CKSN UPDATE for April 15, 2004		ABC for Health, Inc.


SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – In recognition of Cover the Uninsured Week, you are invited to join us on May 10 at the State Capitol in Madison for the joint Covering Kids with Special Needs and Covering Kids and Families annual statewide meeting.  A noontime highlight will feature Joanne Rica with the AFL-CIO, Al Jacobs with the WEA Trust, Representative Mark Miller and Dr. Paul Wertsch from the Wisconsin Medical Society, and Bobby Peterson of ABC for Health in a panel discussion of several plans for universal or expanded health coverage, accompanied by a complimentary lunch.  For more information and registration, please contact Maureen Fitzgerald at ABC for Health, Inc., maureenf@safetyweb.org

IN THIS ISSUE:

1. Case Tip:  Adult Children with Disabilities Able to Stay on Parent’s Health Insurance
2. Training Held in Madison on SSI Disability Determination
3. Family Voices Tip on Key Elements of Active Listening
4. Soy Unica, Soy Latina
5. Health Care Transition Bibliography On Line
6. Center for Personal Assistance Services
7. Transition Camp
8. HealthWatch Contact
9. Contact Us!
10. Happy Birthday, ABC for Health

1. CASE TIP:  ADULT CHILDREN  WITH  DISABILITIES ABLE TO STAY ON PARENT’S HEALTH INSURANCE

Q: My adult disabled child is unable to work and has been covered under my employer sponsored health plan.  She is now turning 24.  How can I maintain her private health insurance?

A: Generally, most health insurance plans set termination dates for young adults covered under their parent’s plan. (Sometimes up to age 23 and often with the additional requirement of student status at the time of coverage).

The exception to this is a child who is incapacitated and remains dependent on his or her parents.  Hospital or medical expense policies that cover dependent children may end coverage when the child reaches maturity.  However, coverage of a dependent child cannot end while the child continues to be both:

* Incapable of self-sustaining employment because of a mental retardation* or physical handicap and
* Chiefly dependent upon the person insured under the policy for support and maintenance.

This provision applies to both group and individual policies. (Note that self-funded ERISA plans are also exempt from this mandate) The insurer can require proof of incapacity and dependency within 31 days of the child reaching the maximum age of the health insurance plan.  Insurers can require notice of continued dependence (usually one review per year) after a child reaches the maximum age under the policy. Contact the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance at 1-800-236-8517 for more information.

[s. 632.88, Wis Stat]  (Fact Sheet on Mandated Benefits in Health Insurance Policies, OCI, 7/2002)  (*Moderator’s Note:  The term “mental retardation” is included in the state statute, which is why that term is repeated here even though some people consider this to be an archaic term.)  

2. TRAINING HELD IN MADISON ON SSI DISABILITY DETERMINATION

On Monday, May 3, in conjunction with the Dane County HealthWatch Meeting there will be a training session on the Disability Determination Process for Social Security.  This training will familiarize participants with the disability determination process for adults (useful for youth soon to transition to the adult system!) and identifies key tools and approaches to use in helping individuals put together an application that fully and accurately represents their disability.

The training (with lunch included) will run from 11 am until 1 pm, and will be preceded by a HealthWatch meeting from 9 am until 11 am. The meeting and training will be held at the South Madison Community Health Center (Harambee Center), located at 2202 South Park Street in Madison.  Please RSVP to maureenf@safetyweb.org by April 30, 2004 if you would like to attend.


3. FAMILY VOICES TIP ON KEY ELEMENTS OF ACTIVE LISTENING

Adapted from Parent to Parent of PA Training (Reprinted from Friday’s Child News, April 2, 2004, an electronic publication from Family Voices.)
To be an "active listener," one must listen for more than mere facts. In order to empathize with another person, you need to "read between the lines." Here are some helpful hints for doing just that:
* Remove distractions. Make time to listen or postpone the talk. 
* Stop talking. You cannot listen if you are talking. 
* Put the other person at ease. Help him/her feel free to talk. 
* Empathize. Put yourself in their shoes. (This is opposed to sympathy, where the listener takes his or her own experience and imposes it upon the speaker.) 
* Be patient. Allow plenty of time. Do not interrupt. 
* Keep calm. 
* Recognize that the other person is someone who is separate from you. 
* Be open to all the information that is being shared. 
* Avoid arguments and criticism of others. 
* Be willing to suspend your own feelings. Accept the speaker’s feelings as his/her own. 
* Know that feelings change over time. Also, do not expect the other person to change to your way of thinking. 
* Trust in the person’s ability to handle his/her feelings, to work through them, and to find solutions to problems. You are there to support this process. 
Listen to understand rather than to reply. Do not be preparing your answer while the other person is talking.

4. SOY UNICA, SOY LATINA

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed a bilingual public education initiative for Hispanic girls ages 9-14, their mothers, and other caregivers. The initiative, called “¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina!” is designed to help these girls build and enhance their own self-esteem and mental health, decision-making and assertiveness skills, and to prevent the harmful consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. The ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina! project encourages cultural pride by emphasizing the strengths inherent in the Hispanic culture; initiative materials include posters, activity books, brochures, and this Web site. The material addresses belonging and adaptation, teaches assertiveness and decision-making skills, and provides tips on becoming healthy and successful young adults. http://www.soylatina.gov/


5. HEALTH CARE TRANSITION BIBLIOGRAPHY ON LINE

The health care transition bibliography is now available on line.  This searchable annotated bibliography contains more that 550 reference to articles, books, training materials and other resources on health care transition.  To access this resource, go to: http://hctransitions.ichp.edu/ and click "Transition references"  You can also submit new materials for inclusion in the bibliography through this site.  

6. CENTER FOR PERSONAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training, dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services (PAS) in the United States.  Personal assistance services (PAS) refer to help provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for daily living.  These tasks include bathing, dressing, getting around, toileting, eating, shopping, remembering things, and other activities.  PAS, along with assistive technology such as wheelchairs, text readers, and hearing aides, help people with disabilities to participate in activities at home, at work, and in the community.

The Center is based at the University of California, San Francisco, and includes a partnership with the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center, InfoUse, the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, the Institute for the Future of Aging Services, and faculty members at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, University of Michigan, and West Virginia's Job Accommodation Network (JAN). A Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee of PAS users, disability advocates, business leaders, independent living center leaders, and academics provide guidance to the Center. Further detail about the Center staff and advisors can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/about/ 

7. TRANSITION CAMP

Second Annual Transition Camp for Youth with Disabilities UW Whitewater June 27 - July 2, 2004

This camp provides an opportunity for you to live on campus at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater for six days.  You will learn about career and work opportunities after high school, spend time working on your own plan and have fun, too!  To read the brochure, go to this website: http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/hrtw/MFML.PDF
To call for more information, contact UW-Whitewater at 262-472-4711 or email Jenny Wagner at wagnerj@uww.edu


8. HEALTHWATCH CONTACTS

If you are interested in joining your regional HealthWatch committee, or want more information about their work, please contact the following people:

Southern Region:  Barbara Katz, ABC for Health, Inc., 608.261.6939 ext 207, barbk@safetyweb.org 

Southeastern Region:  Brad Holman, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, 414.266.3189,
bholman@chw.org or Brad Montgomery, 414.449.4777, opwindows@aol.com

Northern Region:  Deb Blackstone, Family Resource Connection, 715.365.8030,
dblacks@shsmh.org

Northeastern Region:  Steve Gerczak, St. Vincent Hospital, 920.433.8154,
sgerczak@stvgb.org

Western Region:  Rose Marsh, Chippewa County Dept of Public Health, 1-800-400-3678, rmarsh@co.chippewa.wi.us


9. SUGGESTIONS OR TIPS FOR THE UPDATE?  CONTACT US!

We need your help to develop content and tips for our CKSN Update. Please let us know about your ideas or success stories.  Email your suggestions to barbk@safetyweb.org 

The CKSN Update is a bi-weekly electronic newsletter of the Covering Kids with Special Needs project that ABC for Health, Inc. is implementing with its partners, the Title V Children with Special Needs Regional Centers and Family Voices – Wisconsin.  If you would like to submit news and information in future CKSN Updates, please send it to the attention of Barbara Katz.  All submissions should be limited to 150 words.

ABC for Health is a Wisconsin-based, nonprofit public interest law firm dedicated to linking children and families, particularly those with special health care needs, to health care benefits and services.  ABC for Health’s mission is to provide information, advocacy tools, legal services and expert support needed to obtain, maintain and finance health care coverage and services. 


10. ABC FOR HEALTH IS TEN YEARS OLD!

Save the date!  ABC for Health will celebrate 10 years of advocacy and legal services on Thursday evening October 14, at the Great Hall of the Memorial Union in Madison   Please join us to celebrate our 10th anniversary as Wisconsin’s premier public interest law firm dedicated to helping families secure adequate health care coverage and services!  Watch for more information on this event in the near future.  

Barbara Katz, moderator
Parent Consultant
ABC for Health, Inc.
608.261.6939 ext. 207
barbk@safetyweb.org