Help With Medicare Prescription Drug Costs

Ever wish that there was some help out there for your medicare premiums and/or prescription drug coverage? There is!

Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for the extra help if they have limited income and resources. The extra help can increase their cost savings by paying for part of the monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments under the new prescription drug program. The extra help is estimated to be worth an average of $3,900 per year.

How to get it:

* Online application for help with Medicare prescription drug costs.

* "Do I qualify?" Online tool.

* Application pdf

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

2009 ND Medicaid Thresholds

IM 5062 ATTACHED CHART 2009 Medicaid Income Level Chart - Effective 04-01-09

Publish at Scribd or explore others:

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

WWD Income Level for 2009

Effective April 1, 2009, the income level for eligibility for Workers with Disabilities (WWD) coverage is $2,031 per month for one individual. This is an increase of $81 over the 2008 level of $1,950 per month. Source: IM #5062 to the Medicaid Program Policy Manual.

Income for WWD eligibility purposes is the net amount that remains after certain disregards and deductions are subtracted from gross income. For more detail, see the entry dated March 5, 2008, under the WWD topic of this blog

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

SOCIAL SECURITY News Release Vice President Biden Announces $250 Recovery Payments to Go to Social Security and SSI Beneficiaries in May

Vice President Joe Biden and Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today that the federal government will send out $250 economic recovery payments to people who receive Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits beginning in early May 2009 and continuing throughout the month. No action is required to get the payment, which will be sent separately from the person’s regular monthly payment.

"The Social Security Administration and Commissioner Astrue have been working closely with other federal agencies to get these payments out the door in record time and into the hands of folks who need it most," said Vice President Biden. "These are checks that will make a big difference in the lives of older Americans and people with disabilities - many of whom have been hit especially hard by the economic crisis that has swept across the country."

“We have been working diligently to issue the $250 one-time recovery payments as soon as possible,” Commissioner Astrue said. “The legislation requires extensive coordination with other federal agencies and I’m pleased we are on track to issue these recovery payments earlier than the statute requires. Soon more than $13 billion will be in the hands of more than 50 million Americans.”

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides for a one-time payment of $250 to adult Social Security beneficiaries, and to SSI recipients, except those receiving Medicaid in care facilities. To receive the payment the individual must be eligible for Social Security or SSI during the months of November 2008, December 2008 or January 2009.

The legislation also provides for a one-time payment to Veterans Affairs (VA) and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) beneficiaries. The VA and RRB will be responsible for paying individuals under their respective programs. However, if someone receives Social Security and SSI, VA or RRB benefits, he or she will receive only one $250 payment. People getting Social Security or SSI should not contact the agency unless a payment is not received by June 4, 2009.

For more detailed information about the $250 one-time economic recovery payments, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/payment.

To learn more about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, go to www.recovery.gov.


Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

Housing Information: Stimulus Bill and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits

Until Congress recently enacted the Stimulus Bill, the IRS had taken the position that Low-Income Housing Tax Credits were not "federal financial assistance" and therefore the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 did not apply. HUD had tacitly deferred to IRS. As a consequence, people with disabilities were frequently discriminated against in one of the largest housing programs in the country.

With the recently enacted Stimulus Bill, people with disabilities now have the same Section 504 rights and protections as they have in other "federal financial assistance" programs.

The recently enacted Stimulus act has two important provisions with regards to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program that disability advocates should be aware of.

First, Congress enacted a "housing credit exchange program." Your State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) is authorized to "exchange" 100% of unused 2007 and 2008 LIHTC and 40% of their 2009 allocation to developers. In return, your State Housing Finance Agency will receive 85 cents on the dollar.

This is very important because if a housing developer had applied and received a LIHTC allocation but then could not, given the economy, find an investor that would "buy" the credit, with the Stimulus Bill the developer could turn in the credits and receive cash (85 cents on the dollar) from your HFA.

With these funds, your State will be able to continue funding programs for qualified low-income housing residents. Disability advocates must make sure that your HFA requires developers (for housing developments from 2007-2009) comply with Section 504 (see below).

Second, Congress allocated HOME funds to HFAs to fill gaps in tax credit deals. Developers will have to apply for these funds and these HOME funds will fill "gap financing" for tax credit developments. Housing developers must show that the use of such funds will increase the total funds available for the construction or rehabilitation of the affordable housing.

Third, funds provided from both of these programs must be used before January 1, 2011 or the funds will be returned to the Treasury.

What does this mean for advocates?

Funds from these two programs must be used and allocated in accordance with the HFA's allocation plans. However, in many states, these plans in the past did not require compliance with Section 504. You must address this and make sure that before your HFA uses any of these funds, there is
an amendment to the allocation plan so that developers know they must comply with Section 504.

There is no doubt that these funds are "federal financial assistance" and therefore Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is applicable. While there had been some dispute whether "tax credits" were "federal
financial assistance," there is no issue with the two funds. This gives advocates a new opportunity to make sure there is compliance with 504.

Therefore, 24. C.F.R. section 8.22 requires that at least five percent of the units be fully accessible to people with physical disabilities and another two percent for people with visual and hearing impairments. Not only must these units be accessible, but they must be targeted to people who require these accessible features.

Any HFA accepting these funds MUST reopen their allocation plans to make sure they require AT LEAST FIVE PERCENT of the new construction must be fully accessible.

At least for the funds in the two Stimulus Bill, we should also be demanding that the HFA target or change allocation plans to target a large portion of these funds to the lowest-income people - people at the SSI income level/18% of the average median income, something most HFAs throughout the country have not done with the LIHTC in the past.

Nationally, we should be looking at how the new Secretary of HUD implements the Stimulus Bill. This is an important opportunity for HUD to take the lead and address the shameful housing crisis people with
disabilities face.

Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues

Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at
http://www.stevegoldada.com
with a searchable Archive at this site divided into different subjects.


Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

$ Help to Maintain Your Phone Service

Having telephone service has become an essential part of daily life. From facilitating communication between family, friends and employers - to accessing emergency services, the telephone has become less of a luxury and more a piece of our environmental fabric. But for many low-income individuals in North Dakota, the monthly bill of telephone services has reached the chopping block. When decisions need to be made about spending, essentials come first. And as much as a telephone is deemed "necessary" in today's society, it still plays second fiddle to the primary needs of people.

Luckily, there is financial assistance for those needing help paying for phone service. It's called the Lifeline and Linkup. Click on the link to find out more.

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. SSA's responsibilities under the Recovery Act include replacing the National Computer Center, dedicating additional resources to the processing of disability and retirement workloads, and issuing a one-time payment of $250 to nearly 55 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries. For more information, click here.

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com

Disability Savings Accounts

The bipartisan Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2009 (ABLE Act), H.R.1205/S. 493, was introduced in both the House and Senate on February 26. The bills would allow individuals and families to establish special accounts for meeting the future needs of children and adults with disabilities. Funds in the accounts and expenditures which meet the requirements of the bills would not affect the individuals' eligibility for federal benefits. Using these accounts, parents would be able to save funds for a child's future in a manner similar to the special "529 accounts" currently used to save for a child's future educational expenses. The House bill was introduced by Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) along with Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Kendrick Meek (D-FL). The Senate bill was introduced by Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA) along with Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Burr (R-NC), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Edward Kennedy (D-MA). The bills were referred to the House Ways and Means and the Energy and Commerce Committees and to the Senate Finance Committee. The Arc and UCP worked with the sponsors and with other supporting organizations on development of the bills.

Any questions may be directed to: rsi5@srt.com