|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Resources for Families and Individuals The following link(s) will open in one new tab or window. Should you have any questions regarding this article, please follow the specific contact information provided. This month, we’d like to share with you several resources designed to help with topics as diverse as assistance with paying for heating, special education advocacy, information on travel, emergency preparedness, assistance with obtaining needed medications, and tips on getting funding for assistive technology to help with a goal of employment. Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) HEAP may help you pay for Electricity, Propane, Natural Gas, Wood, Oil, Kerosene, Coal, or any other heating fuel. HEAP is a federally funded program that issues heating benefits to supplement a household’s annual energy cost. HEAP also offers an emergency benefit for households in a heat or heat related energy emergency. Additionally, HEAP offers a furnace repair and/or replacement benefit for households with inoperable heating equipment. The HEAP regular benefit component assists low-income New Yorkers with the cost of heating their homes. The Regular Benefit component of the 2009-10 HEAP Program is open effective November 2, 2009. The HEAP emergency benefit component assists qualifying low-income New Yorkers who are facing a heat or heat related energy emergency and do not have the resources available to resolve the emergency. The Emergency HEAP component of the 2009-10 HEAP Program is open effective November 2, 2009. The HEAP Furnace Repair and Replacement Component is available to help low-income homeowners repair or replace furnaces, boilers, and other direct heating components necessary to keep the home's primary heating source functional. The HEAP Furnace Repair and Replacement Component is open from October 1, 2009 until September 30, 2010. 2009-2010 HEAP Gross Monthly Income Guidelines How do I apply for HEAP? Low-income New Yorkers may apply for HEAP in person, by mail, over the phone, and on the internet. Questions regarding the HEAP program should be directed to your Local Department of Social Services Office or the NYS HEAP Hotline at 1-800-342-3009. The following links originally appeared on www.disability.gov, check it out for similar resources. A Parent's Guide to Parent & Professional Partnership & Communication within Special Education
Practical ideas for parents of children with disabilities to improve their interaction with school staff and become more effective advocates for their child.
Autism Spectrum Disorders - Primer for Parents & Educators
Information from the National Association of School Psychologists with basic facts about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and effective intervention strategies.
CDC Information for Travelers with Disabilities
Information from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's (CDC) Traveler's Health Yellow Book. Includes tips relating to air travel, bringing service animals on flights, cruise ships, as well as other useful travel-related links. Carriers may not refuse transportation because of a disability.
Emergency Preparedness for Families & Children This PowerPoint presentation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration on Developmental Disabilities, provides information for families about preparing for emergencies. The presentation includes information on state and local resources for family readiness, developmental disabilities networks, emergency supplies and checklists for parents of children with special needs. The presentation is also available in Word format.
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/adddocs/Disaster_Preparedness.ppt (PowerPoint) Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality
A publication from the National Assistive Technology (AT) Advocacy Project of Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc., this booklet describes funding work-related AT through special education programs, state vocational rehabilitation agencies, Medicaid, Medicare and SSI's Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS).
Sustaining Informal Caregivers
The NYS Office for the Aging has issued a report on informal family caregivers in NYS. The survey sought to expand knowledge about informal care in NYS by gathering information on the demographics of caregivers and receivers as well as by seeking information on how NYSOFA programs were helping to alleviate their burdens as well as helping care receivers stay in their homes and communities.
Medication Assistance A fear for many people in this economic climate is that something might happen that will interfere with them being able to get needed medications. Knowing that this is a problem that can have severe consequences many programs have been developed to help prevent gaps in medication coverage. Following are a couple of examples from both the government and the private sector on how to receive assistance. Patient Assistance Programs Patient assistance programs are services that are offered to help people that are having difficulty obtaining needed medications. There are a wide array of these programs offered by the various companies differing in both how much of the cost of the drug is covered as well as in eligibility requirements. Often, these programs are specific to the individual drugs and details will vary between different drugs available from the same company. Since there is no official designation for these programs names can differ widely and there are many names for similar programs aside from patient assistance programs.
Information on these programs can be found from individual pharmaceutical companies as well as on the web. Two web sites that have details on a wide range of these programs follow. These examples are not meant to be endorsements of these particular sites, they are provided solely as examples of this kind of service, and if you have need of one of these programs we encourage you to do your own research based on the specific drugs you need assistance with.
Chubby Checker and Social Security Commissioner Astrue Announce a New “Twist” in the Law Changes Make it Easier to Qualify for Extra Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs
Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, and Chubby Checker, Grammy Award winner and rock
and roll legend, today launched a new campaign to inform millions of Americans about a new “twist”
in the law that makes it easier to qualify for extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs. The
extra help program currently provides assistance to more than nine million senior and disabled
Americans -- saving them an average of almost $4,000 a year on their Medicare prescription drug plan
costs. To apply for extra help, there is an easy-to-use online application available at “The changes in the Medicare law that take effect this month will allow hundreds of thousands of Americans who are struggling to pay their prescription drug costs to get extra help during these tough economic times,” said Commissioner Astrue. “I am thrilled that Chubby Checker has volunteered to help us spread this important message through a new television, radio, and Internet spot as well as pamphlets and posters.”
“Listen up, America! For 50 years, people of all ages and backgrounds have danced the Twist,”
Chubby Checker said. “Now it’s important everyone learn about this new twist in the law. Check it
out at In order for you to view the publication(s) (PDF) above, you will require Adobe Reader. This is a free download and if you do not already have it, you can get it by clicking on the "Adobe Link" below. The link will open in a new tab or window. February 2010
|
August 2010 Contact Us
Phone: 1-800-395-3372 Upcoming DDPC Meetings August 2010:
8/9/10 - Chilodrens Issues Committee Meeting *Notice* Open Government and the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC). All DDPC meetings are held in Albany, NY unless otherwise noted. Under law, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC) meetings and DDPC Standing Committee meetings are open meetings. If the public wants to attend, they can attend as observers. Participants may be asked to leave during breaks in the deliberations and when the meeting goes into executive session. If more information, please contact the DDPC directly.
People First Language The DDPC strictly adheres to and encourages the use of people first language. However you may note that in some articles/stories appearing in the E-Bulletin the language used is not always entirely people first. Articles submitted to the DDPC are taken verbatim from the source and are therefore not edited by the DDPC for correct people first language due to copyright restrictions. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
