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'Your vote, every vote!'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsX9SrrO9VU This is a public information video about disability voting with 4 self-advocates sharing their experiences of why voting matters. In this video, Evan Murray of Democracy Maine interviews four voters who have disabilities – Brian Harnish, Carmie Fadden, Dale Hess and Jon McGovern. People with disabilities have been underrepresented when it comes to voting, and these four are strong self-advocates who speak up for their rights. With the support of Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Molly Thompson of Disability Rights Maine, this video illustrates the power of voting to give every voice a choice – and the ways casting a ballot can be made accessible to all. Now is the time when sharing this in whatever way is convenient for you can help to encourage the disability community and others to vote. Share with your friends and colleagues, post it in on social media, websites and distribute it to your lists or in your newsletters. Every vote matters. Help us get the word out when early voting has begun! Hope you all are doing well and remember to vote! Warmly, Kim -- Kim Fulmer Humphrey, MPH Founder and President Community Connect Maine [email protected] On behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Cutler Institute at the University of Southern Maine is conducting a survey of people with autism spectrum disorder and their families to find out how you feel about the services you receive in Maine’s system of care for people with autism. The survey will help inform the Autism Spectrum Disorder Biennial Report that will be submitted to the Maine Legislature.
Participation in this survey is completely voluntary and will not impact any services and benefits you or your family member are entitled to and/or receiving now. Your name or other identifying information will not be collected. Your responses will be combined with those of everyone who took the survey. The survey will be open for participation from September 19 through October 3, 2024. If you need help completing this survey, please contact Craig Patterson at the Office of Aging and Disability Services at [email protected] or at (207) 441-1168 (cell). To take the survey, click on the link below: Autism Biennial Report Survey Thank you for participating! DHHS-OADS: Training and Development of Services/Supports for Self-Direction Resources and Tools9/6/2024 Training and Development of Services/Supports for Self-Direction Resources and Tools
Resources when Getting Started and Being an Employer It can take time to understand how to get started in self-direction. To help, we have created a workflow called The Self-Direction Process in Maine, which identifies who is responsible for each step. The Self-Direction Process in Maine is shown in this illustrated chart and written documentation. Tools for Employers Being your own employer - with the ability to both hire and fire people who work for you - might be a new role. Three new tools will help you develop your skills: The first resource is the Employer Handbook for Self-Direction in MaineCare. This handbook guides you through each step. Check out the Mini-Guide for Self-Directing Employers in MaineCare when you need quick answers to tough questions. For individuals who prefer to watch or listen, we have created the Employer Handbook Video Guide Series. Choose from over 13 topics, such as recruiting staff, hiring works, and interview guides. Each video has practical tips and examples created and narrated by someone who has been self-directing for over 20 years. Tools for Managing Budgets The Individual-Directed Goods and Services Request Form has been updated. The member or Representative must complete this form for each item on the spending plan. The additional questions will help ensure the purchase is allowed and the request is tied back to the PCP. The Spending Plan Tool and Spending Plan Instructions can be downloaded from the updated Self-Directed Services page. Use this Excel tool along with your support brokers to plan for staffing and spending. For individuals looking to hire an Independent Support Broker, the OADS Provider directory now has a dynamic list of individuals available. MAINE ACCESS NAVIGATOR TOOL PUBLIC LAUNCH
Maine DHHS, Office of Aging and Disability Services is excited to announce the public launch of the Maine Access Navigator Tool starting September 2, 2024. The Maine Access Navigator Tool is a self-screening and referral tool available to older adults, their family members, friends, and care partners any day or time of the week. The tool is designed to be accessible to adults of any age and ability and is compatible with any device including smartphones, computers, screen readers, and more! Users who access the Maine Access Navigator Tool can voluntarily and confidentially answer questions about many life domains such as Housing, Transportation, Food Security/Nutritional Needs, and Safety to provide tailored referrals to the most appropriate resources available to help address the unmet needs of individuals accessing the self-screening tool. The Maine Access Navigator Tool (MANT) is also self-directed. Users can choose to:
The Maine Access Navigator Tool (MANT) can be found here: https://me.accessgov.com/oads/Forms/Page/me-access-navigator/self-screening/1 If you need any assistance using the Maine Access Navigator Tool (MANT) please contact OADS Health Aging Services Team at [email protected] Maine Developmental Services Oversight and Advisory Board (MDSOAB)
207-944-9093 [email protected] YOU ARE INVITED to A Public FORUM via Zoom: Monday, September 16th, 2024 – 5:00pm – 6:30pm The MDSOAB is responsible for overseeing and advising the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and other relevant state departments about challenges, issues, and successes in the system of care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Maine. The MDSOAB advises the state and makes recommendations for improvement. Each year we spend time listening to Maine citizens as they share their thoughts, insights, and recommendations about the current system care. We have scheduled a 4th Public Forum to accommodate those who did not receive updated information about a recent Forum that was rescheduled due to an error in the date. Please join us at this additional Forum and be a part of helping us to inform the state about ways that we can make our system the best that it can be. How to join: Simply click the “Join Zoom Meeting” link below and the password is included in the link so you should be all set. If people prefer not to click the link, you can manually enter the Meeting ID when you open the Zoom app, click “join a meeting” and enter the meeting ID 850 7848 5129 after this it will prompt for the password, which is 8790347 Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85078485129?pwd=cnVXSi9ib2d1WjBJc2thTUYyczFldz09 Meeting ID: 850 7848 5129 Password: 8790347 One tap mobile +13017158592,,85078485129# US (Germantown) +13126266799,,85078485129# US (Chicago) Dial by your location +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 850 7848 5129 We also welcome your written comments. Please refer to contact information above. There will be additional stakeholder zoom Forums in the fall and special face-to-face Forums for those receiving services. We look forward to seeing you soon. Cordially, Cullen Ryan, Chair, MDSOAB Board of Directors Bonnie-Jean Brooks, Interim Executive Director We are very saddened to announce the passing of Laurie Kimball, a beloved member of our community who dedicated her career to changing the world for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. A fierce advocate to her core, we are all better for her decades of amazing work. This loss is felt deeply amongst the entire community. Please see below for more information about Laurie and her impact on the community, as well as information on her memorial service.
From Laura Cordes of MACSP: Passing of Laurie Kimball, KFI Laurie is well known in the MACSP community, and broader disability support network in Maine. Laurie spent her entire professional life working with and on behalf of people with developmental disabilities. Throughout her 35+ year career she contributed to the growth and development of not only people but entire agencies including but not limited to SUFU (Maine’s self-advocacy network), PSL, the training team for the state of Maine, and most recently for KFI where she shared her expertise around person centered services and positive supports in a way that benefited everyone with whom she worked. The core of Laurie’s passion was training direct support staff to give people the autonomy, choice, respect, and rich lives they deserve. To her, this was social justice. She gained a national reputation for being someone who inspired others to be their best. She worked with teams to always see potential and, as a result, had an immeasurable positive impact on countless lives. Laurie didn’t want to be known as the expert on something, she wanted to be known as someone who inspired others to do the work she knew we can all do! __________________________ https://www.athutchins.com/obituary/Laurie-Kimball Family and Friends are all welcome to gather to remember and honor Laurie Kimball on Saturday August 24th at Friends School of Portland. We will gather at 12pm for food, hugs and connection with a community service to follow just after 1. A zoom link will be available for those who cannot join us in person. There will be time for anyone who wishes to share thoughts or stories, including those on zoom. Location: Friends School of Portland 11 US Route 1 Cumberland Foreside, ME Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84423516608?pwd=uLJDNVFFFHVStkUIqRyiJBN6zE1wBH.1 Meeting ID: 844 2351 6608 Passcode: 095146 To: All Evergreen Users
Evergreen Update: We are pleased to announce that the following issues were resolved on 7/12/24 and 7/26/24:
A recurring meeting series is being held on the last Tuesday of each month at 8:00am. Participation is open to all Evergreen Users and focuses on providing answers to common questions/issues, as well as an update on the fixes deployed to Evergreen on the Friday preceding each meeting. To register for the series, please visit: https://mainestate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZclcOmqpzotHtRFuF-2xzWhqP2UPMouRd61 Please Note: You only need to register once to participate in all the sessions. Thank you to those who participated in the Meetings held on July 16th and July 30th. In case you missed them or would like to listen to the recordings, you can do so by visiting the links below: 7/16/2024 Evergreen: Weekly Provider Meeting 7/30/2024 Evergreen: Weekly Provider Meeting New Process: Members Seeking Services
The Office of Aging and Disability Services has made some changes to the previously known “Vendor Call” process. The new forms are now electronic, and you will receive an email with your submission details. Below are the links to the new electronic forms:
If the member's service request changes or once they have started services, please complete the form again with the updated information. If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] Earlier this week Maine Parent Federation (MPF) was made aware that the United States Department of Education has proposed to eliminate the requirement that parents of children with disabilities sign consent to have a school bill Medicaid for school-based services such as speech, physical or occupational therapy, nursing services, etc. This requirement is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which also says that children cannot lose any benefits as a result of their parents signing consent for schools to bill Medicaid for school-based services.
In response MPF reached out to MaineCare to get a statement on the impact this could possibly have on Maine students. Below please find the response. "MaineCare-covered services delivered following IDEA are not counted towards the financial cap for services for members accessing MaineCare through the Katie Beckett program. MaineCare members may access MaineCare-covered services both in and outside of school. Access to MaineCare-covered services is not limited for members outside of school, based on what services are being delivered in a school setting. MaineCare has developed an online learning resource specifically for parents and guardians called “My Student and MaineCare” which is posted on the MaineCare in Education web page. Through this online learning module participants will learn how MaineCare services are delivered in schools. This online course was created with parents and guardians in mind. It provides an overview of what MaineCare is and how students access MaineCare-covered services in schools. MaineCare encourages all interested parties to review the MaineCare in Education online courses posted on the MaineCare in Education web page. In addition to “My Student and MaineCare,” there are additional modules which outline how members may access MaineCare covered services in school settings. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you, Trista Collins State Medicaid Educational Liaison State of Maine, Office of MaineCare Services" We hope by providing this information it avoids any unnecessary confusion and concern for families as we approach a new school year. Please do not hesitate to contact Maine Parent Federation with any questions you may have. Phone - 207-588-1933 Toll free - 888-870-7746 Email - [email protected] |
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