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Unfortunately, even though the Community First
Choice (CFC) Option became available for states on
October 1, nearly three months later, CMS still
hasn't released the final rules. The final CFC rules
have been delayed, in part, because of comments made
against CMS's proposed rules about the definition of
"community" in 1915(c) waivers. In those
rules, CMS proposed ways to better define
"community" so that certain settings couldn't
be funded using 1915(c) home and community based
waivers. Under the proposed rules, cottages on
the grounds of public and private institutions,
segregated facilities housing only people with a
specific disability, and assisted living (in certain
cases) wouldn't be eligible for HCBS waiver funding.
We need to tell CMS and the Obama administration
they have waited long enough to issue the final
rules implementing CFC Option! They need to
hear we support a STRONG definition of community
that distinguishes between REAL integration and
segregated settings masquerading as community!
Using this link:
http://ly.adapt.org/cms send emails to CMS and
the White House telling them that it's time they
release these rules! You are sending email directly
to the new CMS Administrator, key staff at HHS, and
the White House.
View full release from ADAPT as
Plain Text or
Word Document
Last Friday, the New York Times ran an exposé
documenting the systemic overuse of psychotropic
medication by New York's residential
service-provision system for people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities.
According to the Times, people with developmental
disabilities in group homes in New York are more
likely to be given Ativan, an anti-anxiety drug that
also serves as a tranquilizer than
multivitamins. In many cases, psychotropic
medication is prescribed as a chemical restraint to
control behavior, even when it lacks any therapeutic
purpose.
Although there are appropriate uses for medication,
lack of oversight has led to clear and systemic
abuses. No one should be medicated for the
purpose of controlling behavior. This isn't a
new problem. Data from the National Core
Indicators project, a national database run by the
Human Services Research Institute and the National
Association of State Directors of Developmental
Disability Services, shows that the percentage of
people with developmental disabilities receiving
psychotropic medications is higher than the
percentage who have the co-occurring mental health
conditions which might justify their use. the
long term side effects of such inappropriate usage
include obesity, diabetes, long term brain damage,
injury and even death.
As a result, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network are
asking you to join us in writing to the New York
Office of People with Developmental Disabilities and
the NY Legislature to tell them to take action
against chemical restraint today! Our action
alert can be found at::
http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-new-york-to-stop-the-chemical-restraint-of-people-with-disabilities
Your voice will help make a difference. Please
take the time to send a message to the State of New
York that chemical restraint is never appropriate,
then pass along the action alert to your friends and
family and ask them to do the same.
The Arc is excited to announce a valuable new
resource available at
www.thearc.org
to help guide people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities and their families
through the complexities of Medicaid benefits,
services and supports. The
Medicaid Reference Desk offers detailed,
state-by-state information about Medicaid benefits,
a glossary of terms, answers to frequently asked
questions, person-centered planning resources and
a blog from the Arc's training specialist about
issues related to Medicaid, self-advocacy and
person-centered planning.
This project was made possible by a grant from the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration on Developmental Disabilities (Grant
No. 90 DN0215). We encourage you to explore
the Medicaid Reference Desk via the Resources
section of
www.thearc.org or
www.thedesk.info
The one hour documentary, "Lives Worth Living"
scheduled to air on PBS' flagship series Independent
Lens on October 27, 2011 at 10 p.m. It's
intended to raise the consciousness of tens of
millions of people about fundamental human rights by
portraying the struggle of a determined group of
disability activists fighting not only for their
civil rights, but their basic right to survive.
The following provides a link where you can watch a
short trailer and find out more information about
the film:
http://storylinemotionpictures.com/SMP/LIVES_WORTH_LIVING.html
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Legislative Affairs
