Health Online: A Quarterly Disability and Health Newsletter

July 2023

Medicaid News:

Tailored Plan Launch Is Delayed Again, 1915(i) Services Began July 1, 2023

To ensure beneficiaries can seamlessly receive care on day one, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is delaying the implementation of the NC Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health and Intellectual/ Developmental Disabilities Tailored Plans (Tailored Plans). Tailored Plan launch was scheduled for Oct. 1, 2023, but will now go forward at a date still to be determined.

1915(i) Services Started July 1, 2023

These are Home and Community Based Services (HBCS) that will replace b(3) services for people with significant behavioral health needs, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Traumatic Brain Injuries.

1915(i) services include:

Respite
Individual and Transitional Support
Community Living and Supports
Community Transition
Supported Employment

1915(i) services will be available through:

NC Medicaid Direct
EBCI Tribal Option
All Tailored Plans (upon launch)
The Children & Families Specialty Plan (upon launch)

You must have Medicaid to receive these services. They will be nearly identical to the b(3) services, but you must apply for them. Reach out to your Managed Care Organization (MCO) to find out if you are eligible! See the Managed Care Organization directory HERE to find your MCO. More information on 1915(i) services HERE and HERE.

Inviting All Families and Caregivers Who Need or Use Language Access Services to Provide Feedback!

Family Voices is working with the Office of Minority Health to learn more about language access services for families of children with special healthcare needs. This project’s goal is to improve the quality and use of language access services in the healthcare setting for families whose preferred language is not English. To do that, they have developed a survey in different languages to learn about the barriers or challenges experienced by these families in the healthcare setting.

Please help Family Voices by sharing this survey with families in your community. Their goal is for families to complete the survey by August 8^th, 2023.

Family survey in English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FamEnglish
Family survey in Spanish: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FamEspanol
Family survey in Chinese: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FamChinese
Family survey in Vietnamese: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FamVietnamese
Family survey in Arabic: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FamArabic
Family survey in Russian: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FAMRussian
Family survey in Ukrainian: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FAMUkrainian
Family survey in Farsi: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FAMFarsi

Thank you for supporting Family Voices and the families in your community who will benefit from equitable language access in the healthcare setting.

Vaccine Resources and Information for Families who Have Loved Ones with Disabilities

Family Voices and the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) have partnered to share information of COIVD 19 and other vaccines with families who have loved ones with disabilities and special health care needs. The Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC) partnered on this vaccine outreach project to help provide information and resources to families.

See information from Family Voices and AUCD HERE

See the slides from the July 11th ECAC's Tool Time Tuesday presentation on vaccine resources for families who have loved ones with disabilities HERE, and see the recording HERE. These include information on social stories, videos, resources in ASL and Braille, information on needle phobia, vaccine ingredients, and more!

Meet the Need NC's Hear. Share. Act. Events: A Disability Lunch and Learn Advocacy Series

Meet the Need NC’s mission is to meet the need in North Carolina by changing the intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities (I/DD) landscape across the state through a common agenda.

The initiative’s vision is to meet the service and support needs of the I/DD Community in North Carolina through:

Increased services and supports
Reduced wait time on the Registry of Unmet Needs
Create informed families
Ensure equitable access
Expand awareness and understanding

Hear. Share. Act. is a story gathering and advocacy event for people with intellectual and/or other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families.

Hear. Share. Act. has now launched a monthly Lunch & Learn Series to address topics that are important to the I/DD community.

Learn more about the 2023 Series and register below!

See the Meet the Need NC Facebook page HERE

Click here to learn more and register for Hear. Share. Act. webinars

NC InCK Launches New Facebook Page for Families, Partners, Health Care Providers, and More!

North Carolina Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK) has launched their Facebook page! Whether you’re a caregiver, a health care provider, or a community member, this page is a one-stop hub for staying connected with all things related to NC InCK!

What to expect:

· NC InCK Updates – Stay tuned for upcoming event announcements as well as model updates

· Policy Changes – Updates on legislative or healthcare-system changes, such as Medicaid Expansion in North Carolina, that have a direct impact on families in the NC InCK service area

· Community Events – promote and share events in our communities that may benefit NC InCK families and partners

If you have events or updates that you would like to share with the NC InCK community, please reach out to our team via Facebook direct message or by email at info@ncinck.org.

Read more about NC Inck HERE

Click here for the NC InCK Facebook Page

Legal Aid's Right to Education Project

The Right to Education Project supports North Carolina children and families with the following issue areas at school: (1) enrollment and access, (2) long-term suspension, expulsion, and alternative school placements, (3) special education and disability-related needs, and (4) discrimination and harassment.

Click here to see Legal Aid's Right to Education Project website

The Family-to-Family (F2F) Health Information Center within ECAC is here to provide health related information, resources and support to families and professionals in NC. Some commonly discussed topics are:

Medicaid and Medicaid Waivers, such as the Innovations Waiver, Community Alternatives Program for Children (CAP/C), Community Alternatives Program for Disabled Adults (CAP/DA) and Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Grants for families to cover the cost of therapy, equipment, respite care, educational expenses, etc.
Guardianship and alternatives to guardianship and other questions related to the transition to adulthood
Resources to help pay for the cost of basic needs such as rent, utilities, internet service, food, etc.

Have a question? Call us at 1-800-962-6817 or click the button below to submit a web inquiry and someone from the Family-to-Family Health Information Center will get in touch with you!

CLICK HERE to contact the Family to Family Health Information Center

ECAC is providing this newsletter as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the ECAC.ECAC is not a legal services agency. We cannot and do not provide legal representation or advice, and information contained in this newsletter should not be used or considered as such.

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Give us a call at

1-800-962-6817

This newsletter is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $93,175 with 0 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.