature moved this responsibility from CDS to the school districts. This document is the 3-year plan to accomplish that. Currently in Maine, about 18% of children who qualify are not being served. Many others are getting services in special purpose preschools which is not the national norm and may set kids up for being in more segregated educational situations in kindergarten and beyond. Atlee Riley with Disability Rights Maine stated more than half of their cases right now are 4-year-olds denied access to a public pre-K. It might be advantageous to invite the contact for this new implementation plan (Dr. Megan Welter) to present this at a future meeting.
Cullen: Thank you for sharing this with us all and thank you for all you do!
DHHS – Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/oads
Betsy Hopkins: I’m aware that Children’s Behavioral Health Services is being transitioned to the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). This hasn’t had an impact on any of the work we’re doing together.
I wanted to share that last Session, the Legislature passed LD 1003, An Act to Increase Access to Behavioral Health Services for Children and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities or Autism. This bill created a Stakeholder Group, run by OCFS and OADS, to discuss the idea of implementing a no eject/no reject proposal based on concerns raised, primarily in hospital settings, of people being brought to a hospital from a group home or their own home who is unable to support them when they’re ready to be discharged. Dean Bugaj and I came together with the required stakeholders, originally as a larger group and then as two separate workgroups as the challenges on the children’s side were different from the adult side. We met every other week for about two and a half months and had really great conversations and received a lot of input. This isn’t as easy as simply putting together a policy and implementing it, which quickly became clear in our workgroups. We put together a joint DHHS report that we shared with the Legislature last week (click here for the report) which lays out next steps.
Staci Converse - DRM: It was a good group and an interesting conversation. It’s definitely more challenging than it may seem but it’s good work to be moving forward.
Betsy: Some additional updates:
-OADS A Path for ME Highlights – February 2024: In this new quarterly newsletter, we will be highlighting important information about the SIS-A assessment tool, the Lifespan Waiver, and other services relating to A Path for ME. We hope you find this newsletter helpful and welcome your feedback. (Below is information from the Quarterly Update. For all of the updates please click here.)
REMINDER: $100 Assessment Incentive Still Available for Section 21 or 29 or Waitlist Members: If you or a member that you support has not taken the SIS-A assessment yet, there is a recent SIS-A member incentive to take the SIS-A right now. The SIS-A is high-quality data that helps inform the Person-Centered Planning process. It also provides OADS with support information for the design of innovative service options through the new Lifespan Waiver.
This SIS-A member incentive is available for people who are:
- A Section 21 or 29 member or on the waitlist for these waivers
- Among the first 800 members who received an assessment
- A member or someone on Section 21 or 29 waitlists who have fully completed a valid, non-training assessment earlier in 2023. You will also be compensated.
- Previously performed training assessments do not qualify, as there has already been reimbursement for training assessments.
- Other SIS-A assessment attendees, like family members or guardians, do not qualify for this member-only incentive.
Contact the Maximus Help Desk to schedule a SIS-A assessment:
Call 833.771.4639 or email [email protected].
- SIS-A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for members, family, and other support team members – updated 10/27/23.
- SIS-A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for community case managers (CCMs)
- OADS Website - "A Path for ME" Needs Assessments
- Maine SIS-A Resources - Maximus Website
- SIS-A Assessment Report - AAIDD Sample
- OADS Presentation - Orientation to "A Path for ME" Needs Assessment
- American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) Website
SUPPORT: Contact the Maine SIS Assessments Help Desk: Interested members should contact the Maine SIS Help Desk and ask that an assessment be scheduled: (call 833.771.4639 or email: [email protected]). Maximus will follow up to schedule an appropriate date/time and location.
If you have other SIS assessment related questions: Contact the Maximus – Maine SIS Help Desk team from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday to learn more:
- Phone: 833.771.4639
- Email: [email protected]
-Proposed HCBS Lifespan Waiver Service: Community Resource Coordination Stakeholder Informational and Listening Session for Self-Advocates: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services as we host an informational listening session. This session is focused on individuals who are self-advocates for services related to Intellectual Disabilities or Autism. During this session we will provide a brief overview of the Community Resource Coordination (CRC) Service being proposed within the Lifespan Waiver. We would like to hear about any feedback this group has about their current case management services and get input on how the proposed Lifespan Waiver service of Community Resource Coordination could improve this experience.
Please use the link below to register for the Zoom session. Friday February 16th, 2024 from 1:00PM to 2:00PM
Zoom Registration: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvcu2opjkvG92Qr0SmQZw-wiE8fQtxh8rA Real-time transcription and captioning (CART) as well as American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all attendees. If you need other accommodations to attend, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected].
-Newly released Lifespan Waiver FAQs (4th Edition): In June 2023, the Department announced that future updates about the Lifespan Waiver would be published in regularly updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents. The latest Lifespan Waiver FAQ is now released. You can find this document in the Resources section of the Lifespan webpage:
Lifespan 4th Edition FAQ As new information is developed, there will be additional Stakeholder Information sessions provided. The Lifespan Waiver is expected to start in 2025, with additional public comment periods. For more information about the public comment opportunities, please see question 7 of the FAQ.
-SIS-A Updates and Question and Answer Session: Please join the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) and Maximus, our SIS-A assessment vendor for a SIS-A Question and Answer session. The session will focus on the Supports Intensity Scale for Adults 2nd Edition (SIS-A) needs assessments and will also offer updates. The SIS-A needs assessments will be for Sections 21 and 29 members and those on the waitlists. The SIS-A needs assessment will eventually be required for participation in the Lifespan Waiver. We invite you to attend this session to learn about the SIS-A in Maine. There will also be time for attendees to ask questions. All attendees are required to register for the session using the link below. A link to join the Zoom session will be sent to your email after you have registered. February 22, 2024, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Registration Link: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqcOmopjIuGd2I0OSn4m1tIpGvdevYLSVn
If you need an accommodation, such as real time transcription and captioning (CART), American Sign Language (ASL) or other language interpretation, please contact Miranda Whalen at [email protected].
-Provider Lifespan Readiness Grants: In preparation for the new Lifespan Waiver, OADS is working with providers to offer “Provider Readiness Grants” using American Rescue Plan Act funds under Section 9817 to help providers be ready to provide many new services in the waiver. OADS is meeting with a provider stakeholder group to provide input on a provider survey, which will inform the grant process and offer providers options to apply for the grants by late spring 2024.
-New Resources are now available from the Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) Youth Transition Team: The Youth Transition Team is happy to announce the rollout of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Transition Planning webpage. The webpage highlights important information regarding transition and includes a printable timeline that can be used as a guide during youth transition planning. The Youth Transition Team was created as a pilot project supported by the Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) and Office of Aging and Disability Services (OADS) to improve the transition process for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other related conditions (ORC). The goal of this project is to provide training, quality oversight, and resources that offer more consistent approaches to supporting youth with IDD, ASD, and other related conditions as they transition from the OCFS children’s system to the OADS adult system. The Youth Transition Team has been working to develop and provide information and resources for cross-training school personnel and community case managers to provide person-centered support to youth as they seamlessly transition to adulthood. Reporting will allow the team to identify the greatest transition training and support needs.
To connect with a Transition Liaison in your area, you can email [email protected]
The Federal American Rescue Plan Act funds this initiative under Section 9817.
-It was stated if people are having difficult understanding transition services, it seems to indicate a need to make it understandable.
Betsy: You’re right. That’s partly our approach to the Lifespan Waiver starting at age 14. Once an individual is eligible for OADS services at age 14 they will have a Community Resource Coordinator to provide some coordination support. What we hear from so many people is that there’s too much going on for them to understand what they ought to be doing, their choices, and what’s next. We’re hopeful that by having them come to us when they’re younger, having one waiver they’ll have for the rest of their life, and the integration of a Community Resource Coordinator will all greatly help with some of the confusion that’s out there currently. The Transition Liaisons are the 4 staff we have throughout the state, and the Transition Planning Webpage was an endeavor to immediately respond to the need to have all of the transition information in one place. The fact is currently we have a children’s system and an adult system. We want one system which streamlines everything.
Cullen: Thank you, Betsy, for being here and providing all of these updates!
DHHS – Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) - www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs
Shelly King forwarded the Quarterly Youth Transition Project update via email after the meeting.
DOL – Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) - www.maine.gov/rehab/dvr
Libby Stone-Sterling could not attend the meeting, but forwarded the following update via email:
- The Division for the Blind and Visually Impaired has hired a new director – Elissa Rowe (formerly of DHHS)
- DVR is rolling out two new time-limited Rehabilitation Assistant positions – one in Lewiston and one in Portland. The positions will conduct outreach in the community to promote connections to underserved and historically marginalized communities as well as those in waitlist status. A person has been hired for Portland and starts this month. Lewiston is currently posted. These positions are entry level opportunities to enter the social service field.
- DVR is currently completing hiring for four new Rehabilitation Counselor II positions that will have targeted caseloads of individuals who have I/DD. The new VR counselors will work closely with OADS staff and families and will be based in Portland, Lewiston, Augusta, and Bangor.
Office of Special Services and Inclusive Education (OSSIE) - www.maine.gov/doe/learning/specialed - No update
Disability Rights Maine (DRM) Update:
Staci Converse: Last week the Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court overturned a lower court order that terminated a mother’s parental rights. The mother had two children, one of which she was reunited with, and the second child had significant disabilities that required 24/hour in-home nursing care. These nursing services were never provided by the Department. The court terminated parental rights and the child went into foster care. The mother appealed and her lawyer requested amicus briefs (friend of the court documents/letters). DRM and the ACLU got involved at the appellate level and filed an amicus brief with the Court in August 2023. The organizations argued the state should have evaluated whether the mother could have cared for her child if given the nursing services to which he was legally entitled. Instead, the state inappropriately terminated the mother’s parental rights because she was unable to provide complex nursing care on her own, effectively punishing her for the state’s own failure. The Court agreed. The amicus brief also raised the issue, for the first time in the appeal, that the mother herself may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation because of a possible intellectual disability. Parents with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the reunification process in child welfare cases such as this one. The Court agreed, and ordered the lower court to reconsider whether the mother has an intellectual disability and “how it bears on both parental fitness and the Department’s reunification obligation.”
(Click here for the DRM/ACLU Joint Statement on the decision. Click here for the Maine Supreme Court’s Final Decision.)
Cullen: Thank you very much, Staci!
LD 924 Task Force Update: - No update
Federal & Housing Updates:
Cullen:
- Tax Package – The House passed its tax package, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024), at the end of January. The bill now faces a full vote in the Senate. The tax bill includes provisions to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC), as well as top two top legislative priorities related to affordable housing (also included in the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act that has widespread bipartisan support). The tax bill would do the following for affordable housing:
- Restore the 12.5% allocation increase for nine percent LIHTCs for 2023 to 2025 (about 25% more housing could be created); and
- Lower the 50% bond financing test to 30% for 2024 to 2025 (streamline the ability to create that housing).
- FY 24 Budget – Congress passed, and the President signed, another short-term two-tier, short-term continuing resolution (CR) to extend federal funding. THUD and three other federal spending bills are now funded through 3/1. Congress is likely to pass multiple mini-bus spending bills (vs. one large omnibus bill). As Congress finalizes the T-HUD budget for FY 24, it will need to provide a significant funding increase over 2023 levels for Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to avoid a reduction in the number of families receiving HCVs. Based on CBPP figures, 600 fewer families in Maine would be assisted with HCVs in the House T-HUD bill, and 400 fewer families with the Senate bill.
- S 570, Medicaid Dental Benefit Act of 2023 – Introduced by Senator Cardin, this bill requires state Medicaid programs to cover dental and oral health services for adults. It also increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for such services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must develop oral health quality and equity measures and conduct outreach relating to such coverage. Additionally, the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payment and Access Commission must report on specified information relating to adult oral health care.
- S 2767/HR 5408 SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act – This bipartisan, bicameral bill was reintroduced in the Senate and House. The bill will update SSI’s asset limits for the first time since the 1980s to ensure people with disabilities and seniors are able to prepare themselves for a financial emergency without putting the benefits that they rely on to live at risk.
- S 1557/ HR 3238 The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act – Senator Angus King cosponsored bipartisan legislation to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country – including thousands in Maine. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to provide more homes for low-income people, support small businesses trying to attract workers, and fill the state’s gap of more than 20,000 affordable housing units. It appears this bill has strong bipartisan support, increasing its likelihood for passage.
State Legislature Update – No additional updates.
Other Business:
- The executive director of Maine Children's Alliance (MCA) is leaving her position 3/29/2024. MCA is seeking applicants for her position here.
The next meeting will be on Monday, March 11, 2024, 12-2pm, via Zoom*.
Featured Speakers and Topic TBD.
Unless changed, Coalition meetings are on the 2nd Monday of the month from 12-2pm.
(In 2024 the October and November meetings will be the 3rd Monday due to the holidays)
The Maine Coalition for Housing and Quality Services provides equal opportunity for meeting participation. If you wish to attend but require an interpreter or other accommodation, please forward your request two weeks prior to the monthly meeting to [email protected].