Proposed expansion of rebate program could help thousands of elderly and disabled renters keep homes

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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, joined by Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, state Department of Aging Commissioner Edith Prague and state and local officials, has announced that he is proposing an increase of more than $6.5 million during the upcoming regular session of the General Assembly to expand Connecticut’s Elderly Renters’ Rebate Program.

“Connecticut’s senior population is already one of the largest in the country and continues to grow – something we need to take into account when we make strategic decisions about the future of our state,” said Governor Malloy.  “We are taking the necessary steps now to ensure we can support the growing needs of our elderly residents, which includes giving seniors the right amount of support and access to a living situation that is safe, decent and affordable.”

Governor Malloy continued, “There are already around 40,000 residents benefiting from the Elderly Renters’ Rebate program annually.  This expansion – an increase of more than 30 percent – will help thousands of additional senior citizens stay in their communities.”

In existence since 1974, the Elderly Renters’ Rebate Program provides direct, partial reimbursement to lower income elderly or 100 percent disabled renters to help offset a portion of their rent and utility expenses.  The program, administered by the Office of Policy and Management, provides for payments ranging from $50 to $900 for qualifying married persons, and $50 to $700 for qualifying single persons.  The rebate amount is based on a graduated income scale and the amount of rent and utility payments (excluding telephone) made in the calendar year prior to the year in which the renter applies. In order to qualify, married persons must have an annual income not greater than $41,600, and single persons must have an annual income not greater than $34,100.

“Being able to stay in their own home is an enormous priority for so many of our seniors,” said Lt. Governor Wyman.  “This program has a direct impact on the quality of life not only for them, but for entire families, and I am proud that our administration is taking steps to reinvigorate it.”

Last year, the General Assembly passed legislation that closed the Elderly Renters’ Rebate Program to any new applicants as of April 1, 2013 or previous applicants who did not receive a grant for calendar year 2011.  Governor Malloy’s proposal would re-open the program to new applicants, allowing an additional 12,700 senior citizens to apply for the rebate.

“We know that the demand for programs that serve our seniors will increase dramatically in the coming years and I am committed to preparing the state to meet this demand,” said Commissioner Prague.  “The Rebate Program helps some of our most vulnerable citizens – lower income elderly and disabled persons who rent.  This expansion will help so many more senior citizens live with dignity and independence.”

Eligible persons may apply between April 1 and October 1 each year at either their town Assessor’s Office or social service agency, depending on the town.  Questions about the program and payments should be directed to the Renter’s Rebate Hotline at 860-418-6377.

DCF Developing Children’s Behavioral Needs Plan | WNPR News

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The proposal to address the behavioral, mental, and emotional needs of children is a requirement passed under legislation that was passed by the General Assembly last year. The plan is in response to the shooting in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. DCF is looking to create the plan with help from families along with experts and other advocates. It should be completed by October.

via DCF Developing Children’s Behavioral Needs Plan; DEEP Commissioner Discusses Climate Change | WNPR News.

Conn. governor appoints advocate for disabled, new Cabinet-level position

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A West Hartford man was appointed Wednesday to a newly created, Cabinet-level position to advocate for people with disabilities.

Jonathan Slifka, a community volunteer who was born with spina bifida, was chosen by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to recommend improvements in the way the state provides information and access for people with disabilities.

“We have a resilient safety net of community providers in our state, but there are still ways that state government can be a better partner to ensure that we are providing adequate services, while doing so in the most efficient way possible,” Malloy said. “I’m excited to have Jonathan on my team and look forward to working with him to improve how the disability community interacts with both state government and nonprofit providers.”

via Conn. governor appoints advocate for disabled, new Cabinet-level position (1/8/14 5:18 pm).

Seymour seeks to prepare for the ‘silver tsunami’

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Officials across Connecticut have seen the population’s future, and they say it’s getting grayer by the day.

Residents, representatives of nonprofits and elected officials Wednesday discussed the livability of communities in general and Seymour in particular during a program at the senior center.

State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, hosted a community conversation to get the ball rolling to plan for the ‘silver tsunami’ on the horizon.

…. Marc Anthony Gallucci, executive director of the Center for Disability Rights in West Haven, said “We are really talking about no less than a revolution.”

 

He said after World War II, the country began “suburbanization” where the ideal was “to have a plot of land, a picket fence, two or three kids, a dog and a cat, and you drove everywhere.”

 

Gallucci said planners back then had a “blank canvas” with which to work, and they did not build accessibility into their designs. Today, communities need to work on becoming accessible for all.

 

People need to be able to go about their daily business with accessible streets and sidewalks without needing to have someone to give them a ride to go a block or two, Gallucci said.

 

Towns need to perform an Americans with Disabilities Act “self-evaluation and transition plan to identify barriers” in the community, he said.

via Seymour seeks to prepare for the ‘silver tsunami’.

Doing Good by Doing Well: Private Sector Gets Behind UN Disabilities Treaty

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Modeled largely after the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the convention has been ratified by 139 UN members. Within the U.S., which is home to an estimated 58 million Americans with disabilities, a burgeoning bipartisan coalition of human rights activists, disability rights groups, veteran’s affairs organizations, and the private sector is calling for swift U.S. ratification of the convention.

Among the companies and private sector-oriented umbrella groups that have endorsed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities include kitchen-table names like Adobe, Coca-Cola, the Consumer Electronics Association, J.P Morgan, Microsoft, NASCAR and the organization that identifies itself as the “world’s largest business federation,” the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

These actors are making their collective voices heard with key decision-makers. For example, during the second Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the CRPD in December, Secretary of State John Kerry’s testimony in favor of the CRPD was accompanied not just by international legal experts, but also by the IBM Human Ability & Accessibility Center’s Worldwide Director, Frances West.

via Doing Good by Doing Well: Private Sector Gets Behind UN Disabilities Treaty.

Gov. Malloy announced insurance website for mental health coverage

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Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today announced that a new state Web page streamlines resources to help families with insurance coverage and reimbursement for behavioral health and substance abuse treatment.

The Insurance Department’s “Mental Health Parity” Web page is a compilation of free resources, publications and tools that consumers can easily access through the Insurance Department’s Web site.

“Our focus remains sharply on removing barriers to mental health treatment and allowing families to get the help and support they need,” Gov. Malloy said. “We continue to enhance our mental health infrastructure in a number of ways and this online resource is one more example of that.”

The new site includes the Insurance Department’s Behavioral Health Took Kit, a step-by-step plain-language template that families and providers can use to submit to insurance companies for pre-authorization of medically necessary behavioral health services. The Tool Kit was launched in October, the same time the state announced it was dedicating $9 million in federal funds to address the needs of children in schools.

Insurance Commissioner Thomas B. Leonardi encourages consumers to visit the new page and take advantage of the resources there that can help them navigate the claims process and gain a better understanding of their rights under state and federal laws.

“Sometimes those barriers to access are piles of insurance paperwork and it doesn’t have to be that way,” Commissioner Leonardi said. “Our staff is here for you – the consumer – to answer your questions, investigate your complaints and get you the care and coverage you need. Each year we help recover more than $4 million on behalf of Connecticut consumers.”

For more information on the new Web page visit the CID Web site

SPECIAL EDUCATION: Connecticut minorities labeled disabled at slightly higher rate than whites

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Black and Hispanic students are identified as having a disability at a slightly higher rate than their white peers in Connecticut’s public schools.

“It has long been a fact that black males in particular are placed in special education categories,” said Benjamin Foster, education committee chairman for the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP branches. “This is an ongoing challenge for the NAACP and the educational system.”

John Lugo, an organizer for Unidad Latina en Accion, said many Hispanic youths end up in special education because their native language is Spanish, and it takes time to adapt to classes taught in English.

via SPECIAL EDUCATION: Connecticut minorities labeled disabled at slightly higher rate than whites.

Nonprofit says 40 percent of CT families can’t afford winter heating bills | The CT Mirror

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Nearly 40 percent of Connecticut households can’t afford to pay their energy bills this winter as aid from the federal government shrinks, according to a new report from a nonprofit advocacy group.

Operation Fuel also said these households will face, on average, $2,363 in bills they won’t be able to pay this winter.

“Many Connecticut families are being forced to choose between paying their energy expenses or paying for food and other basic necessities,” Patricia Wrice, Operation Fuel’s executive director, said Thursday during a news conference in the Legislative Office Building.

via Nonprofit says 40 percent of CT families can’t afford winter heating bills | The CT Mirror.

‘60 Minutes’ Gets Disability Insurance All Wrong | The Nation

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Perhaps the biggest enemy of the American social insurance system is the anecdote: the Walmart shopper using food stamps to pay for King Crab legs, the mother who keeps popping out kids just to ensure the benefit checks don’t stop or the infamous welfare queen rolling around town in a Cadillac. None represent anything close to reality for the vast majority of food stamp and welfare beneficiaries, but are nonetheless powerful and seemingly indestructible fables for millions of Americans.

60 Minutes added an impressive entry to the genre of bashing safety-net programs with anecdotal evidence on Sunday night with a segment on the Social Security Disability Insurance program, which provides benefits to workers who become disabled before the retirement age. The piece, entitled “Disability USA,” has advocates for the disabled outraged.

For more on this story, visit: ‘60 Minutes’ Gets Disability Insurance All Wrong | The Nation.

Gov’t easing the way for disabled air passengers

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Disabled travelers should find it easier to access airline websites under a new set of rules the government issued on Monday.

Airline website pages which have core travel information and services must be accessible to the disabled within two years, the Department of Transportation said, and all pages on airline websites must within three years be readily available to people with disabilities.

via Gov’t easing the way for disabled air passengers – Connecticut Post.