Abilities As Well As Those Who Are Elderly

March 29, 2019

Supported Decision Making bill heads to the Governor

On Monday, The House of Representatives unanimously passed Senate Bill 380, Supported Decision Making, this bill will now head to Governor Holcomb for his signature to make it Indiana law.

This bill puts into statute supported decision making as alternate to guardianship for people with disabilities as well as those who are elderly. Supported Decision Making allows for people to get some of the needed guidance and support they need on some important and critical issues, but it allows them to remain the primary decision maker and does not remove their civil rights.

Indiana will be the 8th state to have a Supported Decision Making law put in place. Mark Your Calendars

• April 8-10- The Arc SB 562 Education Matters Disability Policy Authored by: Sens. Raatz, Kruse, Rogers Seminar in Sponsored by: Reps. Behning, Klinker Washington, DC An amendment was added to this bill which will create an education dispute resolution workgroup through the State Board of Education. The workgroup has several duties but the most significant will be to discuss the issue of shifting legal fees to parents regarding the dispute resolution process. This is a very sensitive issue and one that will not go away until the issue is discussed, thoroughly vetted and then determined to be allowable/not allowable. The Arc of Indiana firmly believes that IDEA clearly defines the complaint process and nothing is allowable that would deter families from pursuing their legal rights under the law and the threat of legal fees would certainly deter families. The Arc is supporting the language in the bill to create the workgroup solely because we need to bring an end to this conversation.

The bill was voted unanimously out of the House Education Committee and now heads to the full House for further consideration.

SB 189 Emergency Communication Disorder Permits

Authored by: Sens. Becker, Leising, Raatz, Melton, Kruse, Randolph

Sponsored by: Reps. Cook, Clere

This would allow the Department of Education to issue permits to individuals to serve the needs of certain students who are eligible for speech and language services. The individual providing the services can be in a graduate program as long as they are being overseen by a licensed Speech Pathologist to show they are complying with all requirements.

The Senate agreed to the minor change made to the bill in the House and is now headed to the Governor for either his signature or his veto.

HB 1296 Medicaid Waiver Priority Status for Military Children

Authored by: Reps. Zent, Judy, Bartels, Macer

Sponsored by: Sens. Glick, Niezgodski, Charbonneau, Garten

This bill supports Indiana’s major initiative to attract active military families and veterans. Families have reached out noting that access to the Family Support Waiver is important to those families who have a loved one with an I/DD. Currently the waiting list for the FSW is 18 months and though the state targets 300 individuals per month, these families many times go without needed services because they move before they get targeted. This legislation would allow military families to move to the top of the waiting list. Without this type of prioritization, many people with I/DD go without much needed services simply because their family who are serving in the military move often.

This bill is now headed to the Governor for either his signature or his veto.

HB 1216 First Steps

Authored by: Reps. Clere, Karickhoff, Behning, Hamilton

Sponsored by: Sens. Houchin, Brown, Garten, Breaux

The funding for First Steps is in the budget, HB 1001. This bill would create an efficiency within the system for those families who qualify for TANF, SNAP or Medicaid so they do not need to show proof of income more than once. An amendment was adopted into the bill that would help FSSA define “missed” and “cancelled” appointments. This amendment also allows for more flexibility when it comes to making up appointments.

The Senate unanimously voted on this bill and now it heads back to the House for either them to concur on or take it to conference committee for further changes.

SB 480 Medicaid nonemergency medical transport

Authored by: Sens. Becker, Messmer, Charbonneau, Houchin, Leising, Merritt, Tomes, Breaux, Melton, Randolph and Buck

Sponsored by: Reps. Pressel, Karickhoff, Bacon, Hatfield

Addresses issues of appointments being missed and the lack of quality transportation services and provides oversight of the process. An amendment was added to the bill outlining who will make up the oversight commission and ensuring that FSSA has staff work with the commission.

This bill passed unanimously out of the House Health Committee and now heads to the full House for further consideration.

HB 1488 1102 Taskforce Recommendations

Authored by: Reps. Clere, Karickhoff, Porter, Mayfield, Stutzman

Sponsored by: Sens. Ruckelshaus, Charbonneau, Grooms, Breaux

• Allows the 1102 Taskforce to continue to meet at least bi-annually to receive updates from FSSA regarding implementation from the final report recommendations.

• Contains language for a crisis management system for people with disabilities to be established.

• Revises the priority categories for Medicaid waivers and allows for some expansion for people with I/DD to transition out of their family home.

• Moves Vocational Rehabilitation services out of Order of Selection.

After meeting with Chairman Charbonneau this week to educate him on this bill, he has decided to hear this bill in Senate Health Committee on April 3.

HB 1484 Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education

Authored by: Reps. Clere, Porter, Behning, Thompson

Sponsored by: Sens. Kruse, Raatz, Melton, Crane

Selects language milestones along with tools and assessments to ensure students that are deaf or hard of hearing to master the English literacy. Provides the student and families with the support needed to achieve mastery of the English literacy. An amendment was added to the bill assigning FSSA to create an advisory committee with specific stakeholders to select the milestones and tools to be used to ensure English literacy is achieved by all students.

The bill passed out of the Senate Education Committee and now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee since this will cost the state money.

SB 132 Civics Test

Authored by: Sens. Kruse, Ruckelshaus, Koch, Crane, Leising, Raatz, Buchanan, Doriot, Garten, Rogers, Spartz, Young, Buck, Glick, Merritt, Tomes

Sponsored by: Reps. Burton, Thompson, Stutzman, Abbott

This bill would have required students to pass a civics test in order to graduate high school.

However, the bill was amended to require a civics test to be a part of the High School Government class curriculum instead of a test for graduation.

This bill passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee and now heads to the full House for further consideration.

Action Alerts

We NEED YOUR HELP in urging the Senate to increase DSP wages!

• Contact your state senator and ask them to support increasing Medicaid waiver rates by 10% to help attract quality Direct Support Professionals – workers that provide personal and critical care to Hoosiers with intellectual and development disabilities. • This would provide for an average wage of $13 an hour for DSPs, which would allow the opportunity for them to get off of social service supports themselves. • Please call or email your senator today and continue to contact them weekly. Email: s(district number)@iga.in.gov Example: [email protected]

Call: 800-382-9467

Click here to find your state senator

Please also contact members of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Urge them to include increased funding for DSP wages in the state budget, House Bill 1001.

Senate Appropriation Members:

Chair- Senator Ryan Mishler Senator Travis Holdman Senator Mike Crider Senator Eric Bassler Senator Karen Tallian Senator Jon Ford Senator Phil Boots Senator Jean Breaux Senator Randy Head Senator Liz Brown Senator Eddie Melton Senator Ed Charbonneau Senator David Niezgodski

ABLE Account tax credit is in limbo without your help

HB 1350 passed unanimously out of the House but is stalling in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

If this bill is passed, contributors to the state’s 529A program (ABLE) will be eligible to receive a 20% Indiana state tax credit worth up to $1,000 annually. This means that for every dollar spent as a tax incentive by the state, at least $5 have been personally saved to spend toward the extra costs of living with a disability.

Adding this tax credit will shape the future of the INvestABLE Indiana program and will positively impact the lives of people living with disabilities.

We need your help to contact members of the committee and ask them to vote on HB 1350!

Email: s(district number)@iga.in.gov Example: [email protected]

Call: 800-382-9467

Senate Appropriation Members: