No Changes in COLA, SGA, etc for 2011

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

Verizon Customers, Welcome To Haven!

by Walter Gramza

It's finally here! An affordable, fully accessible phone from Verizon

Wireless.

As of July 29th, 2010, Verizon Wireless has available in its stores a phone

for blind and visually impaired persons which is fully audible via Nuance

speech. There is no extra charge for the speech package, as it is already

installed in the phone and ready for use out of the box.

It is important to note here that when you go to the store, please make sure

that you tell the person assisting you to be sure to turn on the voices

called read outs, located under settings, then sounds, and down to voices.

The six items to be turned on are:

. Menu read out

. digit read out

. alert read out

. flip open and talk

. text message read out

. full read out

In order for the phone to be audible these features need to be turned on.

Placing a Call:

You can enter the contact list by pushing the right soft key in the upper

right hand corner of the phone and then arrow through the contacts or by

pressing the letter of the contact you wish to call. For example, *v* for

Verizon Wireless. Then you can hit ok to view the contact information and

hit send to place a call.

You can enter into your call list of choice which are:

1. Missed calls

2. Dialed calls

3. Answered calls

4. All calls

After entering any one of the lists, you can edit the list and if desired,

delete the specific name and number within the list. You can find out how

much battery strength you have, signal strength, and how many messages,

voice mails, and missed calls you have. You can use the alarm clock, set a

time audibly, use the calculator, tip calculator, and send and read texts.

In short, you are prompted through every one of the functions you are

performing. You can even ask it to call someone provided that they are in

the contact list.

A Braille manual is available through Samsung. Remember, when you go to

Verizon Wireless, you'll need to get the hex number, which they can give

you. You then call Samsung at 888-987-4357 and provide them with this

number along with your address and it will take about one month to receive

the manual. You can also purchase an extended battery which lasts one and

one half times longer than the standard battery.

This is best as any phone with speech uses more battery power and shortens

the life of the battery. By having the extended battery it should bring you

through the day safely. I always make it a habit to charge the phone each

night so that I begin a new day, the phone also begins a new day as well.

When you put the phone into the base charger it says *charging.* When the

phone is charged it says *charge complete.*

If you are a Verizon Wireless customer and are eligible for an upgrade, you

can get the phone for free. If you want to start a new contract with

Verizon Wireless, you get the phone for $40.00 complete with speech software

included. If anyone would like assistance in learning the functions of the

phone, they may contact me via email at:

wgramza1@verizon.net

I hope that you will go and get this phone seeing that this is the only

other phone outside of the 3gs iPhone by apple that is accessible with step

by step prompts throughout the entire phone. Let's show Verizon how

grateful we are for a well planned phone by taking advantage of such a great

item.

Article Source:

Matilda Ziegler Magazine for the Blind

Click this link for a lengthy podcast demonstrating all the phone's

features:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/kckby2

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

SSA ISSUES FAVORABLE NEW REGS

SSA has issued new regulations that incorporate improvements to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program required by the HEART Act (Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2008). The HEART Act changes, in a positive manner, the way SSA treats certain cash payments to members of the uniformed services and veterans and cash and in-kind payments to AmeriCorps volunteers.

These include:

State Annuities for Blind, Aged, or Disabled Veterans

Before the HEART Act, SSA counted State annuity payments as income in the

month received, and as a resource if retained into the following month. SSA

is revising sections 416.1124 (Unearned income not counted) and 416.1210

(Exclusions from resources; general) to reflect section 202 of the HEART Act

and exclude, for SSI eligibility and benefit determinations, annuity

payments that a State pays to a person (or his or her spouse) because the

State has determined that the person is: A veteran; and Blind, disabled, or aged.

Under section 202 of the HEART Act, SSA excludes these payments from income

for the month received and from resources beginning with the month after the

month received.

AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps NCCC Payments

Prior to the HEART Act, SSA treated cash or in-kind payments from the

AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps NCCC programs as countable

income. SSA is revising sections 416.1112 (Earned income not counted) and

416.1124 (Unearned income not counted) to reflect section 203 of the HEART

Act. For SSI eligibility and benefit determinations, SSA will exclude from

countable income any cash or in-kind payments to program participants or on

the AmeriCorps participants behalf. Such payments may include, but are not

limited to: Food and shelter, stipends, living allowance payments, clothing

allowances, educational awards, and payments in lieu of educational awards.

These welcome regulations became effective on September 7, 2010

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

Court Mandates Change in Communication for SSA and Visually Impaired

Currently, SSA communicates with beneficiaries with disabilities via letters and phone calls. A recent class-action suit found this practice violated people's rights to equal access to programs - specifically for individuals with a visual impairment.

The ruling mandates that SSA is to provide the nation's 3 million blind or visually impaired recipients the option of receiving benefit notices in braille or by audio computer disc by April, 15th.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/20/MNQ21A8D2F.DTL#ixzz0UZsatbWW

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