 |
MGH Community News |
|
MGH Community News |
| October 2011 | Volume 15 • Issue 9 |
Highlights
Sections
Social Service staff may direct resource questions to the Community Resource Center, Samantha Gallant, x6-8182. Questions, comments about the newsletter? Contact Ellen Forman, x6-5807. |
The RIDE In-Person Assessment - Update
As was reported last month (The RIDE Proposes In-Person Assessment, MGH Community News, September 2011) , the MBTA’s The RIDE program is planning to require in-person assessment as part of the application process beginning in mid 2012. Community Resource Center staff attended a public meeting about the proposed change on October 3, 2011. While details are subject to change, here is additional information we’ve learned. In arguing for the necessity of the switch, MBTA staff noted that paratransit (i.e, The RIDE), while required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, is meant to be limited to those with disabilities who cannot access public transportation. Too often, they claim, it has come to be viewed as an entitlement for anyone with a disability, regardless of their ability to use public transportation. MBTA staff also noted that Massachusetts’ usage of paratransit services is almost double the paratransit ridership of the next comparable city they surveyed. Atlanta is the only other city of comparable size not using some type of in-person assessment. Program Details (subject to change)
|
|
Types of Eligibility Generally in Massachusetts system users are granted unconditional use of the system, because there is currently no reliable way to evaluate whether system users could have conditional or temporary use. One anticipated change that in-person assessment will bring, if it follows the experience of other cities that have made this switch, is an increase in conditional or temporary approvals. Some examples of conditional eligibility include an applicant with poor night vision might be approved to use the system at night, but not during the day; an applicant who has mobility difficulty in the presence of snow or ice may be approved depending on weather conditions. One might even be approved on a trip-by-trip basis depending on distance of the destination from a specific station or bus stop, or barriers on the travel route. Temporaryeligibility approvals, as the name implies, are time-limited, based on a temporary condition, rather than the standard 3 year approval. Public Comment The MBTA has held a series of public meetings. We estimate there were over 200 people at the meeting we attended- consumers and advocates alike. Part of the meeting was breaking into small groups to get feedback. So they are certain to get lots of useful input. The department has also submitted public comment. More Information:
Fuel Assistance 2012 Fuel assistance season starts November 1, 2011. Fuel Assistance ("LIHEAP") Income Eligibility and Benefit Level Chart: http://www.mass.gov/Ehed/docs/dhcd/cd/liheap/fy2012liheapincomeeligchart.pdf To find the appropriate local agency see the Massachusetts Fuel Assistance City/Town Listing on the Massachusetts DHCD web site. You can also call the Massachusetts Heat Line toll-free at 1-800-632-8175 for information. You may apply any time during the heating season, but it is best to apply early if possible. -Adapted from MassResources.org. (As of March 2015 site no longer in operation.) Patrick Vetoes MassHealth BedHold Funding After signaling that his administration might drop plans to cut the MassHealth nursing home “bed hold’’ program, Governor Deval Patrick surprised many Thursday when he signed a $169 million supplemental budget but vetoed $6 million within that spending plan needed to run the program. Bed holds are now scheduled to end Tuesday 11/1/11. The Patrick administration said that it found at least 4,000 empty nursing home beds in Massachusetts on any given day. Senator Mark Montigny, a New Bedford Democrat who championed the program, said that after discussions yesterday with state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby, he is very hopeful a compromise can be worked out that will preserve the program. He said they discussed a plan that would only pay to hold beds in nursing homes that are nearly full, meaning the bed is in greater danger of being given to someone else. See the full article on The Boston Globe online… Related story “State to restore holding of beds; Nursing home program funded” 2012 Medicare Part B Premiums Lower Than Predicted The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that the 2012 Part B premium will be $99.90, lower than the $106.60 initially projected. This represents a modest increase for the majority of people with Medicare, whose Part B premiums have been held at $96.40 since 2008 because there has been no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase in their Social Security checks. However, there will be a COLA increase in 2012, the average of which is estimated to be $43 per month for retired workers, which will more than offset the $3.50 Part B premium increase. In addition, those Medicare beneficiaries whose premiums were not frozen and who were subject to the standard $115.40 Part B premium in 2011, including those newly enrolled in Medicare during this past year, will see a decrease in their Part B premiums of $15.50 per month. Furthermore, the 2012 Part B deductible will be $140, a decrease of $22. -From Medicare Watch, The Medicare Rights Center, October 27, 2011. Applying for Disability Benefits: Tips for Advocates The July Staff Meeting featured Samantha Gallant, of the Community Resource Center, who provided an overview/review of Disability Benefits (see the PowerPoint presentation). The presentation sparked conversation about first hand experience helping patients apply for disability benefits and working with the Social Security Administration. The valuable information that was shared as a result of the presentation has been summarized below. As always the CRC welcomes additional feedback regarding this process and will update our tips documents on the website as information is shared. Tips for Applying for Disability
Planning for Life After Special Education Online Manual A new advocacy reference manual for families of children with special needs who are aging out of services is now available online. Planning for Life After Special Education in Massachusetts:A Transition Services Online Manual was edited by the Disability Law Center (DLC), in partnership with the Federation for Children with Special Needs, the Institute for Community Inclusion, and Mass. Advocates for Children. It was written by the Northeastern University School of Law Legal Skills in Social Context program. The Manual is written for parents and students who are advocating for better transition services, including social, vocational and independent living skills. It is written in an easy-to-understand format but also contains additional materials for attorneys and experienced advocates. DLC will be updating and improving the Manual on a regular basis including updates on legal developments, new forms, and other practical advice and adding additional video content in Spanish and ASL. View the manual at http://www.dlc-ma.org/manual/.
Earlier this month the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) unofficially announced plans to limit access to Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter and temporary housing subsidies through the new HomeBASE program. This decision is due to large anticipated deficits in both accounts. At press time these changes are being negotiated between DHCD, the Governor’s office and the legislature. Background Without a significant infusion of funds, DHCD may stop intake for HomeBASE for new applicants -- or only offer new applicants access to household assistance (up to $4,000 in funds to relocate or pay off arrearages), instead of access to both household assistance and ongoing rental subsidies. If that happens, only families already in shelters, motels, and the Flexible Funds program would be able to receive new HomeBASE rental assistance.
The FY'12 budget language requires DHCD to provide the Legislature with at least 60 days advanced notice if they are planning to limit EA eligibility in the face of a deficit. Advocates are working with the legislature to ensure these provisions are enforced. Please consider contacting your legislators. Stay tuned. -Adapted from “ Take Action to Protect Access to Emergency Assistance and HomeBASE for Families Experiencing Homelessness!!” and “Update on Your Advocacy to Protect Access to Emergency Assistance and HomeBASE for Families Experiencing Homelessness!!” Kelly Turley, Mass. Coalition for the Homeless, October 19 and October 20,2011. Towns faulted on aid to veterans Thousands of financially struggling veterans might not be receiving cash payments and medical reimbursements they are entitled to get according to state officials. Twenty-three Massachusetts communities have no veterans’ agent or officer. For a single veteran with a monthly income under $1,815, cash assistance can reach $1,595 a month. State medical benefits can cover copayments for insurance and prescription drugs and for items such as hearing aids and eyeglasses. In addition to aid for the needy, the state offers a range of benefits including “Welcome Home’’ bonuses and tuition waivers. There are also annuities for veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability and for parents and single spouses of service members who died while on active duty. See the full article on The Boston Globe Online…
SSI Cost-of-Living Increase Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase by 3.6 percent in 2012, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced this week. Also known as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), the increase is the first since 2009 for the millions of Americans who receive these monthly benefits. (Cited in/Linked from: Medicare Watch, from The Medicare Rights Center, October 20, 2011)
SNAP COLA Increase The annual SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- formerly “Food Stamps”) cost-of-living (COLA) was processed during the weekend of September 24, 2011. This includes increases in allowable income for eligibility and increases in various income deductions that affect eligibility and benefit amounts. The maximum SNAP benefit levels for all household sizes remain at the level set in April 2009 See the memo at MassLegalServices.org…
Get Acquainted with the MGH Home Base Program The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program (not to be confused with the Commonwealth’s HomeBASE assistance for homeless families) is offering a new education series to help service members, veterans, families, and clinicians get acquainted with its clinical services for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. This free, 45 minute course, called Home Base 101, will be held every Tuesday at 4:30 PM at 101 Merrimac Street. Each of the four sessions will address a different topic including: overview of services offered at Home Base, reintegration stress, and therapies used in treatment of combat stress and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants may attend one or all sessions. Parking and light refreshments will be provided. To register, please contact Home Base at 617-724-5202. Home Base offers clinical care and support services to Service Members, Veterans, and Families affected by combat or deployment-related stress or traumatic brain injury (TBI); community education about the "invisible wounds of war"; and research in the understanding and treatment of PTSD and traumatic brain injury. To learn more about the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, visit www.homebaseprogram.org.
Thanksgiving Food Baskets – Apply Early The Project Bread FoodSource Hotline can connect hungry families with programs that provide Thanksgiving food baskets. These programs typically open for referrals during the first week of November and generally reach capacity quickly. Please encourage any families who might qualify to plan ahead and call early in the month. The FoodSource Hotline: 800-645-8333.
Galia Fund – Free Hat for Cancer Patients The Gaila Fund is a non-profit organization created to address the emotional effects of hair loss and the financial issues that often arise with cancer. The Gaila Fund provides chemotherapy and other medical patients with a stylish hat at no cost. More information at the Galia Fund website. CSL Foundation Financial Assistance for Ill Children The mission of The CSL Foundation, Inc. is to provide support, comfort and hope for children and teenagers in Massachusetts who are struggling to overcome health and life challenges. Whether they are facing an immediate medical crisis, terminal illness, chronic condition or long-term need. Programs for giving may include:
More information: www.csl-foundation.org, and their application. -Thanks to Alexandra Sobran for sharing information about this important resource and to Lisa Scheck for sharing her positive experience with the program.
Opinion: Medicare – Member Costs Already High There has been much discussion in the deficit-reduction debate of Medicare beneficiaries’ “skin in the game.” Some believe that Medicare beneficiaries pay too little for care and overutilize care, and that if they paid more—that is, if they had more “skin in the game”—they would use less care generally. However, what many don’t realize is how much beneficiaries already pay for coverage. People with Medicare live on limited incomes—half have incomes lower than $22,000 per year—and on average spend 15 percent of their income on health care. -Adapted from Medicare Watch, Volume 2, Issue 39, The Medicare Rights Center, October 20, 2011.
Opinion: New Report Offers Insight on Deficit-Reduction Proposals A recent report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) discusses the need for a balanced approach to deficit reduction, which many believe would help to prevent a dangerous and massive restructuring of Medicare. The report, Supercommittee’ Should Develop Balanced Package of Tax Increases and Spending Cuts, finds that tax cuts authorized from 2001 to 2003, which include tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are major contributors to the growing deficit and by 2019 will account for nearly half of the $20 trillion in debt. In addition, while income has drastically increased for many in top income brackets, the proportional amount they pay in taxes has significantly decreased over the same period. Restructuring tax policies to ensure that higher income individuals share in the sacrifice would help prevent low- and middle-income individuals from bearing a disproportionate share of the burden of deficit reduction, which would result from spending cuts affecting programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. -Cited in/linked from Medicare Watch, The Medicare Rights Center, October 06, 2011. Obama Administration Abandons Long-Term Care Insurance Program The Obama administration has decided to halt implementation of the CLASS Act, a proposed national long-term care insurance program that was part of the health reform law. "For 19 months, experts inside and outside of government have examined how [the Department of Health and Human Services] might implement a financially sustainable, voluntary, and self-financed long-term care insurance program under the law that meets the needs of those seeking protection for the near term and those planning for the future,' Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. "But despite our best analytical efforts, I do not see a viable path forward for CLASS implementation at this time." Despite suspending implementation, the White House said that it is opposed to efforts to repeal the law creating the program. According to The Hill, "an administration official called advocates of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act to reassure them that Obama is still committed to making the program work. That official also told advocates that widespread media reports on the program's demise were wrong, leaving advocates scratching their heads." -See the full article on Elderlawanswers.com…
LGBT Health Care Disparities Despite overall strides in the attitudes toward people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender many argue that the medical community has lagged behind. Researchers say that LGBT people are more likely to experience a variety of health problems - from mental illness to drug abuse to sexually transmitted and other diseases - than their straight counterparts. The reason is largely that they don’t seek health care for fear of being stigmatized in the doctor’s office. “These are not LGBT health issues,’’ said Dr. Alex Gonzalez, medical director at Fenway Health, where Jessica is a patient. “They become LGBT health disparities because LGBT people have had an alienating experience with health care in the past.’’ See the full article in the Boston Globe Online… Health Care Disparities Facing People with Disabilities Two decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect, people with disabilities continue to face difficulties meeting major social needs, including obtaining appropriate access to health care facilities and services. In an article in the October issue of Health Affairs, Lisa Iezzoni, MD, director of the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital, analyzes available information on disparities affecting people with disabilities and highlights barriers that continue to restrict their access to health services. See the full article on Massgeneral.org…
Evidence Confirms Diet's Link to Mental Health In a new and burgeoning area of research, 2 new studies from Australian investigators show that diet quality can have a significant effect on mental health outcomes and may potentially have a role in preventing and treating such common illnesses as depression and anxiety. See the article summary on Medscape.com…
Poor Neighborhoods May Contribute to Poor Health People who move from a poor neighborhood to a better-off one could end up thinner and healthier than those who stay behind, according to an urban housing experiment that tracked low-income residents in five major cities (Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago, New York and Boston) for 10 to 15 years. See the full story at LA Times.com…
Exercise a Viable Treatment Option for Mental Illness Exercise is an effective, but potentially underused, treatment option for mental illness, experts say. In a symposium presented at the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) 61st Annual Conference, Christopher Willer, MD, a senior psychiatry resident at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, made the case for exercise as an adjunctive therapy. Emerging research, he said, strongly suggests that exercise can improve patients' physical and mental health and may help offset some of the metabolic effects associated with older antidepressants and newer atypical antipsychotics. See full presentation summary on Medscape.com…
Referral to Talk Therapy Cuts Costs, Improves Outcomes Adults with common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety consume more health resources than those without, a new study from the United Kingdom confirms. Professor Simon de Lusignan, MD(Res), from the Department of Health Care Management and Policy, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom, told Medscape Medical News that referring patients with common mental health problems to psychological therapy reduces healthcare utilization and sick time, and may improve adherence to drug therapy. See the full story on Medscape.com… The Floor Effect: Or Why It's Hard to Show Anything Works in Mild Depression The original meta-analysis concluded, with much ballyhoo in the mainstream media, that antidepressants are not effective in most patients, except in a minority with the most extreme depressions. That conclusion did not correct for the clear statistical fact that it is more difficult to show absolute differences with lower depression scores - a floor effect. After correcting for that floor effect by looking at change in relative, not absolute terms, these results would indicate that antidepressants are effective in many patients - at least acutely - except in the mildest depressions. See the full post (and comments!) on Medscape.com…
Too Much Fructose a Hazard for Heart and Liver Given the way the body breaks down fructose, the amount of added fructose in the typical American diet may be contributing to liver and heart disease, reports the September 2011 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter . Liver cells are the only cells in the body that metabolize fructose. Surprisingly, fat is a key byproduct of the breakdown of fructose. Give the liver enough fructose, and tiny fat droplets begin to accumulate in the organ. This buildup is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. If it becomes severe enough, it can cause serious liver damage. Cycling of fructose through the liver also elevates triglycerides in the bloodstream, increases harmful LDL (so-called “bad”) cholesterol, promotes the buildup of fat around organs (visceral fat), increases blood pressure, and causes other changes that are harmful to the arteries and heart. Two recent studies have linked higher intake of fructose with higher chances of developing or dying from heart disease. Read the Harvard Heart Letter article: "Abundance of fructose not good for the liver, heart" Writing About Emotions May Ease Stress and Trauma Writing about thoughts and feelings that arise from a traumatic or stressful life experience — called expressive writing — may help some people cope with the emotional fallout of such events. But it’s not a cure-all, and it won’t work for everyone. Expressive writing appears to be more effective for people who are not also struggling with ongoing or severe mental health challenges, such as major depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. See the full article at Harvard HealthBeat…
Your Attitudes and Medical Choices In their book, “Your Medical Mind: How to Decide What Is Right for You,’’ Drs. Pamela Hartzband and Jerome Groopman argue that that patients’ backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs shape their views of medical care. Not everyone will fall in the same place in every situation, and people’s positions may evolve with age and experience, but basically people’s beliefs fall somewhere within three continuums: Believer-Doubter, Maximalist-Minimalist and Technologist-Naturalist. See the full articles on the Boston Globe Online:
'Bath Salts' Temporarily Banned The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has temporarily banned 3 synthetic stimulants marketed as "bath salts" and "plant food" that mimic cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and/or methamphetamine when ingested. According to a DEA news release, the emergency measure makes it illegal to possess or sell 3,4,methylenedioxypyrovalerone, mephedrone, and methylone for at least 1 year, with the possibility of a 6-month extension. As previously announced, the DEA earlier this year banned 5 chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol) found in "fake pot "that was marketed as herbal incense or smoking blends under such names as "Spice," "K2," "Blaze," and "Red X Dawn." |