Ohio Legal Rights Service

LRS temporarily limiting representation in special education cases

Kim McConnell — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:41:10 +0000

February 6, 2012 - 11:45

The past few months have been busy for special education questions coming into our Intake department. Due to this increase, we will continue providing short-term assistance but are limiting cases we accept for representation. We apologize for the inconvenience and will reassess the situation periodically.

See also the Special Education section on our website for online publications and other resources that may provide answers to your questions.

No more Part D copayments for dual eligibles receiving home and community based services

Kim McConnell — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:48:15 +0000

February 9, 2012 - 16:45

Beginning this year, people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles) who are receiving Medicaid home and community based services (HCBS) no longer have to pay co-payments for Medicare Part D prescription drugs. This change went into effect January 1, 2012 and is a provision of the Affordable Care Act. However, according to the National Senior Citizens Law Center, advocates should be alert to potential issues. Each state is responsible for submitting the change to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and there may be a lag in the process depending on when the state submitted its change. Further, because implementation requires modifications to state reporting, it is possible that problems will emerge if a state's data systems have not been appropriately adjusted to conform to the new reporting requirements.

For more information: No Part D Copayments for Dual Eligibles Receiving Medicaid HCBS Services (PDF file)

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ABA supports provision of accommodations to LSAT test-takers with disabilities

Kim McConnell — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:29:30 +0000

February 9, 2012 - 16:30

The American Bar Association (ABA) issued a resolution urging places that give law school admission tests (LSAT) to provide reasonable accommodations for test-takers with disabilities. In addition, the resolution states that tests scores should not be flagged to indicate that the person taking the test received a disability-based accommodation.

State agencies partner to improve readiness of people with disabilities for employment

Kim McConnell — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:26:23 +0000

February 8, 2012 - 14:30

The Ohio Department of Aging, the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission are collaborating with other local partners to link people receiving vocational rehabilitation services with chronic disease self-management workshops and employment supports. This is being done to help them remain at or return to work. In addition, peer support groups and individual employment supports to help people become ready for the workforce will be offered. The program will be piloted in five cities, including Steubenville where the workshop will be targeted toward veterans with disabilities.

For more information, read a press release from the Ohio Department of Aging: State agencies partner to link vocational rehabilitation consumers and veterans to resources to help them return to work, age in place

Provide your input in person, online, or by phone about Ohio's proposed Medicaid waiver redesign

Kim McConnell — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:29:12 +0000

February 8, 2012 - 13:30

The Governor's Office of Health Transformation (OHT) is seeking input from people receiving Medicaid and those receiving both Medicare and Medicaid on proposed changes to Ohio's Medicaid program. People can provide their suggestions and comments by attending one of the regional forums, taking an online survey, or participating in a statewide conference call.

The state is working on two major initiatives that affect people with disabilities and seniors, including (1) integrating the delivery of services for individuals who are dually enrolled in the Medicare and Medicaid programs in Ohio, and (2) combining waivers that serve individuals with a nursing facility level of care. These waivers include: PASSPORT, Choices, Assisted Living, Ohio Home Care, and Transitions II Aging Care-Out Waiver. (Please note that waivers managed by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities are not impacted by this initiative.) More information about the proposed changes are available on the Ohio Health Transformation website: Expand and Streamline Home and Community Based Services

Regional Forums

Most of the forums have already happened, except the forum in Athens which will be held on Tuesday, February 14 at the Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Services, 90 Hospital Drive. Register by contacting Betsy Johnson or Karen Lindberg at 800-686-2646 or by e-mail at betsy@namiohio.org.

Previous forums were held in Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, and Cleveland.

Online Questionnaire

You can also provide your comments through an online questionnaire from the OHT website: Questionnaire for Medicaid Waiver Recipients and Medicare/Medicaid Beneficiaries. Responses received by February 20 will help inform a proposal the State of Ohio is submitting to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Responses after February 20 will help inform OHT during the the next phase of its work.

Statewide Conference Call

Another way to provide comments is during a statewide conference call on February 17 sponsored by the Olmstead Taskforce. For more information on how to participate in the conference call please contact Mary Butler at 440-864-3495 or mbutler@ohiosilc.org or Maria Matzik at 937-341-5202 ext. 20 or maria@acils.com.

LRS launches online voter education tutorial

Kim McConnell — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:18:57 +0000

February 7, 2012 - 14:15

People with disabilities can learn about the importance of their right to vote and how the voting process works by taking LRS' latest online tutorial, Project Vote Online Voter Education Tool Kit. This self-paced online training program provides people with disabilities the information they need to exercise their right to vote. Before launching the tutorial, LRS worked with ELP Consulting and People First of Ohio to identify people with various types of disabilities to test the tutorial. Nine people conducted reviews to make sure the information was easy to understand and the tutorial was accessible. LRS appreciates the valuable feedback provided by these individuals.

Topics covered in the Project Vote tutorial include:

How voting fits into a person's life.
How to register to vote, including a step-by-step process of how to complete a registration form.
How to learn about candidates and issues.
How to vote, including different types of voting machines and how to vote early.
Information about voting rights and how to overcome barriers to voting.
How to become involved and educate others about their voting rights.

The tutorial includes a downloadable Workbook for people to use to complete exercises and take notes.

About Project Vote

The information for this online Tool Kit was adapted from the Project Vote Voter Education Tool Kit created by the National Center for Self Determination & 21st Century Leadership; Moore Advocacy Consulting; Oklahoma People First, RRTC on Aging and Developmental Disabilities University of Illinois at Chicago; Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (S.A.B.E.). The two-day, interactive training was designed by people with cognitive disabilities to teach people with disabilities about their voting rights and to empower them to become Project Vote trainers.

Permission to use the Project Vote materials was granted by The National Technical Assistance Center for Voting and Cognitive Access. Funding for the Project Vote Voter Education Tool Kit was provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families, Administration on Developmental Disabilities under a grant from the Help America Vote Act.

LRS' Online Learning Center

The Online Voter Education Tool Kit is found at LRS' Online Learning Center. Other tutorials available are "Special Education and the Juvenile Justice System" which provides information for those working with students with disabilities in the juvenile justice system and "Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE)" which provides information for Social Security beneficiaries who want to return to work.

Still time to request an absentee ballot for the March 6th Primary Election

Kim McConnell — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:48 +0000

February 7, 2012 - 14:00

In Ohio, you can vote early by requesting an absentee ballot from your county board of elections. If you already requested an absentee ballot, it should have been be mailed to you sometime on or after January 31. If you have not requested an absentee ballot and would like one, you still have time. Your request must be received in writing by your county board of elections by noon on Saturday, March 3. However, the Ohio Secretary of State (SOS) recommends you submit your request as soon as possible to ensure there is sufficient time for the board to mail you a ballot and for you to return the ballot. You can also vote absentee at an early voting location in the county where you live.

If returning your absentee ballot by mail, your marked ballot must either be received by your county board of elections prior to the close of the polls on Election Day, or postmarked no later than the day before the election and received by the board of elections no later than 10 days after the election.

For more information, read LRS' online article on Early Voting or see the Voting Absentee section of the SOS website.

Early voting

Early voting in Ohio for the Primary Election began on Tuesday, January 31. You can either return your Absentee Ballot Form to the early voting location in your county or vote absentee by using the voting machine at the location. The deadline to vote early is 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 2. Locations and regular business hours for in-person absentee voting vary from county to county. Check with your county board of elections for details.