Do you have Medical & Medicare? If so, Please complete this survey

Do you have both Medicare and Medi-Cal? If so, the State of California wants to learn more about your needs, concerns and priorities as it works to improve care coordination for people in your situation, who commonly are called “dual eligibles” or “Medi-Medis.”  Please take 10 minutes to complete an electronic survey developed by Harbage Consulting as part of its work supporting the State's efforts to collect consumer input.

Access the survey through this link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/CalDuals

This survey collects information from people who have BOTH Medicare and Medi-Cal about their health care experiences. Your answers will inform California's planning. Family members and caregivers are encouraged to complete this survey based on the experience of their relative/friend/client. Responses will be collected through December 20, 2011. 

For more information about this project, you can visit the website www.CalDuals.org. Stay updated by following the group on Twitter @CalDuals.



IHSS Consumers: Important Notices to be Mailed 12/15/11

The State of California will be sending out IHSS 20% reduction notices to consumers by December 15, 2011.  Only consumers whose IHSS services are being reduced by the 20% will receive an IHSS service hour reduction notice.  (The State will also inform providers of the reduction through a statement which will appear on the provider's time sheet.)

• The 20% cut goes into effect 1/1/2012, unless a consumer gets approved for an IHSS Care Supplement.   
• The IHSS Care Supplement application will be mailed to the consumer by 12/15/2011.
• The IHSS consumer must submit the IHSS Care Supplement application by the deadline to apply to keep the cut from happening.

IHSS consumers who apply for, and qualify for an IHSS Care Supplement will get back some or all of their reduced hours.  IHSS services will continue at the same level if an IHSS consumer submits an IHSS Care Supplement application by January 1, 2012, or within 15 days from receiving the IHSS 20% reduction notice.  This is called "aid paid pending."  State law says IHSS consumers can get an IHSS Care Supplement only if they are at risk of out-of-home placement, unless they get back some or all of their IHSS hours
("Out-of-home placement" means that the consumer would have to leave her/his own home and go live somewhere else, such as a board and care home, or a nursing home).

Some consumers will automatically receive an IHSS Care Supplement...  

• Consumers who receive the maximum of 283 hours per month.
• Consumers who receive Protective Supervision.
• Consumers who receive services under a Home and Community Based Services Waiver, such as:

Acquired Immune Deficient Syndrome (AIDS) Waiver; Home and Community-Based Services Waiver for the Developmentally Disabled (HCBS-DD); Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP); Nursing Facility/Acute Hospital (NF/AH) Waiver, and; In-Home Operations (IHO) Waiver

Stay informed! Go to the Advocacy Corner for frequent updates!



New Personal Attendant Match Website For Consumers and Attendants!

CIL is Introducing Quick Match, a personalized data system for Personal Attendants and consumers.  This will allow you to go on and view profiles and then connect with the attendant of your choice.  It will give you all of the information you will need to make an informed decision on if you would like to interview, and possibly hire that attendant.  

This site will allow you to search on your own, once you have received a username and password from your PAS worker at CIL.

For the attendant, you will have more visibility and access to the consumers to receive more work by personalizing your profile page and it being available 24/7.  Please give CIL a call for more information and find out what you need to do to be apart of this new program and website!



Health disparities for people with disabilities

New Report from the University of New Hampshire Insititute on Disabilities Finds significant health disparities for people with disabilities.

Disability Pride Parade

As a CIL intern and a woman activist I identify myself with a disability, I really enjoyed being a part of the 2nd annual west coast disability pride parade.  This parade celebrated the 21st birthday anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act and collaborated as one disability unit to fight the consistent and ongoing budget cuts and issues facing our community at large. 

Hundreds of participants walked and rolled down a mile-long stretch of North First Street in San Jose on Saturday morning, July 23rd chanting together during the Disability Pride Parade and a Festival following the parade festival held at Silicon Valley Independent Living Center headquarters.  During the festival, there were performances, poetry readings, speeches made by the three grand marshals and other disabled activists, and information booths that consists of different disability oriented organizations.

During the route of the parade, we said the following: "We're here, we're loud, we're disabled and we're proud," marchers chanted as they celebrated the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act's signing. For participants of all ages and disabilities, the parade was a chance to share a sense of community and raise awareness especially in these storming economic times where the disabled; people need to know we're a large group of people that are horribly affected by budget cuts here in California and across the country.  Many disabled people and their friends, marched for disability rights, and many walked by the banner for Communities United in Defense of Olmstead, pushing for continued adherence to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 1999 that said people with disabilities have the right to live in a community instead of being relegated to nursing homes.

"We're fighting for equal access 95 percent of the time," said Sarah Triano, executive director of the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center. "This is our 5 percent time to celebrate."  As a disabled activist myself, I feel like that I am always fighting for my rights daily.  It was nice to just sit back, be myself, and do nothing for once with my extended disabled family.  The highlight of that day was that I got featured as a photograph in the San Jose Mercury News along with other disability activists as well as being visibly recognized on several nightly televised news channels.