In PartnershipAtlantis Community, AdvocacyDenver, The Arc of Colorado and theColorado Department of Public Health and Environmenthave scheduled a vaccine clinic!
The Moderna, a two-dose vaccine, will be offered on Friday, April 23 for the first dose and Friday, May 21st for the second dose, from 1 PM – 4 PM at 201 South Cherokee, Unit 100, Denver, CO 80223
[Read more…] about COVID Vaccine Clinic April 23rdDecision Making Regarding the COVID-19 Vaccine
This page has a section of links to information about the vaccine itself which can be easily accessed by clicking on the hyperlinks in this article. Though AdvocacyDenver cannot provide you with a definitive answer to the question, we can provide you with the tools you need to make the best decision possible for yourself or the person in your life with a disability.
[Read more…] about Decision Making Regarding the COVID-19 VaccineLatest COVID-19 Information by and for People with Disabilities
Due to COVID-19, AdvocacyDenver office will be closed to outside visitors until further notice. Our staff will be working in the office and/or remotely and will be able to participate in meetings virtually. We recognize that there is still important work to do, and we’re striving to perform those vital services while helping stop the community spread of COVID 19.
[Read more…] about Latest COVID-19 Information by and for People with DisabilitiesPriorities: The COVID-19 Vaccine
An Interview With Kaley Day
Nearly one year after COVID-19 changed our world and impacted lives globally, the release of two FDA-approved vaccines has offered hope to many. For Colorado’s intellectual and developmental disability community, the relief offered by the vaccine has become imperative to a population more impacted by social isolation, where the function of essential services and supports has changed, and many live with co-occurring or underlying conditions. In these interviews, AdvocacyDenver seeks to understand the development of Colorado’s vaccine priority schedule, along with the perspective of advocates and family members.
[Read more…] about Priorities: The COVID-19 VaccineHome and Community Based Services – Developmental Disabilities (HCBS-DD) Waiver – Waiting List Stakeholder Engagement Announcement
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) will be providing multiple opportunities for stakeholder engagement regarding potential changes to the HCBS-DD waiver waiting list management.
[Read more…] about Home and Community Based Services – Developmental Disabilities (HCBS-DD) Waiver – Waiting List Stakeholder Engagement AnnouncementNational Arc Fights Court Decision to Invalidate the ACA
An Interview with Catherine Strode
The national Arc is fighting a 2018 ruling in a Texas U.S. District Court that determined the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. That case is now pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The Arc has joined 14 other national organizations representing people with disabilities in filing an amicus brief appealing to reverse the lower court’s decision.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Arc of the United States, Peter Berns, has called the lower court’s decision “an extraordinary threat” for people with disabilities and their families. He says if the ACA is taken off the books, it will set the advocacy efforts for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) back 70 years.
Last Interview
From The Desk of Pamela Bisceglia
At different times, over the years, I had an opportunity to stand with Carrie Ann Lucas on issues important to the community of individuals with disabilities. I cannot report that we were Facebook friends, we did not meet for lunch or dinner or discuss our personal lives. I knew Carrie as a bright, firm, determined parent, attorney, advocate, and community leader. If there was a question in relation to the rights of parents with disabilities, Carrie was the expert.
[Read more…] about Last InterviewThe Arc of the United States Opposes Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh
The Arc of the United States is actively opposing the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It is rare for the national Arc to oppose judicial nominations. The last time the United States Arc opposed a judicial nomination was more than 30 years ago.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Peter Berns, says Judge Kavanaugh represents values and a philosophy that are regressive for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. He is urging Arc chapters across the country to speak out against the Kavanaugh nomination to their U.S. Senators, asking them for a “NO” vote on his Supreme Court nomination.
In this interview with Catherine Strode, Peter Berns cites specific decisions written by Judge Kavanaugh that are found to be offensive by the national Arc. Berns says these decisions in the areas of health care, education, and employment threaten the independence and well-being of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
[Read more…] about The Arc of the United States Opposes Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh
Call For Electronic Visit Verification Delay Grows Strong Nationwide
The Washington DC House of Representatives successfully passed H.R. 6042 that would delay by one year the implementation of Electronic Visit Verification. Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is a tracking system that requires electronic verification of when a person receives Medicaid funded personal care or home health services. The bill that has passed the House extends the deadline to January 1, 2020 for implementing EVV for personal care services. A Senate vote on the bill is expected in July
Nicole Jorwic, Director of Rights Policy at The Arc of the United States, calls the delay of EVV a ‘civil rights issue.’ She says the delay is important because it will give stakeholders the opportunity to work out the challenges of privacy protection.
[Read more…] about Call For Electronic Visit Verification Delay Grows Strong Nationwide
State Prepares for Electronic Visit Verification Rollout
Over 30,000 Coloradans receiving Home and Community Based Services through the state will be impacted by the federal mandate of electronic visit verification (EVV.) The federal mandate goes into effect on the first day of January 2019. The verification system must be in place in order to continue to receive a 50 percent match from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Stakeholder groups are meeting with representatives from the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing throughout the state to become educated about the verification system requirements.
In an interview with Catherine Strode, the state’s Director of Benefits and Services explains Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), how the state will implement it and what concerns are being expressed by clients and providers. In Part One of this interview, Colin Laughlin explains how Colorado will do a “soft rollout” of the Electronic Visit Verification with the formost concern being protection of privacy. [Read more…] about State Prepares for Electronic Visit Verification Rollout