I. Introductions were completed.
II. Minutes
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- Minutes October minutes Approved. The minutes are posted on the Council website. If you would like to refer to past minutes, they are always available on the DD Council website: (www.manhattanddcouncil.org).
III. Announcements
The Manhattan Family’s Resource Fair is December 17th at CUNY Graduate Centre. 10AM -2PM Please respond to Yesenia Estrella at yestrella@esperanzacenter.com to let her know that the information for the resources fair directory is correct. Your help and response is essential.
–Please remember to pay your dues which help support our events throughout the year. ManhattanDDcouncil@gmail.com. Please send all information and flyers to the email address. All non-fundraiser events can be posted on the website. You can reap many benefits when paying your dues.
You can reap many benefits when paying your dues.
-AHRC
program vacancies in many of their programs. Day habilitation openings in all 5 boroughs.
Contact the Referral & Information Center at 212 780-4491 for information.
AHRC has supports for education advocacy-get involved Katherine.Hoy@AHRCnyc.org
-ADAPT Communitv Network- formerly UCP of New York City
See attached flyers for all upcoming programs as well as program vacancies
1877-827-2666 or email project connect@adaptcommunitynetwork.org
Family Support Workshop Series- First Workshop October 9th.
Family Connect-topic is busing. Spanish translation available
-OSAC
See attached flyer for program vacancies Openings in the after school programs
-Ohel Bais Ezra
Family reimbursement funds available Manhattan and Queens Call 718-686-3451 or email Communityservices@ohelfamily.org
-YAI
Information is attached for service vacancies. For information about any YAI programs, please call 212-273-6182, or email link@yai.org.
See attached flyers for the different programs available.
Funds still available for emergency respite.
–NY START
212-273-6300
Accepting referrals. Provide help with conflict and behavior needs.
Crisis intervention. Coordinators on call 24/7. Crisis line available
-NYLPI
looking for services for immigrants with disabilities that do not require Medicaid
-Sinergia
see attached flyers for vacancies and reimbursement money.
IV. State News – Siobhan Hunt Siobhan.hunt@opwdd
- The Home and Community Based Services Waiver is the Medicaid program that provides opportunities for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive services in their own home or community and is renewed every five years.
- 5-year extension of current agreement with minor technical updates:
- Removal of Medicaid Service Coordination language
- Fiscal projections, Revisions to rate setting methodologies,
- Level of Care Eligibility Determination (LCED) Inclusion of Nurse Practitioners
- The Draft Waiver Renewal was posted to the OPWDD web page on September 16, 2019 for public comment. The comment period has ended and submissions are being reviewed.
- The draft 2019 Waiver Renewal is available on the OPWDD website at: http://www.opwdd.ny.gov/opwdd_services_supports/people_first_waiver/HCBS_waiver_services.
- November 2019 Submission with approval by January 1, 2020.
Assessments/CAS
- The Coordinated Assessment System (CAS) is a person-centered assessment tool used to assess the strengths, needs and interests of people with developmental disabilities. The CAS looks at a person’s decision-making, routine daily activities, communication skills and behavior. The information helps the person and care manager to develop the Life Plan for person-centered services and supports.
- OPWDD is continuing to complete CAS assessments for anyone 18 years old or older and newly determined eligible or currently receiving OPWDD supports/ services.
- We know there have been concerns voiced by some about the accuracy of the CAS summaries and that interviewers were unprepared or unqualified.
- Since the inception of CAS implementation, 46,693 CAS have been completed.
- Maximus, the contracted employer for assessors, conducts surveys after each assessment. After 19,680 surveys, over 98% of individuals and/or families reported satisfaction with the assessment experience.
- Further, during the last 6 months, over 8,000 CAS assessments were completed. During this same period, 90 concerns/problems were communicated to OPWDD CAS staff about completed CAS assessments. After investigation, only 19 errors were found, which is less than 0.3% of the completed CAS in that 6-month period.
- All assessors have verified minimum qualifications including a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of experience working with individuals with disabilities. 75% of assessors were formerly Medicaid Service Coordinators, and more than 25% have Master’s degrees.
- OPWDD is increasing communication to families and providers about the individualized and personalized process for correcting errors in CAS assessments. This communication includes presentations to provider associations, family associations, and care coordination organizations, as well as improving the OPWDD CAS webpage.
- OPWDD, in partnership with providers and CCOs, will continue to educate families and individuals regarding how the CAS will be used and how it is administered through in-person presentations and web-based resources along with direct communication with OPWDD CAS staff.
- OPWDD is working with CCOs to make sure Care Managers are following the defined protocols for CAS completion, communicating the results of assessments in a timely manner, and facilitating the use of the CAS to inform person-centered planning. CAS comment-asking how the CAS interview went is not the issues it’s more the outcome of the document.
Budget
- The Budget call letter has been shared and it calls for flat year spending.
- We are working with the Division of Budget on OPWDD’s budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
V. City News – Gavin Myers
- Services evaluation project with New York Academy of Medicine to better understand the services that NYC DOHMH gives. It started in July and will be a yearlong program. There will be a joint meetings with the DD council chairs. An outside consultant will be joining the meeting.
- Experience of focus group-included chairs of DD council. It was well done and facilitated. Spoke about the state of supports and services not only at local experience but the broader needs
Keys needs
- Work force
- Residential supports
- Supports and services for people who are not opwdd eligible or Medicaid eligible.
- More focus groups will be held.
VI. Guest Presentation-see attached flyer
Brooklyn Law Clinic out of Brooklyn Law School. Focus only on Adults with IDD. The clinic has a dual role. Provide legal services for the disability communities. The other role is to open law student’s eyes to understand when civil rights are being violated.
Frequently appointed to investigate cases as a Guardian Ad Litem. They also represent people who want to end guardianship.
The program may also become involved to assist parents with disabilities that may need assistance to get care and help in order to keep their children safe at home. Also working to help a person who could live on their own but is currently incarcerated.
Funded by the TAFT foundation.
There is a round table every winter for the community, the next one is scheduled for February 21st.
The cases that are part of the clinic are helped by the students but if the semester ends the case is still helped.
Seek to help low income families.
The Law clinic is accepting cases for the winter semester please reach out to them.
VII. IAC –Suzanne Timmerhans
- A few years ago COPA was developed. It has evolved and the names is now called NYDA (New York Disabilities Advocates) The concept is one voice up in Albany. A professional lobbyist has been hired in Albany to increase our voice.
Feb 25th and 26 lobby days
- EVV –Electronic Visit Verification was supposed to start 2020. It has now been delayed to January 2021.
- A joint association clinic tele health work group. They met in October and are having a December meeting. It’s an open forum. OPWDD was there to hear what issues the clinics were having and the breath of services that are available. Many people serviced by Article 16 clinics are children which OPWDD was not aware of and they should change the scope.
- OPWDD is open to changing regulations For example the requirement for TB testing prior to being served in a clinic has been removed.
- DOH controls rates and budgets.
- Rates for residential and day programs will be issued soon. The 2% cut has been set aside for the time being. OPWDD is looking that the admin costs are not above 15%. Agencies that will be the most affected will be the small agencies as there are certain personal that is needed. If you are a smaller agency and are an IAC agency and are concerned you can contact Richard Bosch. Richard@IACNY.org 212 6456330
- The move of Community Hab to managed care. January was the target date to serve the families. January 1st has been set aside as the managed care companies are not ready. There is no new date set for when managed care will roll out.
- Residential capacity meetings in each borough.
- There is a schedule of that in the news letter. If you want the news letter please contact IAC
Education
- New clearance requirements. The Federal requirement is for everyone to be checked in all states that they lived in for the past 5 years.
- Working with SED on rate reconciliation process. Trying to get the state open to the process
VIII. Committee Reports:
Family & Provider Information Committee: Co-Chairs: Carol Lincoln and Jackie Ceonzo
November 12th was the last meeting. The topic was on Self-Direction. Many parents were at the meeting and it was a great discussion. There was a lot of positive feedback from the participants who came. The Next meeting will be on December 10th. The topic is future planning.
Legislative Committee: Co-Chairs Jim Malley & Lynn Decker
- The state budget is forming around another zero year.
- Whatever issues you want to be brought up on a legislative year please let us know.
- NYDA is having a monthly conference call where there is a talk about state legislative issues. Monday November 25th 11:00 Am.
- The legislature is having a hearing as transition to managed care. It will be a webinar. The meeting is December 2nd from 10Am-4PM. SWAN will be testifying
- Several OPWDD meetings are now public. You can join in person or by webcast. Open meetings info is updated on the OPWDD website at:
https://opwdd.ny.gov/publicmeetings
Here’s the current information:
Public Meetings
Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board
December 16, 2019
1 pm- 3 pm
Meeting Room 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12229
Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council (DDAC)
December 11, 2019
11 am- 3 pm
Meeting Room 5, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12229
December 18, 2019
10:30 am- 3 pm
Meeting Room 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12229
December 12, 2019
10:30 am- 1:00 pm
Meeting Room 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12
September state wide family support meeting.-update by Margaret Puddington
It became very clear that the commissioner is looking to save money. The idea is to make things more waiverized. This is something that needs to be looked at. What will happen if everything becomes part of the waiver. There are families who are OPWDD eligible but not waiver eligible.
Manhattan FSS Advisory Council: Co Chairs Jackie Goldberg and Mary McGuire-Weafer
The next meeting will be December 5th. Communication without words. It is a hands on training.
The October meeting waws a joint meeting with the Transition Committee
Transition meeting Co Chairs – Andrew Harris and Maggie Maldonado
October 16th was the first meeting. It was a big hit! The next meeting in November 20th. It will be a meet and greet Adult Day Services Providers.
We encourage as many parents, advocates and school personal to attend. We want it to be a grass roots committee.
We want to get an ongoing snapshot on how transition is going.
An anonymous survey will be sent out to see how the transition process is going. You can find it on the DD council website.
New Business:
The Resource fair brochures are here. Please take and distribute to your agency. Look in your inbox for the brochure Resource Fair December 17th at CUNY Graduate Centre.10AM -2PM we need volunteers to help in various ways. This is an annual event which averages about 500 attendees. Please reach out to Wendy or Jackie wdeleon@adaptcommunitynetwork.org ; manhattanfamilyadvisory@gmail.com.
We are looking to reinvent the council Website. Send whatever feeds you follow that you think would be of interest to the council. OPWDD has slowed down its communication and we feel it’s important to get the word out. We will evaluate if the council can put in on the website.