[nfbmi-talk] from mpas annual report

[joe harcz Comcast]

What is MCB here chopped liver? Also note that Michigan Rehab Services is going to be forced into an order of selection? Could MCB be far behind that order? Well we don't know because even commissioners don't get timely and accessible information related to our own affairs!

This is outragious.

By the way I informed Jeanette Brown on several instances including at Service delivery and Design Team meetings of the chronic and systemic violations of the ADA and 504 within MCB itself.

For the record.

Joe Harcz
Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service

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Priority: Eliminate Employment Barriers and Protect Rights

Priority: Eliminate Employment Barriers and Protect Rights

MPAS works to ensure that people with disabilities have reasonable opportunities for employment and independent living, freedom from employment discrimination,
and access to assistive technology related to obtaining or retaining employment.

536 individuals provided with information and referral

203 individuals received direct representation

Employees with Disabilities Have the Right to Good Working Conditions and a Living Wage

MPAS aims to assure that individual choices are respected and that employees be provided fair and unbiased employment options from which to choose. We remain
firmly committed to strict enforcement of applicable labor laws and prohibition against exploitation of all workers.

Federal law mandates that advocates provide information and assistance to individuals with disabilities seeking or receiving vocational rehabilitation services
under the Rehabilitation Act.

MPAS staff provided Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) with a list of cases involving application issues and failure to provide due process rights.
As a result, MRS was able to make positive policy changes that resulted in improved service.

Work continues with MRS regarding order of selection which is required by federal regulation to go into effect when a public vocational rehabilitation program
can no longer provide timely services by qualified counselors to all persons statewide who meet federal eligibility requirements regardless of disability
or source of referral. Customers are put on statewide waiting lists for services and served according to severity of disability first, and then in the
order they enter the system.

Although MPAS opposes an order of selection, one will be federally imposed October 1, 2012. MPAS advocates will continue meeting with the MRS work group
to oversee the implementation and to assure that client needs are adequately addressed.

Keeping in Touch with Community Concerns by Participating in Work Groups, Committees, and Outreach Activities

Aside from the MRS work group, MPAS staff reached out with information and referral to potential clients by presenting at the Peckham Community Vocational
Rehabilitation Advocacy Fair, the Michigan Rehabilitation Conference, and by exhibiting at seven Homeless Connect events, a collaboration of local and
state organizations designed to reach underserved populations.

Our presence was mandated and visible on the Michigan Rehabilitation Council (MRC), including representation on the Executive Committee and the Service
Delivery Effectiveness Committee. A seat on this council empowers MPAS to provide information on customer complaints and to work on systemic solutions
to identified issues.

We also attended Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB) Service Delivery Design Team committee meetings, a committee of both MCB staff and consumer groups
that addresses policy and procedural issues and makes recommendations for change to the commission. As a member of the Michigan Commission for the Blind
Board of Commissioners, MPAS provides direct feedback on whether MCB policies, programs, and services are meeting the needs of clients. Staff also keeps
abreast of issues related to Independent Living Centers by regularly participating in Statewide Independent Living Council meetings.

Priority: Eliminate Employment Barriers and Protect Rights

In an effort to provide coordinated, effective, and efficient support to clients, MPAS participated in a Michigan Jobs Coalition, sponsored by the Medicaid
Infrastructure Grant (MIG).

The Coalition was successful in proposing new additions to the Freedom to Work legislation and collaboratively advocated for reasonable and affordable Medicaid
spend-downs. It also reviewed the Social Security Administration’s Substantial Gainful Activity and other topics affecting individuals with disabilities
who are employed or attempting to become employed.

Reaching out to underserved populations is an MPAS priority across all programs. We did so by presenting to the Michigan Commission for the Blind Diversity
Committee on ways to engage with Arab Americans. MPAS has since been invited to join the committee and was asked to consult with MCB staff on how to further
relationships with Arab American clients.

Breaking Through Employment Barriers

Highlight

A client was interested in attending Michigan Career and Technical Institute (MCTI) and was told by his counselor at Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS)
that he was too immature to attend. The counselor suggested that the client volunteer to work over the summer to gain experience, which he did. At the
end of the summer, the counselor said the client still was not ready to begin training and suggested that he apply to Community Mental Health to receive
services related to supported employment.

MPAS intervened and, after reviewing his records, decided that the client was a typical teenager who was being asked to work without pay. Through an intervention
with the site manager, a new counselor was assigned who immediately began helping the client apply to MCTI.

Priority: Eliminate Employment Barriers and Protect Rights

MPAS Helps Client Eliminate $20,000 in Disability Overpayments

It happened twice before. William went to his mailbox and found a letter stating that he would no longer be receiving his disability benefits. Unlike the
other times, however, this time the letter went on to say that not only would his payments stop but that he would be responsible for repaying the Social
Security Administration more than $20,000!

“I already have a bad heart,” says Riley. “This news didn’t exactly help.”

William has sarcoidosis, an inflammatory condition affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes and skin. He also has diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD), and requires a pacemaker for his heart condition.

Prior to his disability, William performed heavy physical labor as a machinist. He now works in a computer store repairing and rebuilding computers. Switching
careers was easier on him physically, but it was still difficult. “I tried to keep working full time at the computer store,” says William. “But the more
hours I worked the sicker I got. It became a vicious cycle, so my doctor recommended that I work part time instead.”

William enrolled in a program administered by the SSA that is designed to help individuals with disabilities to work and earn a living wage, thereby eliminating
the need to receive disability benefits. Although William was willing and wanted to work full time, his disabilities limited his ability to do so. This
meant that he could continue to work part time and still collect his full disability benefits as long as he didn’t earn over a certain amount.

In September 2008, William was given advice by a third party that, given his hourly pay, he could work 32 hours a week and still be eligible for his full
disability benefits. Thinking he was following the rules, he began working eight hours a day, four days a week at the computer store.

What wasn’t taken into consideration by the person giving William advice, however, was that William was also earning a 1% commission on computer repairs
and parts sales on top of his hourly wage. These commission earnings pushed him over the amount he was eligible to earn from his job and still receive
full disability income from the SSA.

“When the letter arrived stating I was not only cut off but would have to repay over $20,000 in overpayments, I was devastated,” says William. “My family
counts on that money to pay our bills and to keep our head above water. It really caused a lot of stress for all of us.”

William knows never to ignore notices from the SSA. If a letter comes in the mail, he calls the local SSA office for help. If they are unable to offer assistance,
he calls Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service at 800.288.5923.

If called within 10 days, typically the SSA will not discontinue benefits. Timelines are important, however, and must be followed closely. Sometimes the
overpayment amount can be reduced. Other times, a payment plan can be set up to allow the client to pay off the debt over time. Or as in William’s case,
eliminate the overpayment completely!

“Having that $20,000 overpayment removed has lifted a lot of pressure from our lives,” says William. “I’m glad we addressed the situation quickly because
ignoring it was not going to make it go away.”

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