| | | | NJCDD's Eye on Advocacy weekly e-newsletter published every Tuesday focused on important news and events for the intellectual and or developmental disabilities community. You are welcome to submit news items and feedback to njcdd@njcdd.org. | |
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| | | | | | The New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus invites you to our Positive Impacts and New Possibilities in the Disability Community Webinar on Tuesday, February 20 starting at 12:00 pm. Assembly Majority Leader Greenwald will lead the discussion along with Disability Caucus Collaborators. | |
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| | | | | Disability Rights New Jersey is offering several opportunities this summer. The Sarah Mitchell Internship opportunity for a law student and social worker/humanities undergraduate or grad student; the NJ Bar Foundation Summer
Associate for a law student; and four NJCDD internships for people with IDD or their families. Please help spread the word!
Want to make a difference this summer? Fuel your passion with exciting work! 💟 👉Apply at disabilityrightsnj.org/careers for one of several paid internship opportunities available beginning this spring. | |
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| | | | | | Finally Home NJ Learning Session Attend a series of Learning Sessions focusing on the housing and support needs of people with complex medical and behavioral needs including those who are aging.
- Advocacy and Systems Change
February 20, 2024 - 6PM - 7PM Register Here - Finding and Financing Housing February 22, 2024
6PM - 7:30PM Register Here - Re-Envisioning Hope
February 26, 2024 | 6PM-7:30PM - Register Here
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| | | | | | Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund February 20, 2024 | 6:30PM - 8:00PM The Regional Family Support Planning Council #1 (Morris, Sussex, Warren) invites parents to our special meeting to learn the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund, a financial reimbursement program for New Jersey Families with potentially catastrophic medical expenses due to a child’s illness or condition. Applicants must meet the following criteria: - Expenses that are Medically necessary FDA approved
- Expenses incurred under the age of 22 (7-year lookback)
- An application for uncovered eligible expenses over a 12 month must total at least 10-15 percent of family income for that year
Multi-lingual closed captioning is available for this event. If you need special accommodations, please register by February 23rd with the details of your request or contact Kyoko Coco, Kyoko.Coco@njcdd.org, at 609-341-3112. | |
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| | Fondo de ayuda para enfermedades catastróficas en niños 20 de Febrero de 2024 | 6:30PM - 8:00PM El Consejo Regional de Planificación de Apoyo Familiar #1 (Morris, Sussex, Warren) invita a los padres a nuestra reunión especial para conocer el Fondo de Ayuda para Enfermedades Catastróficas en Niños, un programa de reembolso financiero para familias de Nueva Jersey con gastos médicos potencialmente catastróficos debido a la enfermedad de un niño o condición. Los solicitantes deben cumplir con los siguientes criterios: - Gastos que son médicamente necesarios/aprobados por la FDA
- Gastos incurridos antes de los 22 años (retrospectivo de 7 años)
- Una solicitud para gastos elegibles no cubiertos durante un período de 12 meses debe sumar al menos entre el 10 y el 15 por ciento del ingreso familiar para ese año.
Hay subtítulos multilingües disponibles para este evento. Si necesita adaptaciones especiales, regístrese antes del 23 de febrero con los detalles de su solicitud o comuníquese con Kyoko Coco, Kyoko.Coco@njcdd.org, al 609-341-3112. | |
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| | | February Information Sessions on DDD Self-Directed Employee Models
The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) offers two Self-Directed Employee (SDE) models that individuals interested in self-directing some or all of their services can choose: the Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent Model administered by Public Partnerships, LLC, and the Agency with Choice Model administered by Easterseals NJ. We are happy to once again share the following virtual opportunities to learn more about these two models. |
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| | | | | What is Black & Disabled? Series Wednesday February 21, 2024 7:00 pm Eastern time This much needed upcoming talk on Black mothers with disabilities featuring Philly folx Latoya Maddox and Zarifa Roberson ! Topic: What is Black and Disabled? Series. Let's talk about it...Black. Disabled and Raising Kids! We're Talking About Myths In Parenting in the Disability Community.
For more information please contact Zarifa Roberson zroberson@itsanidealworld.com. Millie Gonzalez millieg78@gmail.com
Meeting ID: 885 8983 9159 Passcode: 747281 | |
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| | | | | Navigating the System: What Parents Need to Know Tuesday, February 27, 2024 6:00 pm7:00 pm
This presentation will offer an overview of the different state services that are available here in New Jersey for Children and Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. - Under 21
- Over 21
- Transition from children’s
system of care to division of developmental disabilities
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| | | | | | Medical coverage for your loved ones with disabilities ***Sorry, no providers, please. This event is designed for parents, siblings, and other family members of individuals with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) *** Insurance is a critical necessity, particularly if your loved one has a disability. Insurance can be complicated because the rules can be different from insurer to insurer and your specific circumstances. Know that you are not alone. Come and learn about Medicaid redetermination (also as known as “Medicaid Unwinding”) and other medical coverage. | |
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| | Cobertura médica para sus seres queridos con discapacidad ***Lo sentimos, no hay proveedores, por favor. Este evento está diseñado para padres, hermanos y otros familiares de personas con discapacidades intelectuales/del desarrollo (I/DD) *** El seguro es una necesidad crítica, especialmente si su ser querido tiene una discapacidad. El seguro puede ser complicado porque las reglas pueden ser diferentes de una aseguradora a otra y de sus circunstancias específicas. Sepa que usted no está solo. Venga y obtenga información sobre la redeterminación de Medicaid (también conocida como “Desconexión de Medicaid” Medicaid Unwinding) y otras coberturas médicas. | |
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| | | | | Join the Finally Home NJ Project with Values Into Action for our Finally HOME NJ Symposium! March 9, 2024 | 10am - 2pm 2000 Pennington Rd, Ewing, NJ 08618 This Housing Symposium seeks to share the knowledge and lessons learned throughout the course of Finally HOME NJ, a one-year grant project funded by the NJ Council on Developmental Disabilities. The Symposium features Self-Advocates speakers with lived experience to share their insights on the viable and sustainable housing related approaches and practices in supporting people with complex support and aging needs.
Please note that this is an in-person event and there will not be a livestream. Due to the limited space available, we cannot register more than 75 people at this time. | |
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| | | | | | SPAN Parent Advocacy Network and Special Education Parent Advisory Groups (SEPAG)The Regional Family Support Planning Council #6 (Ocean and Monmouth) cordially invites you to this special forum with Peg Kinsell, Peg Kinsell, Policy Director and Director of Military Family Support 360, at SPAN Parent Advocacy Network. She will present what SPAN does and how they support the Special Education Parent Advisory Groups throughout the State.
Bring your questions! There will be ample time for Q&A.
Multi-lingual closed captioning is available for this event. Please indicate the language you use on the registration page. | |
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| | Red de defensa de padres de SPAN y grupos asesores de padres de educación especial (SEPAG)El Consejo Regional de Planificación de Apoyo Familiar #6 (Ocean y Monmouth) lo invita cordialmente a este foro especial con Peg Kinsell, Peg Kinsell, directora de políticas y directora de Military Family Support 360, en SPAN Parent Advocacy Network. Ella presentará lo que hace SPAN y cómo apoyan a los Grupos Asesores de Padres de Educación Especial en todo el estado.
¡Trae tus preguntas! Habrá tiempo suficiente para preguntas y respuestas.
Hay subtítulos multilingües disponibles para este evento. Por favor indique el idioma que utiliza en la página de registro. | |
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| | | | | The New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD) Hybrid Public Meeting will be held on Thursday March 14, 2024 from 9:30am to 1:30pm at the Hilton Garden Inn, 800 US Route 130, Hamilton NJ. To attend in person or make a public comment, please submit your In-Person RSVP or written public comment to Jacinta.williams@njcdd.org by Wednesday March 13, 2024.
ACCOMMODATIONS: For in-person accommodations, language interpretation and/or other accommodations, please contact Jacinta Williams at Jacinta.williams@njcdd.org, with your specific accommodation request at least two weeks in advance or by February 29, 2024. | |
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| | La reunión pública híbrida del Consejo de Discapacidades del Desarrollo de Nueva Jersey (NJCDD, por su sigla en inglés) se llevará a cabo el jueves 14 de marzo de 2024 de 9:30 a. m. a 1:30 p. m. en el Hilton Garden Inn, 800 US Route 130, Hamilton NJ. Para asistir en persona o hacer un comentario público, envíe su confirmación de asistencia en persona o un comentario público por escrito a Jacinta.williams@njcdd.org antes del miércoles 13 de marzo de 2024.
ADAPTACIONES: Para adaptaciones en persona, interpretación de idiomas u otras adaptaciones, comuníquese con Jacinta Williams en Jacinta.williams@njcdd.org, con su solicitud de adaptación específica con al menos dos semanas de anticipación o antes del 29 de febrero de 2024.n. | |
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| | | | Friday, April 5, 2024 l 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Supporting Community Life Engagement for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities This session will focus on how day services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can support community life engagement (CLE).
Friday, April 12, 2024 l10:00 AM - 12:00 PM The Evolution of Autism Policy in the US: Implications for the Future The prevalence of autism in the US has increased rapidly in the last three decades. In this session, participants will learn about how policies and programs to meet the needs of this growing group have been created and put in place. |
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Friday, May 10, 2024 l 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Trauma Informed Supports for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities This session will provide a view of trauma from the perspective of the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
Friday, May 17, 2024 l 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Improving Employment Outcomes: The Lessons We Are Learning As interest in Employment First gains ground, state agencies and service providers are being called upon to rethink how they support people with disabilities and help them become valued members of our workforce. |
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| | | | | | | Alone, autistic and afraid Medical records and witnesses say Leah was severely neglected at her group home. The state disagreed. By Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com But through her tears, her desperate gestures in sign language and rapid weight loss, she had been pleading for help for months in 2021, her mother said. | |
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| | In the fall of that year, Leah’s teachers contacted her mother to report the 18-year-old’s growing agitation and aggression in the classroom. Medical evaluations soon revealed her daughter, who resided at the Special Children’s Center, a group home in Lakewood, had been living with searing mouth pain from advanced tooth decay that left her teeth “not salvageable,” according to hospital records. Employees at Leah’s group home privately told her no one was consistently administering her prescribed acid reflux medication and brushing her teeth.
When anti-psychotic meds failed to soothe her, group home workers who “needed a break” from her unruly behavior locked her in her room or took her to the local hospital’s psychiatric unit, according to records and text messages exchanged between group home employees and her mother that she shared with NJ Advance Media. Another text message included a photo of a rope tied from the doorknob of her daughter’s bedroom door to a banister, to prevent her from escaping. | |
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| | | | | | | NJ to spend $6 million to move people with disabilities out of nursing homes Gene Myers | New Jersey Herald New Jersey's Division of Developmental Disabilities announced $6 million in funding Wednesday to build and upgrade homes for people with disabilities currently living in nursing homes, said the Department of Human Services, which oversees the DDD.
The initiative will create better living spaces for an estimated 100 people in community settings, the state said. Funding of up to | |
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| | $60,000 per bed, with a maximum of $240,000 for each home, will be available, the announcement said.
“This expansion will enhance community infrastructure and provide more opportunities for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities to be supported in their community,” said Department of Human Services spokesperson Tom Hester. The latest funding is part of an ongoing effort that also included $5 million last year, he said. | |
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| | | | | Governor Murphy signs law allowing for Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Disability Rights New Jersey has long advocated for individuals to have the supports and services in their own home so that they do not have to be institutionalized in nursing homes.
On January 16th of this year, Governor Murphy signed legislation that will provide greater opportunities for individuals with disabilities to receive those supports and services. Governor Murphy signed legislation that provides for presumptive eligibility for Medicaid home and community-based services for individuals who are likely to be financially and clinically eligible for Medicaid so that these individuals can receive services immediately while their Medicaid application is pending.
Without presumptive eligibility, many individuals who are hospitalized and awaiting Medicaid eligibility are unable to return to their homes as | |
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| | they are not able to pay for the supports and services that will allow them to return home. Instead, many in this situation end up going to a nursing home, which can provide medical services while Medicaid eligibility is pending and obtain reimbursement once eligibility is determined. With presumptive eligibility, home and community-based providers can begin offering services and supports that allow these individuals to return to their homes, where most individuals wish to be.
The law is conditional on the Department of Human Services obtaining federal approval, and it allows for a 30-month implementation timeframe in order for the Department of Human Services to seek and obtain the necessary federal approvals.
Disability Rights NJ will continue to monitor implementation of this important legislation and will keep you updated with further developments. | |
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| | | | | NJ lawmakers advance affordable housing reforms Joanna Gagis | NJ Spotlight News The bill package remakes requirements on cities and town, replaces Council on Affordable Housing
New Jersey lawmakers on Monday voted along partisan lines to advance sweeping affordable housing reforms for the state’s municipalities.
The state Assembly voted 51-28 in favor of the bill (A4/S50) that would fundamentally reform affordable housing requirements on cities and towns and replace the state’s Council on | |
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| | Affordable Housing with a new panel to resolve disputes over housing developments. The measure — along with four other housing bills — next will go before to the state Senate for its vote. The package now sits in Senate committee.
The main bill has been supported by state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin and Senate President Nick Scutari, who argue it is a critical step to addressing New Jersey’s cost of living crisis. But it has drawn fierce opposition from Republicans who claim it will radically reshape rural communities and promote irresponsible development. | |
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| | | | | Senator Vitale Introduces Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act On Monday, February 12, 2024, New Jersey State Senator Joseph Vitale (D-19th District) introduced S2700, the “Patient Protection and Safe Staffing Act.”
The legislation would provide certain staffing standards in state hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, developmental centers, and psychiatric hospitals.
Specifically, the legislation calls for: - One registered professional nurse for every four patients on a medical/surgical unit
- One registered professional nurse for every three patients in a step down, telemetry, progressive care, or intermediate care unit
- One registered professional nurse for every four patients in an emergency department, one registered professional nurse for every two patients in a critical care service of an emergency department, and one registered professional nurse for every patient in a trauma service of an emergency department
- One registered professional nurse for every five patients in a behavioral health or psychiatric unit
- One registered professional nurse for every two patients in a critical care, intensive care, neonatal, or burn unit
- One registered professional nurse for every patient under anesthesia in an operating room, and one registered professional nurse for every post-anesthesia patient in a recovery room or post-anesthesia care unit
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| | - One registered professional nurse for every patient under anesthesia in an operating room, and one registered professional nurse for every post-anesthesia patient in a recovery room or post-anesthesia care unit
- One registered professional nurse for every three patients in a labor and delivery unit; one registered professional nurse for every four patients, including infants, in a postpartum unit in which the mother and infant share the same room; and one registered professional nurse for every six patients in a mothers-only unit
- One registered professional nurse for every four patients in a pediatric or intermediate care nursery unit, and one registered professional nurse for every six patients in a well-baby nursery.
Additionally, the legislation would require the following unlicensed assistive personnel-to-patient staffing ratios: - One unlicensed assistive personnel for every seven patients for the day shift of any patient unit
- One unlicensed assistive personnel for every patients for the night shift of any patient unit
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| | | | | The NJCDD is proud to support NJ DB101, a free, user-friendly, all-in-one place, resource guide for employment and benefit questions/information. Find out how working impacts benefits like SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, and more! Resources are in plain language and available in both English and Spanish. | |
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| | | | | | The purpose of this expanded version of the Toolkit is to empower individuals with disabilities and their family and professional caregivers by providing information to more effectively advocate for persons with complex severe behavioral health conditions (which we formerly referred to as “dual diagnosis”) for treatments, supports, services and the conditions that promote mental wellness. | |
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| | El propósito de esta versión ampliada del kit de herramientas es facilitarles a las personas que tienen discapacidades y a sus cuidadores familiares y profesionales herramientas que los empoderen, al proveer información que permita abogar de una forma más efectiva por las personas que tienen condiciones graves y complejas de salud conductual (a las que antes se denominaban con “diagnóstico dual”) para conseguir los tratamientos, apoyos, servicios y las condiciones que fomentan el bienestar mental. | |
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NJCDD Disclaimer: New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities does not endorse or recommend any programs, providers, or organizations. This is for information-sharing purposes only. |
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