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MGH Community News |
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MGH Community News |
| August 2016 | Volume 20 • Issue 8 |
Highlights
Sections Social Service staff may direct resource questions to the Community Resource Center, Ellen Forman x6-5807. Questions, comments about the newsletter? Contact Ellen Forman, x6-5807. |
RAFT Homelessness Prevention Funds Pilot Expansion to Those Without Children With just minutes to go until the end of formal legislative sessions for this biennial cycle, the House and Senate overrode Gov. Baker’s veto to pilot expanding the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention program to elders, people with disabilities, unaccompanied youth, and households without children under the age of 21. The program currently is open only to pregnant women and families with children under 21. The Mass. Coalition for the Homeless has pledged to work with the Department of Housing and Community Development and other stakeholders to implement this change. The implementation timeline is currently pending. Watch this space for further developments. -See the full Mass Coalition for the Homeless blog post.
September TAFDC Clothing Allowance Now $250 An earlier version of this story was e-mailed to the Social Service Department earlier this month. Please note change- the full allowances is available to families this year whenever they apply during the month of September. Each September families receiving assistance from TAFDC receive an additional clothing allowance for each eligible child. As reported in last month’s MGH Community News, as part of the FY 2017 state budget, the TAFDC September Clothing allowance was increased from $200 to $250 per eligible child. The following children are NOT eligible- those who are:
Important advocacy tip: some families usually just over-income for TAFDC may qualify! The income limit is slightly increased in September to allow working families to qualify for the clothing allowance. This may in turn enable them to access additional benefits: if families qualify for the clothing allowance, but not cash assistance, they may receive one year of Mass Health benefits and subsidized child care in addition to the clothing allowance.
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Families already enrolled in TAFDC automatically will receive the clothing allowance payment for each eligible child on August 30th. For families who are eligible for all or part of September and are approved after August 30th, the clothing allowance payment will be made in the fall. Unlike previous years, this year DTA will provide the full $250/child clothing allowance, even if the family applies after September 1st or only is eligible for part of the month. (The benefit will not be prorated.) Important Note for those Receiving SNAP Benefits: The clothing allowance benefit is considered income under SNAP program rules; as with other increases in income, the receipt of the clothing allowance can lead to a temporary decrease in SNAP benefits for some families. For more information see: Mass Homeless.org
State To Institute Elder Home Care Waiting List Citing service demands that would outpace available funds, Baker administration elder-affairs officials plan to institute a waitlist for some home-care service applicants. Beginning Sept. 1, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs will implement a "managed intake process," with home-care applicants assessed at the lowest priority level placed on a waiting list, according to a memo recently sent to service providers. According to the memo the wait list will apply only to the lowest priority level of seniors. These are seniors who are classified as being unable to prepare their own meals. Seniors who need help with personal care, home health services, transportation to medical appointments or grocery shopping, or who lack other support, are higher priority and will still be served. There will be exceptions for certain groups of seniors, such as those being discharged from nursing homes or hospitals, victims of elder abuse or those in hospice care. The setup of the waiting list is identical to one implemented in 2009. A similar waiting list existed in 2013. Any seniors currently receiving home care services will not lose them. Local service providers will evaluate seniors' needs before placing them on the waiting list. They will be monitored regularly so if their needs change, they may become eligible for services. Service providers offered conflicting opinions about how big an impact the waiting list will have and whether seniors can get the same services from other sources, such as whether eldercare agencies can approve meals on wheels, a federally funded program, for this group. Brenda Bronner, home care director at WestMass Eldercare in Holyoke, worries that when people hear about a waiting list, they will avoid calling the agency for services that they remain eligible for. "The problem with the wait list is that when people hear wait list, they often don't want to apply for services, because they think they're not eligible," Bronner said. "This is not a wait list for everybody. It's a wait list for only people who have that one area that they need help with." The memo was circulated in an email to members by Mass Home Care, which described the situation as "unfortunate, and preventable." "We know that the money exists, the federal money exists, to avoid this waiting list," Mass Home Care Executive Director Al Norman told the News Service. "This was a manufactured crisis." The fiscal 2017 budget funds the account for home-care purchased services below its 2016 level, and the Legislature has not acted on a supplemental budget and proposed amendment that could steer more money into the account, Norman said. The supplemental budget was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee on July 11 and was not taken up by the Legislature before formal sessions ended for the year on July 31. Norman said he still hopes to see legislators act on the bill during informal sessions, when any one lawmaker's objection can halt the progress of any bill.
"They could take this up during informals or they could take it up in September and make it a short waiting list," Norman said.
ABLE Accounts are Open for Business! For the first time, many people with disabilities (and their parents) can open special savings accounts in which they can save money (and have the use of more cash) without jeopardizing their government benefits. Ohio, Florida, Nebraska and Tennessee have all launched ABLE accounts, based on the 2014 ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act. Although Massachusetts is not ready yet, Massachusetts residents can easily use the websites of Ohio, Nebraska or Tennessee to open accounts via the internet. (Florida is not accepting non-residents at this time.) Please view the relevant websites, and a comparison chart of the four states' programs. Massachusetts plans to launch in 2017, at which time funds in out-of-state ABLE accounts can be transferred to Massachusetts. Each individual may only have one ABLE account, and only $14,000 per year can be deposited into an ABLE account per beneficiary, regardless of the number of donors. The account value, up to $100,000, will be disregarded in determining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and MassHealth. In other words, a person can have up to $100,000 in an ABLE Account and still be considered to have less than $2000 in assets, thereby qualifying for SSI and MassHealth. Funds can be used to pay for education, health care, transportation, housing and other expenses. Interest earned on savings in the accounts is tax-free. ABLE accounts allow parents and grandparents of children with special needs to save money for them, tax free, similar to a 529 account for college savings for typical children. Parents of young children can now save for their special needs child the same way they can save for their typical children. Even more importantly, disabled adults can have access to cash from the accounts without interfering with their SSI benefits.Ordinarily, any cash above $20 that an SSI beneficiary receives in a month reduces his or her monthly SSI payment, dollar for dollar. Cash distributed from an ABLE account is not counted by SSI unless it is used for housing, and even then it is not counted if it is spent right away. For people who has been forced to live without cash (other than their monthly SSI check) for their daily needs such as haircuts and bus fare, this benefit cannot be underestimated. Another exciting use of an ABLE account is that trustees of special needs trusts can used them as a pass-through, to get disposable income (i.e., cash) to their beneficiaries. Trustees can periodically distribute trust money to an ABLE account, and the beneficiary can take money out of the account with the account’s debit card. Cash obtained from the ABLE account is not counted by SSI. In addition, ABLE accounts can be used to hold child support money, so that the child support paid for a disabled child is not counted as the child’s money by SSI. ABLE accounts are currently limited to individuals with disabilities that originated before the age of 26. One caveat to the accounts is that funds remaining in the accounts after an account holder dies will be used to reimburse MassHealth for the money MassHealth has spent on their care. -From Margolis.com by Karen B. Mariscal, Esq. Contact her at KBM@Margolis.com.
DTA Contact Lists- ADA and DV Specialists Client Assistance Coordinators Every DTA office has at least one Client Assistance Coordinator (CAC), with 2 in the larger offices. They are supervisors who have a reduced caseload in order to focus on helping clients with disabilities. They can help with accommodation requests, discuss DTA rules and disability related barriers, and other disability protections, such as good cause or disability exemptions. These positions were created as part of the settlement in Harper v. DTA, a federal class action GBLS filed against DTA for disability discrimination. The attached list is up to date as of August 2016 and includes names and phone numbers for the CACs in each local DTA office. Domestic Violence Specialists DTA DV specialists are tasked with providing consultation, training and technical assistance to DTA staff working with clients in all DTA programs who have experienced domestic violence. The specialists advocate within DTA, and with other agencies, to connect individuals and families to appropriate resources and help with safety planning. They should also work directly on some case issues, including helping with waivers of certain cash assistance program requirements or other DTA benefit issues. The attached list includes the name and phone numbers for DV specialists in each region of the state, along with their schedule at local offices. -From: SNAP Coalition listserv, Victoria Negus, Mass Law Reform Institute, August 11, 2016.
New Law Says Uber, Lyft Must be Accessible to All People with disabilities have a love-hate relationship with Uber. Some, particularly those with limited vision, call the advent of ride-hailing services a life-changing innovation that has afforded them unprecedented mobility and independence. Others, however, with physical disabilities that require wheelchairs, have blasted the service for not offering enough accessible vehicles and have alleged discrimination by drivers. But now, companies such as Uber and Lyft must accommodate everyone in Massachusetts, including those with disabilities, thanks to the new state law regulating ride-hailing firms. Important details of the bill, signed into law this month by Governor Charlie Baker, remain fuzzy, however. The Department of Public Utilities is currently drafting regulations that will spell out the nitty gritty. But the inclusion of several accessibility provisions is nonetheless a victory for Massachusetts disability advocates. The law bars ride-hailing services from charging people with disabilities additional fees or higher fares and from discriminating against riders who use wheelchairs or are accompanied by service animals. Under the law, ride-hailing companies must prove they have “an oversight process in place” to ensure they’re accommodating people with disabilities before they can obtain a state license. Those accommodations, such as vans with wheelchair lifts, must be available everywhere the companies offer service in Massachusetts. It will be up to DPU officials to define what counts as “sufficient” accessible service, and whether the companies will be allowed to contract with other companies that already operate wheelchair vans to pick up passengers who use larger wheelchairs. Currently, Uber’s mobile app forwards requests for wheelchair-accessible vans to taxis equipped with lifts, but the company acknowledged that system has problems. For one thing, not many accessible taxis have signed up for UberTAXI - perhaps because of the well-documented bad blood between medallion owners and the ride-hailing companies that have decimated their business - meaning vans aren’t always available when they’re needed. And the vast majority of the 100 supposedly accessible taxi vans in Boston don’t meet federal standards and are incapable of accommodating larger wheelchairs. (A city program to retrofit the vehicles is proceeding slowly: currently, just 29 of the vans are truly accessible.) Uber said it’s actively planning to expand its accessible offerings, most likely by partnering with private companies that already operate vans. Uber may also encourage people who own accessible vans to sign up as Uber drivers, or offer to subsidize the car payments of current drivers who agree to lease accessible vans. Lyft, on the other hand, does not currently offer an option to Boston-area residents who use wheelchairs, other than providing links on its website to services that do. Still, the company said in a statement that it supported the law and was “committed to helping Massachusetts modernize its paratransit operations and expand mobility options for the entire disability community.” Now, at Uber’s request, Christine Griffin, executive director of the Disability Law Center in Boston is leading a local coalition of people with disabilities and advocates that’s helping the company improve its accessibility. Uber has met with the group several times to get ideas and feedback. It’s another example of how the company — which often ignored regulation as it aggressively expanded — is working to soften its edges. The disability coalition is also working on a potential partnership that would see Uber and Lyft replace much of the MBTA’s RIDE paratransit service, which is loathed by many of its passengers for providing slow and unreliable rides that must be booked in advance. A spokesman for the T said Wednesday that the project “is definitely moving forward, but there is nothing to announce at this time.” -See the full Boston Globe article.
PCA Overtime Rules- Limited Non-Emergency Exceptions As reported last month (MassHealth PCA Overtime Rules Tighten , MGH Community News), effective September 1, 2016, a new MassHealth PCA overtime management policy will be implemented for the PCA program. MassHealth Members are limited to scheduling PCAs to work no more than 40 hours per week. MassHealth has released information about limited exceptions to this new policy. A member may require a PCA to work more than 40 hours a week under these circumstances:
The consumer/surrogate must fill out a Non-Emergency Overtime Approval Request form and the Personal Care Management (PCM) Agency must submit the form to MassHealth to obtain approval for non-emergency overtime payment: MassHealth PCA program is working closely with PCMs and Fiscal Intermediaries (FI) on the implementation of this policy. Members should follow up with their PCMs for any questions. PCMs and FIs should continue to follow up with the PCA program staff with any questions. - Adapted from MA Health Care Training Forum, August 15, 2016 and the Non-Emergency Overtime Approval Request form.
Child Advocate Says DCF Bursting at Seams
The state child welfare agency is being pushed to the limit, juggling nearly 9,500 kids placed in foster homes and other settings - a 10 percent spike since Gov. Charlie Baker took office.
“I would venture that, in any given evening, there is probably not a spare place to put a child,” said Maria Mossaides, the state’s child advocate. “Because of the large numbers, it’s fair to say the (state’s) entire child welfare system is at capacity. And that situation has probably been growing over the last two years.” The rise comes at a tenuous time for DCF, which, following a string of high-profile cases of child abuse and deaths, began last year with Baker publicly leading the charge to overhaul its core policies, while integrating waves of new social workers. That transition has started to take root, officials and department watchers say. But it also hasn’t slowed an unbending influx of at-risk children under 18 years old. In the wake of high-profile child homicide cases — from Jeremiah Oliver in 2013 and Bella Bond two years later — the department has emphasized child protection as its mission, driving a more aggressive push to pull children from at-risk homes. The state’s opioid crisis has also wreaked havoc, though the extent of its direct ties to families involved with DCF is still unclear. DCF began tracking the connection this year, but it has yet to release the data, despite a public records request to do so by the Herald. Mary McGeown, president of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said the state is in dire need of new foster homes. “We’re at a critical moment,” she said. “We need more people to step up and become foster parents. We need to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. -See the full Boston Herald article.
On Belay- Adventure Camp for Children Who Love Someone with Cancer An earlier version of this story was e-mailed to MGH Oncology Social Workers earlier this month. On Belay offers FREE adventure camps that build community among youth, ages 8- 18, who have or have had a family member with cancer using adventure based programs that encourage participants to uncover their inner resilience. The program utilizes adventure activities like indoor climbing and outdoor challenge course activities to create a metaphor for participants, teaching them that if they can find a way through these challenges, they can overcome anything. Through the support of being “On Belay” we give participants a chance to connect with other youth facing similar challenges, while learning to support others, and developing physical and emotional confidence. The next free one-day high ropes adventure camp is on Sat 9/10 in North Andover. Please see attached for more information. While they encourage early registration, they also try to hold spots where possible so even if the website says the program is full, contact them to see if there is space. More information at www.on-belay.org and in the brochure. (One online definition of Belay : “To provide security to [a climber] by paying out or drawing in rope, often through a braking device, in readiness to break a potential fall.”)
MBA Opens Doors Foundation- Rent or Mortgage Assistance for Families of Ill Children The MBA Opens Doors Foundation is the charitable arm of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The MBA Opens Doors Foundation offers rental or mortgage assistance during the crisis period of a child’s illness or injury. Eligibility Eligibility criteria include (not a complete list):
Benefit If approved for the grant, MBA Opens Doors Foundation will make payment for the exact amount of the rent or mortgage payment up to $2,500. The applicant must pay any difference. Utilities will be covered only to the extent they are included in the scheduled rent. Applicants receiving any form of regular governmental assistance should make sure that receipt of a grant will not adversely affect their assistance. For more information see:
OneGift Closes OneGift a wish-granting program for adults with cancer has closed. The program’s website displays the following message.
-Thanks to Lauren DeMarco for sharing this sad news.
First Marijuana Dispensary Opens in Boston Patriot Care Boston opened this month at 21 Milk St. The shop, across from the historic Old South Meeting House, is equipped with infrared security cameras, a foyer, and a waiting area for overflow crowds, and will probably have Boston police working special details “quite a bit” to ensure safe operations, according to company officials. Even before it opened its doors, more than 200 state-certified patients had preregistered with Patriot Care to shop in the dispensary, and company leaders said they were prepared to handle at least 150 customers a day. Patriot Care marks the seventh dispensary to open in Massachusetts, nearly four years after state voters approved marijuana for medical use. The 2012 ballot initiative envisioned 35 such businesses opening in the first year. Patients who have grown weary of the protracted and contentious dispensary licensing process hailed the Boston opening. Patriot Care, which opened a Lowell dispensary in February, has been distributing discount coupons there for its Boston shop. “They took a real professional approach to the Boston atmosphere,” with a chairlift at the street entrance to carry disabled patients up the four stairs to the dispensary, said Nichole Snow, executive director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance. “I am excited for patients,” she said. “It’s been a long time coming.” The facility will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, and Boston police officers will be on detail outside the building daily, according to head of security George Agganis. A security guard will screen people after they enter the building’s lobby before they enter Patriot Care’s lobby, where they must display their state ID for buying marijuana and another photo ID before entering a separate waiting room. The dispensary can hold 10 customers, as well as 10 sales associates, Vita said. Patriot Care will sell smokable marijuana as well as edibles and concentrates, and also will deliver. As for the next pot shop, Mayflower Medicinals and Compassionate Organics are jockeying for space in Allston, with Mayflower recently receiving zoning board approval, while Happy Valley Ventures is looking to open a facility in East Boston. There are 27,000 Bay State residents with medical pot cards.
-See the full Boston Globe article.
Needle Exchange to Open in Gloucester The state’s Department of Public Health has given a Gloucester-based service agency the green light to open a facility to run a hypodermic needle exchange program and expand access to the anti-opioid overdose drug Narcan. Susan Coviello, director of the North Shore Health Project at 5 Center St., says she hopes the 26-year-old agency can open its new Harm Reduction Program by October. The program will be based in a lower level office suite in the Gloucester Family Health Center building at 302 Washington St., adjacent to Addison Gilbert Hospital. It is set to include counseling, disease screening, Narcan distribution and education, and access to clean needles through an exchange program, Coviello said. The program, through which participants “who may otherwise share or reuse needles, risking disease and infection, can bring in used needles and receive clean ones,” she said, will also “bring together several services which may result in less risk of disease and death for people who inject drugs ... and community benefits including fewer discarded needles on city streets and beaches.” -See the full Gloucester Times article.
Parenting Support and Resources Website- One Tough Job Created by the Children's Trust, onetoughjob.org connects parents in Massachusetts and beyond with parenting information, ideas, and on-the-ground resources. We also provide a bridge to help you find other moms and dads who have asked the same questions and faced similar challenges. Coming soon in Español. The site includes age-specific articles and advice through early school age, forums, a blog and local resource finder. -Thanks to Melanie Cohn-Hopwood for sharing this resource.
Medicaid Managed Care Must Cover Hep C Treatment As of August 1st, MassHealth managed care programs must offer treatment to Hepatitis C patients, without regard to severity of liver damage, with no sobriety requirements, and without restrictions on doctors’ ability to prescribe treatment due to lack of clinical specialization. See the full MassHealth Provider Bulletin.
Medicare Reminder- Coverage of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Treatment Medicare will help pay for treatment of alcoholism and drug abuse in both inpatient and outpatient settings if:
Inpatient care: -From Medicare Watch, Volume 7, Issue 27, The Medicare Rights Center, July 28, 2016
Coverage for Chronic Lyme Disease Now Law The state legislature overrode a veto from Gov. Baker, to reinstate a bill to expand treatment for Lyme Disease. Effective immediately, the legislation requires coverage of long-term Lyme treatment "as prescribed by licensed physicians," a press release from state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, says. "Virtually everyone in the Legislature has been affected by Lyme disease in some way," said Linsky, a Natick Democrat whose son had long-term symptoms and who helped champion the bill. "Either they've had Lyme disease, a family member had Lyme disease or a close friend or neighbor had Lyme disease. The public is very much aware of this, and this is an example of the Legislature responding to requests from members of the public." Massachusetts has one of the highest rates of Lyme disease in the country; thousands and probably tens of thousands of people here catch it from deer ticks every year. Most are cured with a short course of antibiotics, but some suffer from lingering symptoms — fatigue, joint pain, brain fog. How they should be treated — and whether they have an ongoing infection or just after-effects — is one of the most contentious issues in American medicine. Massachusetts health insurers and several Massachusetts medical organizations came out against the Lyme disease bill. They warned that long-term antibiotics are dangerous to patients, have not been proven to be effective and could also contribute to the looming problem of drug-resistant "superbugs." Rhode Island and Connecticut had already passed similar laws. Asked about possible next steps, Linsky said they must come not from the Legislature but from the medical and scientific community: To figure out better diagnostic tests and better treatment protocols for Lyme disease. -See the full WBUR story.
Myths About Patient Privacy Shortly after the recent massacre at an Orlando nightclub, the city’s mayor declared that the White House had agreed to waive federal privacy rules to allow doctors to update victims’ families. News of the waiver was widely reported, but as the Obama administration later clarified, both the mayor and the media were “simply mistaken.” No waiver was granted because none was needed. The confusion amid the tragedy in Orlando underscores widespread misconceptions about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. Here we shed light on a handful of myths that bedevil doctors and patients alike. Myth No. 1 HIPAA prohibits communicating with patients’ loved ones. HIPAA sets national standards to safeguard the privacy of individuals’ health information. As in Orlando, it is often perceived as a barrier to effective communication between doctors and patients’ loved ones. Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds — whose mentally ill son attacked him before committing suicide in 2013 — recently testified before Congress that “HIPAA prevented me from accessing the information I needed to keep him safe and help him towards recovery.” Such stories are heart-wrenching but misattributed to HIPAA. In most cases, the privacy regulation permits doctors and nurses to communicate with a patient’s family, friends or caretakers. The rules were crafted to account for the realities of health care, including the integral role often played by those closest to the patient. As the former head of HIPAA enforcement told Congress, “HIPAA is meant to be a valve, not a blockage.” When the patient is present and clearheaded, the law allows hospitals to share relevant information with loved ones so long as the patient does not protest. This can be accomplished through the patient’s agreement or acquiescence, or based on a doctor’s professional judgment that the patient does not object. If a person accompanies the patient to an appointment, for example, doctors can reasonably infer that discussing the patient’s treatment in front of that individual is appropriate. When the patient is unavailable or incapacitated, doctors can also exercise professional judgment to determine whether disclosure is in the patient’s best interests. A clear example is when the patient is unconscious, but this provision can also apply if the patient is suffering from temporary psychosis and lacks the ability to make health-care decisions. Still, studies have shown that confusion and fear over privacy laws often lead hospitals to unnecessarily withhold information and reflexively cite HIPAA as justification — an approach that can make families feel locked out of care. But overall, HIPAA affords doctors significant flexibility to communicate with patients’ loved ones, whether about routine or time-sensitive matters. The only time the law truly forecloses the sharing of such information is when the patient is present, lucid and tells doctors not to — and even then, patients’ wishes can be overridden in the event that they pose a serious and imminent threat to health or safety. Myth No. 4 HIPAA stops doctors from reporting threats. Mass shootings involving mentally ill suspects often prompt discussion about what warning signs doctors should have reported. These questions persist even in cases when doctors had alerted authorities, as happened before the 2012 movie theater tragedy in Aurora, Colo. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, one of Obama’s 23 executive actions was to clarify that “no federal law” prohibits health-care professionals from reporting threats of violence to the police. This mandate was accomplished via an open letter to the health-care community explaining that HIPAA allows doctors to issue appropriate warnings when they believe that patients present a serious and imminent threat to themselves or someone else. In such cases, doctors can disclose necessary information to law enforcement, school officials, family members, the target of a credible threat or anyone else in a position to avert the danger. Under the HIPAA rules, doctors who take these steps are generally presumed to have acted in good faith. When patients make threats or pose a high suicide risk, doctors often have a “duty to warn” emanating from state laws, court decisions or professional ethics rules. HIPAA does not in itself impose such a duty, but it explicitly permits health-care professionals to take action “consistent with” these standards. -See the full Washington Post article.
MA Legislature Passes Anti-Bullying in Subsidized Housing Bill State legislators passed, and the Governor has signed, S1984, a landmark bill to protect elderly and disabled victims of harassing and bullying. The law would establish the nation’s first state legislative study commission on bullying, shining light on the widespread plague of bullying impacting residents of multifamily public and subsidized housing. “This legislation will bring to light a problem that has remained hidden due to fear of retaliation….Now tenants will be empowered to speak up and make a difference in their lives and will not live with fear of a backlash effect.” said Karen Carson of the Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants. The 19-member commission will include leaders of the House and Senate, executives of several state agencies, and members appointed by the Governor to represent the interests of managers and residents. MAHT is one of the organizations named in the new law to be considered for appointment to the commission. Thank you to all of those involved, especially Jerry Halberstadt and the Stop Bullying Coalition, for their hard work in getting this bill passed. Members will hear testimony from all interested parties to inform a better understanding of the causes and potential solutions to bullying and harassment. "It's about so many people that need this help," said Halberstadt who filed the bill. Halberstadt formed the Stop Bullying Coalition after he moved into public housing and faced "relentless threats and intimidation" from longtime residents, he said. Management told him there was nothing to be done. "I don't think the landlords know what to do, I don't think anyone knows what to do." The AARP reports that between 10 and 20 percent of residents in senior care homes are mistreated by peers. The Department of Housing and Community development said in 2015 that there are more than 32,000 state-subsidized elderly and disabled public housing apartments in Massachusetts. "Everybody has it in their building. Everyone. It's a plague," said Halberstadt. "It can get horrendous, or it can be relatively mild, but at every level it's harmful. It's there, and it continues." -See the full Salem News article and SaveOurHomes website article.
Homeless Families Being Relocated from Motels Concerned for Start of School Year Nearly 4,000 Boston Public School students are homeless in a crisis that is expected to only grow worse as the cost of housing climbs. Some of the homeless kids live in the Charles River Hotel and the Days Inn in Brighton that the state is phasing out as emergency housing. “It’s unacceptable to know that families will be moved out by Sept. 1,” said At-Large City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George. Essaibi-George said 130 homeless families live at both locations, with the Charles River Hotel first in line to close in a matter of weeks. It’s terrible timing, she told the Herald, with city schools opening Sept. 8. It’s not clear yet where these children will ultimately land. “There’s a lot of mixed messages, it’s part of what’s created real chaos and anxiety,” Essaibi-George, a former East Boston teacher, said. She called a hearing to craft a plan for the state and the city on how to help the homeless students with enrollment and transportation to school. “There’s no clear message being delivered by the state,” she added. “Part of the problem is that the information is coming through different channels and is not a consistent message.” Federal law requires school districts to provide transportation to homeless students, even if they are being housed in different communities. Setting that up takes time, Essaibi-George said, and a child relocated on Sept. 1 might not have everything in order by the opening bell a few days later. BPS spokesman Dan O’Brien added administrators are “actively communicating with the agencies that are assisting families in temporary housing to ensure that the students have a successful start to the academic year.” Paul McMorrow, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, said the office is also “working to avoid disrupting school.” He added there is not a Sept. 1 deadline to empty the Charles River Hotel of all homeless families. Essaibi-George said, however, that families at the Charles River Hotel have been told by caseworkers that Sept. 1 is the last day they can stay at the motel. She said she asked state officials to hold a group meeting with all residents there so everyone could get the same information, but that never happened. Essaibi-George said she supports moving families from motels in general, saying the lack of space and access to kitchen appliances to prepare fresh food can be unhealthy. But, she added, the unclear communication has disrupted families’ lives even more than motel living, giving them more anxiety about where they will live and whether their children will continue to have easy access to Boston’s schools and medical facilities. -See the full Boston Herald article.
Gov. Baker Signs Equal Pay Law This month Gov. Charlie Baker sign a law updating Massachusetts' equal pay law to better define comparable work and to put in place other protections to ensure that women are paid equally for equal work. The new law updates Massachusetts's equal pay law, which was passed in 1945. The 1945 law was the first in the country to require comparable pay for comparable work. A federal equal pay law was passed in 1963. The new law will prohibit employers from requesting salary history during a job interview — although a job applicant can voluntarily disclose that information. It says businesses cannot forbid workers from discussing their salaries with each other. It provides a clearer definition for what criteria employers can use to determine what is "comparable work." It extends the statute of limitations for bringing an equal pay claim from one year to three years. The bill also includes provisions sought by businesses. For example, if an employer does a self-evaluation to determine whether there are compensation differences then takes steps to eliminate them, the employer will be protected from equal pay lawsuits for three years. The bill goes into effect Jan. 1, 2018. Some noted that there is more work to be done. Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, used the occasion to advocate for the institution of paid family leave in Massachusetts. The Senate passed a paid family leave bill at the end of the legislative session, but without enough time for the House to take it up. State Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville, a sponsor of the pay equity bill, said more work must be done to improve pay in fields that tend to be dominated by women, such as caring for children, seniors or people with disabilities, or making and serving food. "Our work is not done until those in the caring professions are paid what their work is really worth," Jehlen said. -See the full MassLive article.
How Social Service Programs Fared Under the FY 17 State Budget MassBudget's new Budget Monitor analyzes the budget for the current fiscal year, excerpted below. This year's budget process was unusual. While the conference committee was meeting to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget, it became clear that the original tax revenue estimate for FY 2017 was too optimistic and the estimate was adjusted down by $750 million. Legislators had to improvise a combination of budget cuts and other strategies to address that new gap. In other ways this year's budget process follows a familiar pattern of budget problems - barely balancing in good times and cutting deeply in recessions. The Budget Monitor shows that since 2001, inflation-adjusted funding for higher education is down 14 percent; local aid is down 41 percent; early education 22 percent. Why? Between 1998 and 2002 the state adopted several income tax cuts that are now costing over $3 billion annually. That revenue reduction paired with a long-term pattern of rising health care costs has reduced our Commonwealth's capacity to make important investments in our people and our economy, and has caused chronic budget problems. Early Education & Care The Income Eligible Child Care program provides subsidies for low- and moderate-income working families who do not qualify for other child care assistance. With insufficient funding to meet demand, the waitlist for these subsidies exceeded 24,500 children in April 2016. For the last three years, the budget provided dedicated funding to reduce the waitlist. The FY 2017 budget does not propose continuing specific funding to reduce the waitlist.<> MassHealth (Medicaid) and Health Reform The Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) relies on a number of strategies to reduce costs, including some payment and rate freezes, limiting access to payments from the Health Safety Net, and channeling MassHealth members to lower-cost managed health care. The FY 2017 budget holds down spending by deferring some FY 2017 health care payments to FY 2018, and by underfunding some programs, knowing that there will need to be supplemental funding provided during the course of the fiscal year. The budget also relies on the assumption that program restructuring and changes in the delivery system will have the effect of holding down MassHealth caseloads, thereby further limiting spending growth. The managed care line item does include a $1.0 million increase for rates for behavioral health and substance abuse providers. Although not explicit in budget language, the GAA anticipates reducing coverage for certain “optional” benefits available to members in MassHealth’s Primary Care Clinician (PCC) plan. These benefits would continue to be available to members in managed care plans. This restriction is being put into place to encourage members to make the shift to this less-expensive (and better-coordinated) type of care. This proposal would go into effect in October 2017. The Administration also intends to implement a 12-month lock-in policy for MassHealth. This means that once members enroll in a particular plan, after a 90-day transition period, they would have to stay in that plan for 12 months. This policy will likely go into effect in October 2016. The Administration hopes to increase enrollment in managed care by using “passive enrollment” in the Senior Care Options and One Care programs—the integrated programs for members eligible for both MassHealth and Medicare. Passive enrollment means that members are enrolled in these programs by default, unless they explicitly choose to opt out. Nursing homes, on the other hand, receive $347.9 million, providing a $45.0 million increase in nursing home rates over FY 2016, as proposed by the House. Other Health Subsidies The Administration is in the process of reforming health care delivery, and shifting MassHealth to a system of accountable care organizations (ACOs). This is a strategy to contain health care cost growth and to provide better integrated care. In the course of moving the rest of MassHealth into ACOs, and supporting the integration of community-based providers into the ACOs, the Administration is expecting that FY 2017 will be a transition year. Child Welfare The Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA) for child welfare includes a total of $940.9 million for child welfare and protection. The FY 2017 budget shifts approximately $24.2 million for services to support people at risk of domestic violence out of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) into the Department of Public Health (DPH), in order to better coordinate and consolidate those services (see discussion below.) Excluding this funding shift, the child welfare budget is 4.1 percent above FY 2016 current levels. DCF has a dual mission: to protect children and to strengthen families, and funding for DCF is split between these two main functions. Funding for the case workers who work directly with vulnerable families and children totals $223.5 million, the same as recommended by the House and Senate. This is a $19.6 million increase over FY 2016 funding, or 9.6 percent. In part due to highly-publicized cases involving children and families involved with DCF, there has been broad attention to the challenges faced by DCF staff who work directly with at-risk families. Although the case workers’ union contract aims to limit caseloads to 15 cases each, the FY 2017 budget is not sufficient to reach that goal. Overall caseload ratios tend to be closer to 18:1. Funding to train these new workers is cut by $1.0 million from FY 2016, for a total of $2.5 million. Elder Services The Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget funds Elder Services at $267.0 million, which is $2.3 million (0.9 percent) above current FY 2016 spending levels. This amount will likely be a reduction in the real value of spending because the increase does not keep up with projected levels of inflation. The majority of funding for Elder Services programming goes to support elder home care services which allow elders to age in place instead of living in a nursing home. In aggregate, the FY 2017 budget for elder home care services is $206.9 million. This is a decrease of $3.5 million (or 1.7 percent) when compared to FY 2016 current spending levels, which may affect service delivery. The program that receives the most significant increase over current FY 2016 spending is Elder Protective Services, which investigates elder abuse and neglect. The budget funds Elder Protective Services at $28.0 million for FY 2017, which is $4.9 million (or 21.3 percent) over current FY 2016 spending levels. Lastly, an outside section of the budget establishes a 20-person, permanent commission on older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults to study the health, housing, financial, psychological, and long-term care needs of this group and to recommend improvements to ensure equal access to benefits and services. Transitional Assistance The Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 budget funds transitional assistance programs and services at $660.5 million, which is $33.3 million (4.8 percent) below FY 2016 current spending levels. The Legislature overrode $23.7 million of the Governor's $24.1 million vetoes for transitional assistance programs and services. A large portion of this decrease is Transitional Assistance for Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC), which is reduced by $29.5 million (13.4 percent) below current FY 2016 spending levels. The decrease assumes a reduction in caseloads, which one would expect with an improving economy that enables more people to secure employment and improve their circumstances rather than seek this assistance. However, current caseload reduction may partially result from new administrative changes that make it harder for clients to maintain their benefits. The FY 2017 budget increases the clothing allowance from $200 to $250 per eligible child receiving TAFDC. The Governor vetoed this language and the Legislature overrode the veto. (See accompanying story.) In addition, the budget increases Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children by $3.0 million (3.9 percent). Housing The budget does not include a provision that would have eased eligibility restrictions for the EA shelter program. In recent years, the state has limited low-income, homeless families’ access to EA shelters. (A full discussion of EA eligibility rules is available in MassBudget’s Children’s Budget HERE.) Because of these restrictions, some homeless families have had to live in places not meant for human habitation, like a park, a car, or a hospital emergency room, before they would be eligible for shelter. The Senate included language in its budget that required the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to provide EA shelter to families who would otherwise have to sleep in such places. DHCD is setting up procedures to prevent families, who are applying for EA shelter, from having to live in unsafe places before they can move into shelter. The FY 2017 budget provides $85.3 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) which is $5.6 million below the amount appropriated in the FY 2016 current budget. The Governor vetoed $2.6 million from the program but the Legislature overrode his veto. The FY 2017 budget provides a small increase for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) it is funded at $13.0 million which is $500,000 above FY 2016 levels. -See the full Mass Budget report.
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