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

Tue Jan 11 01:35:45 UTC 2011

That would definitely be of interest to me. 

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Kaye Kipp
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2011 3:52 PM
To: NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Fwd: January: Medicaid cuts, Access Fund news,Board
recruitment & Jan. resources

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 This email 
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