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Take Action to Protect Medicaid!
Tell Congress: Medicaid Is a Lifeline for People With Disabilities!
Right now, Congress is making big decisions about our nation’s priorities and how to pay for them. They are voting on policies that will take away funding from Medicaid health care and services - services that people with disabilities rely on.
If Medicaid is cut, millions of lives will be deeply impacted.
Click below to contact your members of Congress and share your story!
And click here to see a fact sheet from The Arc of the United States that emphasizes how potential cuts to Medicaid would impact people with disabilities.
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Health Care Advocacy Spring Webinar Series:
Promoting Health and Wellness for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
Webinar #2:
"Supporting Quality of Life and Healthy Aging for People with IDD"
This webinar will discuss factors to be considered when planning for the quality of life and healthy aging of persons with intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). The webinar will explore some of the common health problems and risks associated with aging and strategies for supporting healthy aging specifically for people with IDD.
Thursday, April 10th
12:00pm - 1:15pm
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Meet the Presenter:
Margaret Gilbride, JD, CT
is a Project Director at The Boggs Center whose portfolio includes projects on aging and grief & loss. She is a graduate of Indiana University School of Law and has been certified in supported employment, customized employment, person-centered planning, inter-faith hospital chaplaincy, and death education. She is a member of the NJ Action Team on Aging and Disability, the Special Interest Group on Aging for the Association of University Centers on Disability, The Overlook Medical Center’s Bioethics Committee, and the National Community of Practice on Bridging Aging and Disability.
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Don't Miss Season 2 of Catching Up with Connor!
Live on Facebook every other Thursday at 2:30pm, this series features 10-15 minute educational presentations on specific health care issues, news, and key topics for individuals with IDD and their families.
No registration required, but please leave a like and comment what topics you would like to see!
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Medicaid Income Limits for 2025
The Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS) has released the updated Medicaid income limits for 2025.
These limits are updated each year and reflect changes to the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). A single adult may qualify for Medicaid if their monthly income does not exceed $1,800. Click here to see the 2025 NJ FamilyCare Income Chart.
The Aged, Blind, Disabled (ABD) Medicaid programs have their own income and resource limits. Click here to see the income and resource standards for all NJ Medicaid programs.
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Slam the Scam
The Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) collaborated once again to raise public awareness about Social Security imposter scams during the sixth annual “Slam the Scam” Day on March 6th.
Social Security related scams--where fraudsters mislead victims into sharing personal information, or making cash, wire transfer, or gift card payments to fix alleged Social Security number problems - are an ongoing government imposter fraud scheme.
Read this article about Social Security and scam awareness, from The Social Security Star.
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A Guide to Medicaid Advocacy
The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development has developed a guide to advocating for Medicaid by sharing your story. Given the potential threats to Medicaid under consideration by Congress, now is important than ever to contact your legislators and emphasize the importance of Medicaid to you and your family!
The guide is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Gujarati, Japanese, Portuguese, and Tagalog, and provides information about how Medicaid works and commonly proposed threats, along with tips, and a worksheet to plan advocacy messages.
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Upcoming Webinar
Topic: Future Planning with Special Needs Trusts, ABLE Accounts, and other options
Date: March 20, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
The DDD Monthly Transition Thursdays Webinar Series is hosting Jason Miller, Associate Executive Director, and Nicola Nero-Price, Assistant Director of Social Services, from Planned Lifetime Assistance Network of New Jersey (PLAN/NJ) as they discuss Part 2 of Future Planning for Individuals with Disabilities. This webinar will cover issues such as estate planning, legal and financial protections, Special Needs Trusts, and ABLE accounts.
Register here.
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Social Security Administration Changes that may Impact Individuals with Disabilities
The new federal administration is planning to cut jobs and make major changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA), the federal agency responsible for administering Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits to millions of Americans with disabilities.
SSA stated that it “will soon implement agency-wide organizational restructuring that will include significant workforce reductions.” The agency announced plans to reduce its workforce by 7,000 employees, from 57,000 to 50,000.
Darcy Milburn, director of Social Security and health care policy at The Arc of the United States, said “For many people with disabilities, Social Security is the difference between making rent or being evicted, between having enough food to get through the week or going hungry, and between having enough gas in the tank to get to the doctor or missing an appointment. The SSA is already running on fumes with its lowest staffing levels in 50 years. I am deeply concerned that the scale of the proposed staffing cuts and the upheaval that is happening right now at SSA could devastate Social Security programs and put the lives of millions of Americans with disabilities at risk.” Read the full article here.
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New SSI & SSDI Fact Sheet
Check out this brand new guide that outlines the main differences between the major Social Security programs: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). Click here to access the guide.
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Content Survey
This survey was created to gather statewide input from individuals with IDD, family members, caregivers, direct support staff, healthcare professionals, advocates, and anyone else involved with the IDD community, regarding topics and content you would like to see the program address.
| This information will be used to better inform our advocacy efforts and offer more relevant content to families, professionals, and advocates. Please only take the survey once, and thank you for your valuable input! | | |
Virtual Office Hours
The Health Care Advocacy Program offers virtual office hours on Mondays, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm!
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Office hours provide an opportunity to meet with the Director of Health Care Advocacy, Connor Griffin, and discuss any healthcare questions or related concerns, for example, regarding Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security, in regards to your family member with IDD.
Appointment slots will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and may be limited to 20 minutes to accommodate as many people as as needed.
| | (At the bottom of the page, fill in your info, check "health care issues," and hit "subscribe.") | | | | |
