[nfbwatlk] Fwd: January: Medicaid cuts, Access Fund news, Board recruitment & Jan. resources

Mon Jan 10 23:52:05 UTC 2011

I wonder if the Access fund will pay for prosthetic eyes.

Kaye
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 12:44 PM
Subject: [nfbwatlk] Fwd: January: Medicaid cuts, Access Fund news,Board 
recruitment & Jan. resources

>
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: "Washington Access Fund" <info at washingtonaccessfund.org>
>> Date: January 10, 2011 10:09:05 PST
>> To: k7uij at panix.com
>> Subject: January: Medicaid cuts, Access Fund news, Board recruitment & 
>> Jan. resources
>>
>
>>
>> If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may see it online.
>> Share This:
>> In this issue: medicaid cuts, what's new, board recruitment, and January 
>> resources.
>>
>>
>>
>> Access Fund News
>> January, 2011
>>
>>
>> Do you have a story to share? Is there something you would like to learn 
>> about? Send your ideas to info at washingtonaccessfund.org!
>>
>>
>> Medicaid Program Cuts - How the Access Fund can Help
>> The WA State Medicaid program began notifying clients in December of a 
>> revised list of 2011 program cuts. Some immediate cuts (effective January 
>> 1st, 2011) include adult eyeglasses and contacts, adult hearing aids and 
>> adult dental services (except for emergency treatments) as well as 
>> school-based services such as occupational, speech and physical therapy 
>> for special education students.
>>
>> The announcement states that 2,400 clients will be affected by the loss 
>> in coverage for adult hearing (at a savings of $300,000) and 67,000 
>> clients will be impacted by the loss of coverage for adult vision (at a 
>> savings of $500,000). Governor Gregoire proposes to restore the cuts in 
>> the next biennial budget starting in July contingent upon legislative 
>> approval.
>>
>> We've heard via the grapevine that some DSHS clients have already had 
>> their audiology appointments cancelled because they have no way to pay 
>> for the hearing aids or related services. In response, the Access Fund 
>> has modified its loan polices to allow "pre-approvals" for hearing aid 
>> loans. This means that customers can apply for a loan prior to making an 
>> appointment with their audiologist. If approved, the customer can let the 
>> audiologist know that they have funding to cover the cost of both the 
>> appointment and the hearing aids up to the approval amount. If arranged 
>> in advance, the appointment can be paid for prior to or at the time of 
>> service. If hearing aids are prescribed, the customer would submit the 
>> prescription and invoice to the Access Fund. Once all of the loan 
>> documents are signed, the Fund will pay the vendor. The approval amount 
>> will depend upon the customer's budget.
>>
>> Pre-approvals are available for any potential customer - not just 
>> Medicaid clients. We realize that hearing aids can be expensive and many 
>> DSHS clients may not be able to afford to repay a large loan. In that 
>> situation, customers may want to contact Leann in our office to learn 
>> more about the Access Fund's Matched Savings Accounts. Other hearing aid 
>> funding sources are listed on our website at: Funding Resources for 
>> Hearing.
>>
>> Access Fund loans cannot be used for eye glasses or regular dental care 
>> but we do cover dentures and, of course, many other types of assistive 
>> technology. The interest rate is 5% and loan terms of up to five years 
>> are available.
>>
>> To read the announcement and for more updated information, please visit 
>> the WA State DSHS website.
>>
>>
>> What else is new at the Access Fund?
>> Client Business Directory! The Access Fund is launching a new section on 
>> their website for their clients' small businesses. Click here to check it 
>> out! If you are an Access Fund client and have a small business, feel 
>> free to send us your information.
>>
>> Welcome new board member Mara: Mara Kamstra is a full time student at 
>> Eastern Washington University working toward a degree in Occupational 
>> Therapy, a minor in Anthropology and a completed certificate in 
>> disAbility Studies. She is looking toward Occupational Therapy as a 
>> method to put assistive technologies to work for people with 
>> disabilities, and promoting independence. Mara has a passion for human 
>> rights advocacy and is an active member of the Board of Directors for 
>> Spokane's Independent Living Center. She is also the proud parent of a 
>> child with developmental disabilities.
>>
>> Many thanks to retiring board members, Margaret Mortz and Jeff Burnett, 
>> for their six years of dedicated service! With us throughout our 
>> "formative" years, Jeff and Margaret made many significant contributions 
>> to the growth and development of our program! We can't thank them enough!
>>
>>
>> New Board Member Recruitment!!!
>> The Access Fund is looking for new Board members:  If you have a passion 
>> for promoting access to technology and economic opportunity for people 
>> with disabilities, you may be just the person we are looking for! For 
>> more information about our board and application materials, please visit 
>> this link: Board Member Recruitment.
>>
>>
>> January Resources
>> Sprint Relay Workshop! On Saturday, January 29, 2011 from 1pm-4pm, TACID 
>> (Tacoma Area Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities) with Sprint 
>> Relay Contractors and Specialists, will be giving a presentation/workshop 
>> on Sprint Relay materials. The workshop will assist with understanding 
>> and using features of Sprint Relay Service including devices such as: 
>> Androids, VRS Relay on Samsung Epic, HTC EVO, CapTel to Go on EVO and 
>> Epic, Blackberry Tour, Curve and others. Other features include: video 
>> chat on the Qik, Fring, Tango and the difference in 3G, 4G and WiFi. RSVP 
>> is needed by January 24th. Please email Sheila.Jackson at sprint.com or 
>> Ricky.Dockter at sprint.com.
>>
>> Unleash the power of AT! Dr. Pat Brown at the University of Washington is 
>> offering an online course beginning February 23rd, 2011 that is designed 
>> for rehab professionals with little background in Assistive Technology. 
>> To get more information about the course, please visit the following 
>> link: AT for Rehab Professionals.
>>
>>
>> Our mission is to promote access to technology and economic opportunity 
>> for individuals with disabilities in Washington State. The Washington 
>> Access Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Community Development Financial 
>> Institution (CDFI).
>>
>> Washington Access Fund provides: Assistive Technology Loans, Business 
>> Equipment Loans, CCTV Rentals, and Matched Savings IDAs
>>
>> Join the Access Fund email list.
>> Share us on Facebook.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> 100 South King Suite 280 | Seattle, Washintgon 98104 US
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