The Arc of NJ's FREE Webinar: New Assessment Tool for Persons Who Need Assistance with their Personal Care
Some Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) need assistance with the activities of daily living (ADLs) such as dressing, bathing, feeding, etc. When medically necessary, assistance with the ADLs is available for persons who are enrolled in NJ's Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs). These services are known as Personal Care Assistant (PCA) services. For new referrals, an MCO nurse does an initial assessment to determine if the person with I/DD is eligible for this type of assistance, and if yes, how many hours per week this assistance will be provided and covered by the MCO.
After the initial assessment, the individual is reassessed on an annual or semi-annual basis, or when the individual has a change in his/her condition.The PCA services can be provided through either a PCA agency (which is in your MCO's network), or they can be self-directed through the program known as the Personal Preference Program (PPP). Through PPP, the individual or legal guardian is permitted to hire a family member, friend, or neighbor to provide the person with I/DD with the needed assistance.
The
June 30th
webinar will provide helpful information on the new PCA/PPP assessment tool, which was developed by the State Medicaid office. To register for this webinar, click here. This webinar was announced previously, and if you have already registered, you don't need to register again.
Please note that the Medicaid PCA ass
essment tool is different from the NJ CAT assessment tool, which is required by the NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD). The NJ CAT will not be discussed during the
June 30th
webinar.
|
In attendance, were nearly 400 health care professionals; staff from agencies providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities; family members; and representatives from Medicaid and Medicaid managed care organizations.
Our 26th Annual Conference was dedicated to the memory of Dr. Russell Kormann, a psychologist who had been an active and longtime member of the Mainstreaming Medical Care Advisory Board. Dr. Kormann's wife, Dr. Nivine Shenouda, attended the conference, and she was presented with a special gift in honor of her late husband. To read a very moving tribute to Dr. Kormann, written by his friend and mentor, Dr. Michael Petronko, please click here.
The day-long conference began with opening remarks from The Arc of New Jersey President, Robert Hage; Executive Director, Tom Baffuto; Chair of the Mainstreaming Medical Care Advisory Board, Leone Murphy; and Director of the Mainstreaming Medical Care Program, Beverly Roberts. Timely updates regarding the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare were provided by Liz Shea, the DHS Assistant Commissioner over DDD, and Valerie Harr, the Director of the NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services.
The conference featured two outstanding keynote speeches:
- Lauren Charlot, LICSW, Ph.D., Clinical Director of a program in North Carolina serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health disorders and challenging behaviors. Her morning keynote presentation was titled, "Detecting Psychoactive Medication Side Effects in Persons with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorders."
- E. Adel Herge, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Associate Professor and Director of the Combined BS MS Occupational Therapy Program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Her afternoon keynote presentation was titled, "What Do I Do Now? Helping Persons with ID and Dementia Live Life to the Fullest."
Workshops were held throughout the day focusing on a variety of highly informative medical, dental, behavioral, and health policy issues that are important to the developmental disability community.
|
|
Left to Right:
Liz Shea
,
Assistant Commissioner, Department of Human Services, DDD;
Valerie Harr
,
Director, NJ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services;
Beverly Roberts
,
Director, The Arc of NJ's Mainstreaming Medical Care Program;
Lauren Charlot
,
Ph.D., Keynote Speaker;
Leone Murphy
,
RN, MS, CS, Chair, Mainstreaming Medical Care Advisory Board;
and
Tom Baffuto
,
Executive Director,
The Arc of New Jersey
.
|
|
|
| The late Dr. Russell Kormann with his wife, Dr. Nivine Shenouda and their two children. |
|
Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Issues Proposed Rules
The IRS has published detailed Proposed Rules for implementation of the ABLE Act.
The ABLE Act will allow a new type of savings account to be established that will allow eligible individuals with disabilities to save up to $14,000 per year in tax-favored accounts to meet "qualified disability expenses." It will take a while for the federal rule-making process to be completed. In addition, each state must determine how it will proceed, in accordance with the federal rules.
Click here to see the proposed rules: The public comment period ends September 21, 2015.
|
Prevention and Treatment of Lyme Disease
Everyone in New Jersey should be aware of the importance of preventing and treating Lyme Disease, which occurs when a person is bitten by an infected tick. The signs and symptoms from an infected tick bite vary, from the "early localized stage (symptoms may include a red, expanding rash; fatigue; chills; fever; headache; muscle and joint aches)" to a late stage, months or years after the infected tick bite. The late stage symptoms may include arthritis, with severe joint pain and swelling, as well as other health problems, which are described in the link below. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has helpful information on preventing tick bites; tick removal; transmission; signs and symptoms; diagnosis and testing; treatment; etc. Click here for more information.
|
|
