HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

IN THIS ISSUE:

1.      Case Tip: Medicaid Coverage for 18 – 19 Year Old Youth
2. Tool Kit Provides Community Resources for Launching Folic Acid Campaign
3. New Report from Office of Special Education Programs on ADHD Resources for School and Home
4. Healthy Lifestyles Programs for Youth
5. The Looming Crisis: How Do We Act?
6. The Ticket to Work Program and Youth in Transition
7. Kids as Self Advocates Listserv
8. HealthWatch Updates and Contacts
9. Suggestions for the Update? Contact Us!

1. CASE TIP: MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR 18 – 19 YEAR OLD YOUTH

Private health insurance policies may cover children enrolled as full-time students through age 21 or some times even longer.

In most cases, an 18 year-old who works for a year between high school graduation and entering college or technical school will not meet the eligibility requirements of his/her parents’ private insurance policy.

But 18 year-olds may be eligible for BadgerCare coverage until they turn 19 if they continue to live with and under the care of a parent or other qualified relative. Only the teen’s resources will be counted in determining income eligibility of BadgerCare. (Parents’ resources will be counted only if the parents also wish to be considered for eligibility.)

For more information on teens’ eligibility for Medicaid see:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/medicaid1/recpubs/factsheets/phc10057.htm

2. TOOL KIT PROVIDES COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR LAUNCHING FOLIC ACID CAMPAIGN

Folic Acid: You Don’t Know What You’re Missing! is a new online tool kit designed to increase awareness of the importance of folic acid in the diet and of folic acid's many lifelong benefits. The National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) developed the tool kit, which focuses on general nutrition and overall health, for use during National Folic Acid Awareness Week, January 24-30, 2005.

The tool kit contains materials that can be downloaded and included in a local press kit, including a letter of support from the Surgeon General, Dr. Richard H. Carmona, as well as a sample press release, letter to the editor, and fundraising letter. The tool kit also contains brochures, bookmarks, posters (in both English and Spanish), and a list of successful promotional activities that several NCFA members have undertaken in their communities.

All of the materials may be downloaded or ordered online. The tool kit and ordering information are available at www.folicacidinfo.org/campaign

3. NEW REPORT FROM OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS ON ADHD RESOURCES FOR SCHOOL AND HOME
OSEP announces a new publication, Teaching Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Instructional Strategies and Practices. The report, designed for teachers, other school staff, and families, describes an overall strategy for successfully instructing students with ADHD. Suggestions of research-based academic instruction, behavioral interventions and classroom accommodations are provided. For more information (available for download in WORD and PDF):
http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/index.html#adhd-res2.
4. HEALTHY LIFESTYLES PROGRAMS FOR YOUTH

The National 4-H Council, with funding provided by Kraft Foods, Inc., and Cargill, is offering grants to help communities create educational programs and public awareness to address the obesity problem. Visit: http://www.healthinschools.org/grants/ops

5. THE LOOMING CRISIS: HOW DO WE ACT?

The CEO of the National Human Services Assembly, Irv Katz, says advocates cannot afford to ignore federal tax cut plans and budget proposals that eliminate guaranteed funding for health and other services. Katz says that the prospect of “capping and/or block-granting life-blood entitlements (such as Medicaid and TANF) and funding streams that fuel human service delivery is very real." Visit: http://www.nassembly.org/nassembly/editorial.htm219.asp

6. THE TICKET TO WORK PROGRAM AND YOUTH IN TRANSITION

The Ticket to Work Program can help to ensure the successful transition of youth with disabilities from school to work and adulthood through the provision of employability services, supports, and incentives. The Ticket to Work Program serves individuals ages 18 to 64. Youth aged 18 - 21 being served by secondary education institutions can benefit from the Ticket to Work Program. Secondary education institutions have an opportunity to enhance existing funding by becoming a Ticket to Work Employment Network. This section of the Ticket Web site provides information about youth in transition and the Ticket to Work Program. http://www.yourtickettowork.com/youth and
http://www.yourtickettowork.com/program_info

7. KIDS AS SELF ADVOCATES LISTSERV
Kids as Self-Advocates (KASA) offers a listserv for e-mails on issues of young people with disabilities and chronic health conditions through Yahoo Groups. Listserv members can organize messages, chats, files, photos, links, database, polls, members, and a personal calendar. Listserv subscription information is located at the bottom of this page on the right-hand side. http://www.fvkasa.org/

8. HEALTHWATCH CONTACTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Questions about the Children’s Waiver? The next Southern Region Health Watch meeting will be held this Monday, January 10, from 11 am until 1 pm at the South Madison Community Health Center, 2202 South Park Street. The speaker will be Kristina Stuart, Children’s Waiver Specialist from the Department of Health and Family Services, will give an overview of the program and answer your questions. Lunch will be served. To attend, please contact Maureen Fitzgerald at maureenf@safetyweb.org no later than January 7 to reserve your spot – space is limited.

Southeastern Region:  Brad Holman, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, 414.266.3189, bholman@chw.org

Northern Region:  Deb Blackstone, Family Resource Connection, 715.361.2890, 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

The next meeting for the Western Region Health Watch coalition will be held on Tuesday, January 11 in Room 121 of the Chippewa County Courthouse. The speakers will be Randy Johnson on the Disability Navigator Initiative and Bobby Peterson from ABC for Health on the development of HealthWatch Wisconsin. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to Rose Marsh (contact information above) this week.

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. 

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.

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