CKSN UPDATE for May 1, 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:  50/50 Custody Placements and Badger Care Eligibility
2. Youth Opportunity
3. Guardianship Workshop in Milwaukee
4. Transition Summer Camp
5. 20/20 Television Special on Siblings
6. Report on Integrating Mental Health Programs in Schools
7. Survey on Health Care Needs of People with Disabilities
8. HealthWatch Contacts
9. Suggestions for the Update? Contact Us!
10. Happy Birthday, ABC for Health



1. CASE TIP:  50/50 CUSTODY PLACEMENTS AND BADGERCARE ELIGIBILITY

   Many separated or divorced parents who have joint custody are choosing equal physical placement of their children. These parents want their children spend an equal amount of time with each parent during a particular time period (week, month, or year). They may also choose 50/50 placement because they both want to remain eligible for BadgerCare. Unfortunately, this is not possible.  Sections 3.3.2 and 12.3.2 of the Wisconsin Medicaid Handbook give the rules for determining--in cases of separation or divorce--how to determine which parent is covered by BadgerCare.  
   
   In cases of equal placement, the MA Handbook nevertheless demands that one parent be determined the primary placement and gives a list of criteria. That parent is determined the primary placement and is given coverage under BadgerCare. Two important situations where this rule comes into effect are:
   
   a) If the family is seeking coverage under BadgerCare after they separate or divorce with a 50/50 placement agreement then strong preference is given to the parent who gets his/her application (and that of the child) in first. 
   
   b) If the rotation of placement is more than a month in duration (i.e. if the child changes placement every one, four, or six months), then it may be possible for BadgerCare coverage to follow the child. That is, during the months when the child is with the mother then she has coverage. During the months when the child is with the father, he has coverage.
   
   A spokesperson for the DHFS said that because more and more Wisconsin parents who separate or divorce are opting for 50/50 placement arrangements, the rules may be changed in the near future to allow both parents to remain on BadgerCare. But for the time being, it remains impossible for separated or divorced parents with separate households to both remain on BadgerCare.

2. YOUTH OPPORTUNITY

National Center for Cultural Competence's Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHN) Project is looking for two youth/young adult leaders to join the CYSHN project Advisory Committee. The advisory committee is charged with participating in all facets of project planning via email, correspondence and an annual face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC.

Currently, the advisory committee has one young adult member, Elizabeth Guerrero, who has participated in a topical conference call on cultural perspectives of transition and will contribute a web-based article to the NCCC web page.

If you are a youth or young adult, or know one who is interested, or for more information, please contact Julie Sipchen, KASA, Project Director Family Voices, Inc. 773/465-3200 julie@fvkasa.org

3.	GUARDIANSHIP WORKSHOP IN MILWAUKEE

Workshop: "Planning For the Future of Your Child with Special Needs"
Date:   Saturday, May 8, 2004
Time:   8:30 am to 12:15
Place:  Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Auditorium, Milwaukee
RSVP:   by 5/5/04 to Julie Turkoske, Special Needs Family Center
414-266-3188 or 800-234-5437

Topics include:
* Special Needs Trusts:  The pros and cons
* Government benefit programs and eligibility - an overview
* Estate planning; how to handle assets
* When is Guardianship Needed?
* Alternative to funding a trust
* What is the difference between a guardian of a person and guardian of an estate?
* Limited Guardianship:  How to tailor guardianship to the specific needs of a person?
* Standby/Successor Guardian:  What happens when a guardian is no longer able to be a guardian?

4. TRANSITION SUMMER 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'll 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


5. 20/20 TELEVISION SPECIAL ON SIBLINGS

On May 14th at 9:00 p.m. EST ABC will be airing a special segment on siblings as part of its 20/20 show. The overall segment will include broad coverage of siblings but six minutes of the segment will be dedicated to siblings of children with special needs.


6. Integrating Agenda for Mental Health in Schools into the Recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (A Center Brief Report)

This report identifies ways that mental health services in schools can contribute to implementing the recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.  The report discusses ongoing research, training, and technical assistance activities and explains where mental health in schools fits into the commission's goals and recommendations.  The report is intended for use by policymakers, program administrators, educators, and others interested in the comprehensive role of schools and in the transformation of the U.S. mental health system.  Go to: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/newfreedomcommission/newfreedbrief.pdf 

Also see Resource Synthesis to Help Integrate Mental Health in Schools into the Recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (A Center Resource Aid).  This resource aid synthesizes a set of accessible, online, noncommercial resources relevant to integrating the various agendas for mental health in schools into the commission recommendations.  Go to: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/newfreedomcommission/resourcesynthesis.pdf 

Also see The New Freedom Initiative's 2004 progress report at 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/newfreedom/newfreedom-report-2004.pdf 


7. Understanding the Health-Care Needs and Experiences of People with Disabilities: Findings from a 2003 Survey


People with disabilities were profiled in "My Name Is..." a video produced by Kaiser Family Foundation Senior Visiting Fellow and former ABC News Correspondent, Jackie Judd, and shown at a December 12 briefing to release the survey findings. It is available at http://www.kff.org/medicare/121203package.cfm  

A quote from the video: Jessica, age 20, was diagnosed with dystonia - a progressive neuro-muscular disease - at age 12. Out-of-pocket expenses with Medicaid are several thousand dollars a year - and could increase when she turns 21 and is no longer a minor. "We're barely holding together, and there's like a thin layer of glue that's keeping everyone together. There's a bunch of cracks everywhere and they're all going to fall apart at some point."



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