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GREETINGS, Welcome to fall and the beginning of Year 4 for CDRC. September was a very busy month
for CDRC. In this edition of our monthly newsletter we will discuss the year four proposal to the DD Council, Meetings, meetings, meetings,
Medicaid Advisory Committee (MAC), CommunityChoice, and October Activities. CDRC Year Four CDRC has submitted its work plan for our 4th big year to the DD Council for their
approval. The Council has given us the go ahead based on the proposal submitted but has requested a few minor changes. One of the things that Council is asking us to revise is some of the details relating to our first
Core Issue (Big Issue). We’ll likely need you all to help us with it. So, please try to attend our October 23rd. membership meeting. Our
first core issue is that we want to work with the state to enforce The Right To Be Informed (RTBI).
This was CDRC’s bill that got passed last legislative session. Approximately
400 State Residential Center (SRC) residents who could live in the community with the proper supports are not being informed of least
restrictive service options or being helped to leave the four SRCs (also called Institutions) and enter the community. To prepare to begin this work, Kenny and John have met with some very important people
in the DD community to try to figure out the best way to go about things. So far we’ve met with Joanna Pierson of Service Coordination,
and Cristie Marchand of The Arc of Maryland. Meetings are scheduled with Resource Coordination,
Service Coordination, DDA (Developmental Disabilities Administration), and MACS (Maryland Association of Community Supports). CDRC will
be meeting, and working, with all of these very important groups to help see that persons who receive services from DDA in SRC’s or in the
community, are being informed of the least restrictive service options that are appropriate for them. CDRC still needs applications for our new Advisory Group Part of our fourth year requires CDRC to begin an advisory group. This group will help
guide the members of CDRC and their activities. We only have 3 applications so far. We need to receive several more. If you are interested
in being part of our very busy, very powerful group, please submit an application. An application is included with this newsletter and can
be printed from our web site www.thecdrc.org. Community Choice Advisory Group Sub-Committees The CommunityChoice Subcommittees are still going on. CDRC continues to participate under protest due to the fact that the Department (of Health & Mental Hygiene DHMH) has not agreed to give us all of the supports we have requested, including stipends (small amount of money) to value our time and hard work on these subcommittees. The Department submitted the Waiver application to the Federal government in July/Early August and is waiting for approval from the Federal Government. There will still be lots of changes made to the application and lots of work to be done getting the program started if it is approved by CMS (the Federal Government agency that oversees Medicaid/Medicare). CDRC will be at the table and represent the disability community while all of this is happening. We’ll keep you informed! The group that oversees the subcommittees is the CommunityChoice Advisory Group. This group meets a few times a year and discusses the work of the smaller subcommittees. CDRC is also a part of this group. The Advisory Group met last week (9/22) and discussed the subcommittees and the areas of Maryland where the changes to Medicaid/Medicare tried first. These areas are Baltimore County & City as well as Prince Georges and Montgomery Counties. If the waiver proposal is accepted by CMS, these areas will bee in for some B-I-G changes in Medicaid/Medicare. CDRC requested that persons with disabilities be carved out (left out) of the waiver. The Department said they would consider this but that once CommunityChoice has gone statewide in a few years; persons with disabilities may be able to opt (drop) out. We also informed the Department that we don’t think these pilot areas will help the Department to figure things out for rural areas of Maryland like Cumberland or the Eastern Shore. Meetings, Meetings,
Meetings MAC – On Sept. 22nd, CDRC spoke at the Medicaid Advisory Committee. We are still working to get consumers (folks on Medicaid) to be part of this committee. The Committee has begun looking for consumer recommendations and will then submit names to Secretary McCann and the Governor for appointment to this very important committee. CDRC expects to be offered a seat on the Medicaid Advisory Committee. We also told a Nursing Facility representative who was complaining about not getting enough of a rate increase next year that Community Services are really the ones that need money and that most people prefer to live in the community and not in the Nursing Facility. DOD – On September 13, CDRC members Anna, Kenny, Floyd, Linda, and John met with DOD (Department of Disability) Secretary Kris Cox and Rhonda Workman. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss things we’d like to see in the Maryland Olmstead State Plan. The Olmstead decision is a Supreme Court decision that states people should receive their care and services in the least restrictive setting. The decision is six years old and Maryland still does not have a state plan. This is pretty sad for Maryland. CDRC members discussed Housing, getting people out of NFs and SRCs (Nursing Facilities and State Residential Centers/Institutions), and community supports for persons with disabilities (PWD). Overall, we didn’t get very much commitment from the DOD and are not very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. We will continue to try to be part of the writing of Maryland’s Olmstead Plan and will keep our members involved and informed. Web Site The web page is being updated weekly with new photos of different events and legislature home visits with CDRC members. We are also filling the information page with resources and lots of useful data on Medicaid, Housing, and other important stuff for you. Take a look around. www.thecdrc.org Meetings CDRC has lots going on in October so be sure to check the calendar and let us know if you are interested in attending or taking part in anything. 10/7 CDRC meets with Resource Coordination 10/14 SunShine Folks Brunch 10/14 Maryland ADAPT meeting 10/18 Governor’s Housing Conference 10/18 CommunityChoice Access Subcommittee meeting 10/20 CDRC meets with Service Coordination 10/23 CDRC membership meeting 10/27 Living At Home Waiver Advisory Committee meeting The next CDRC meeting is October 23rd Maryland City at Russett Library3501 Russett CommonLaurel, MD 20724 1:00 – 4:00 |
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