October 2019 - Highlights and Hot Topics
A Message from NCCDD Chair Alex McArthur
NCCDD Chairperson Alex McArthur
“The Right Talent, Right Now” is the 2019 theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) celebrated every October. This year’s theme focuses on the vital role people with disabilities have on America’s workforce, particularly as we see shifts in the skills that will be required for the future of work.
2018 statistics show that 19.1% of people with disabilities were employed as compared to 65.9% of those without disabilities. Despite these numbers, we know that people with disabilities bring needed skills and expertise, such as adaptability, problem-solving, and innovation to the workforce. The North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) is currently funding two exciting initiatives to promote employment of people with disabilities:
- NC Employment Collaborative Initiative (read more about this below)
- Inroads to Employment (find details here)
In addition, you can read about North Carolinians living with disabilities who are working, as well as about companies and corporations who make it a goal to hire people living with disabilities in NCCDD’s “One Workforce: Inclusive Employment in North Carolina.”
Please join us in celebrating disability employment and advocacy on behalf of all North Carolinians. Thank you!
The NCCDD is always here to help. Please check out our website, share your ideas, and stay in touch.
Alex McArthur, NCCDD Chair
Public Policy Update as of 10/15/19
FEDERAL
Budget & Appropriations
On September 27, President Trump signed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government for an additional eight weeks beyond the start of the fiscal year 2020 on October 1. This CR maintains level funding and will give the Senate Appropriations Committee time to finalize its remaining two appropriations bills, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill which funds many programs vital to the disability community.
Money Follows the Person
On September 27, the Senate confirmed Eugene Scalia to be Secretary of Labor by a vote of 53-44. The Department of Labor (DOL) is the agency responsible for the implementation of federal labor and employment laws. DOL also includes the Office of Disability Employment Policy, which is a non-regulatory agency that promotes employment of people with disabilities. ODEP’s “Right Talent Right Now” poster, in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness month, can be found here in English and Spanish.
Autism Cares Act
The Senate passed the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support (CARES) Act of 2019 by a voice vote on September 19. Eleven days later, the Autism CARES Act (H.R.1058) was signed into law by President Trump —a five-year reauthorization.
In addition to continuing funding for important existing efforts like autism research, surveillance and education programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Autism CARES Act expands its focus to address critical lifespan issues. The reauthorization also increases the minimum number of self-advocates on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC).
Direct Support Professionals
On September 19, a group of democratic House and Senate members introduced the Direct Creation, Advancement, and Retention of Employment (CARE) Opportunity Act (S.2521/H.R.4397). This bill provides grants to 15 entities to develop and implement strategies relating to recruitment, retention and career advancement for direct care workers. (Fact Sheet.)
Congressional Representation
On September 10, North Carolina’s 3rd and 9th districts held special elections. Republican Greg Murphy, a physician and former Representative in the North Carolina General Assembly, was elected to represent the constituents of North Carolina’s 3rd district. Republican Dan Bishop, an attorney and former State Senator, was elected to the 9th district.
STATE
Legislative Budget
The state continues to operate under last year’s budget. As a reminder, the approved legislative budget was sent to Governor Roy Cooper, who vetoed the budget bill because Medicaid Expansion was not included. While the House voted to override the Governor’s June veto of the state budget bill for fiscal years 2020 and 2021; at this point, the Senate has not taken up the issue for a vote. Despite the budget stalemate, the General Assembly is trying to pass ‘mini budgets’, smaller budget bills, that both parties agree upon.
For example, funding for a new transportation initiative and the community college system were approved. This may be a possible vehicle for moving forward with some of the I/DD allocations, including expanding the Innovations Waivers, that are in the budget. The other critical need for the system is Medicaid Transformation funds to support the transition to managed care.
Medicaid Transformation
Enrollment for the Standard Plan is currently underway. Beneficiaries in 27 counties started enrolling on July 15, and enrollment for those in the remaining 73 counties will open on Oct. 14, 2019. Open enrollment will close statewide Dec. 13, 2019.
As you recall, in addition to the four statewide Prepaid Health Plans (AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina, Inc., Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina, Inc., WellCare of North Carolina, Inc.), a regional PHP contract was awarded to Carolina Complete Health, Inc., a provider-led entity. Recently, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) expanded the regions awarded to Carolina Complete Health, Inc.
In addition to serving regions 3 and 5 in the state, the provider-led health plan will also serve region 4. In addition to counties in regions 3 and 5, Medicaid beneficiaries in the following region 4 counties will now have the option to choose Carolina Complete Health, Inc. as their health plan: Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville, Johnston, Nash, Orange, Person, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson.
Tools and resources are available for beneficiaries to learn more about health plan options and have questions answered, including the Medicaid Managed Care enrollment website and the Medicaid Managed Care Call Center (833-870-5500).
Medicaid Managed Care benefits for the Standard Plan are scheduled to begin Feb. 1, 2020. However, the budget stalemate may affect this start date. If there is not an approved budget which includes the funding necessary for the transition to Medicaid managed care by the end of November, the implementation will likely be delayed.
The RFA for the Tailored Plan is in the final stages of approval. The Behavioral Health-I/DD Tailored Plan has a projected launch in July 2021. You can view the design of the program on the website.
The implementation of the Standard Plan creates an opportunity for identifying key elements, such as the development of the provider network and enrollment of beneficiaries, which will be crucial for effective roll-out of the Tailored Plan.
Redistricting
In early September, a panel of three Superior Court judges unanimously struck down 2017 House and Senate maps giving lawmakers two weeks – until Sept. 18 – to draw new districts in “full public view” without the use of election data. The three-judge panel found they used unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering to harm Democrats when they created the 2017 legislative maps. Legislators redrew a total of 21 Senate districts and 56 House districts and submitted them to the court. The plaintiff, Common Cause, objected specifically to five county groupings: Columbus-Pender-Robeson; Forsyth-Yadkin; Cleveland-Gaston; Brunswick-New Hanover; and Guilford.
So, we are once again waiting for a court to either approve legislatively-drawn remedial House and Senate maps or to assign the job to a neutral third-party to correct unconstitutional gerrymandering issues.
North Carolina Assistive Technology Expo and Stephen E. Sallee Awards
On September 26 in Raleigh, more than 350 people attended the Assistive Technology (AT) Expo hosted by the North Carolina Assistive Technology Program (NCATP), part of the NC Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) within the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
Thirty-three vendors from across the state, the country and even as far away as the United Kingdom exhibited assistive technology that included Braille labelers, Hoyer lifts, wheelchair-accessible vans and software to help people with learning disabilities become better writers. NCATP Director Tammy Koger noted that this year’s crowd exceeded last year’s by 100 and that NCATP is planning a bigger event next year.
Philip Woodward, Wendi McMillan and Becca Crutchfield of Camp R.E.A.C.H., NCATP Director Tammy Koger, Chris EganAdditionally, the NCATP Grant Advisory Council (GAC) presented two Stephen E. Sallee Assistive Technology Awards of Excellence in the Professional category to Camp R.E.A.C.H. and Jack Sheehan of Assist M.E.
Founded by three Speech Language Pathologists, Becca Crutchfield, Wendi McMillan and Jennifer Tate, Camp R.E.A.C.H. ensures that camp opportunities are available to children and young adults with severe communication and/or physical disabilities. A feature of the camp includes the “peer-buddy” system, where each participant is paired with another individual, and the team uses communication devices to participate in structured activities. This year the camp provided four summer sessions in Summerfield during the month of July.
Philip Woodward, Jack Sheehan of Assist M.E., NCATP Director Tammy Koger, Chris EganJack Sheehan founded Assist M.E., a nonprofit organization that provides durable medical equipment to low-income, uninsured and underinsured residents of the Charlotte area. Assist M.E. started when a group of concerned healthcare professionals and members of the general Charlotte community came together in 2014, and the organization’s goal is, “That every patient in the community has the medical and mobility equipment that they need.”
In the first half of 2019, Assist M.E. gifting saw 238 pieces of equipment donated to 149 individuals, putting the organization on track to help save $5 million in 2019 healthcare costs for Charlotte-area residents.
At the awards session, DHHS Senior Director of Employment Services Chris Egan provided opening remarks, and NCCDD Systems Change Manager Philip Woodward, also a member of the GAC, introduced each award winner.
NCATP plans to host next year’s AT Expo on Friday, October 16, 2020. Learn more about NCATP.
Your Local Greens, Hydroponic City Farm, Burlington, NC provides and inclusive paid apprenticeship training program for people with disabilities. How are Your Local Greens, Well-Spring Retirement Center, Cleveland County Schools, UNC-Charlotte and community colleges related?
Each of them is a location where Disability:IN North Carolina (DI-NC) is developing cutting edge employment strategies for people with disabilities through the InRoads to Employment initiative. Funded by NCCDD in March 2018, the initiative is already achieving innovative employment outcomes as detailed below.
- Your Local Greens (a hydroponic city farm in Burlington, NC) and DI-NC are collaborating to develop an inclusive apprenticeship training program for individuals on the autism spectrum. Partners with DI-NC include NC Vocational Rehabilitation, the Alamance Workforce Development Center and Alamance Community College. To date, three individuals have been hired before the apprenticeship is set to officially start in early 2020.
- DI-NC partnered with TEACCH to establish a pre-apprenticeship training program at Well-Spring Retirement Center in Greensboro and two individuals with disabilities have been hired as feeding assistants for senior citizens.
- Cleveland County Schools received assistance from DI-NC to secure a contract for pre-employment education transition services (Pre-ETS) that served over 60 students in 2018-19 and is on track to serve over 150 students in 2019-20.
Beth Butler, Executive Director of Disability:IN North Carolina, addresses college students and employers at the Inclusivity Mixer, held at UNC-Charlotte on September 12, 2019. In partnership with UNC-Charlotte,DI-NC is linking college students with disabilities to business leaders who can provide guidance and support to launch their careers. Discussions are also underway with community colleges to link students with disabilities to mentoring support from business leaders with disabilities.
As the InRoads to Employment initiative enters the mid-point of its three-year initiative, it will work on expanding apprenticeships, assisting other school systems to develop Pre-ETS services and connecting more college students with business leaders who can guide them on their career track.
NC DHHS to Host Webinar on November 6
NC DHHS will host a webinar training on transitioning to a tailored plan called How Beneficiaries Move Between the Standard Plan and BH I/DD Tailored Plan.
This webinar will address eligibility for BH I/DD Tailored Plans and how beneficiaries can request to transition between the Standard Plan and BH I/DD Tailored Plan.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019
Time: 2-3 p.m.
Register: https://medicaid.ncdhhs.gov/behavioral-health-idd-tailored-plans
If you missed previous webinars, you can find more information on NC Medicaid’s website.
En Espanol - October 2019
Audio - Highlights and Hot Topics