Guest guest Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Hi all: I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the question is: how to implement it? I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be prepared to apply for Home Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. May 8th, 2007 Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home based had been submitted. At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might not hear until October. October 2007 I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It would likely be another month. November 2007 I was told it would likely be another month. December 30, 2007 Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good question and would like others who have not yet applied for or received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a game plan well ahead of the funding letter. January 2, 2008 We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work rendered using Home Based funding. To Be Continued... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks for all your input. I will forward this to my husband! This is truly helpful, personally for us and hopefully for many others as well. Great info! Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Home Based Funding Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Why can you not be your own son's PSW? I don't understand that... you provide more personal support than anyone. I would absolutely keep my child in the school system until he's 22. Think about it...if you took him out, you would be getting $1900/month, but you also would have to hire someone to care for him if you work. Right now, you're getting $1270 with him in school, can you hire someone for $637/month to care for him approx. 7 hours a day(same amount of time that he'd be in school)? That's only about $5/hour. It really depends what you want for your son... If you're not happy with your school system, then that may be a different story, but if you are happy with them, by all means, take advantage of that wonderful safety net. Joanne Schubert I use " GoodSearch " for WE GROW DREAMS, INC... Please help We Grow Dreams, Inc. by using GoodSearch as your main search engine. www.goodsearch.com, is powered by thank you From: marjanca@...: IPADDUnite ; IPADDUnite@...: jojack81@...: Re: Re: Home Based FundingDate: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 03:32:57 +0000 My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? --Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen,It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our HomeBased Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back inearly April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we wouldreceive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, butconsidering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amountthat SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they aretelling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply tothe time they will receive their award letter.I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until wemet with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(greatguy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out theforms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether wecould start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicatedthat they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign anemployer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is thatif anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding,that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW),and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them forthe paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See ifyou can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, evenbefore your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for anemployer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do itproperly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, soyou may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of myson's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will allneed to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that myhusband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSWthat we will have . All the employer has to do is sign off on thetimesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be theemployer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, inwhich case, we would've had to ask someone else to be ouremployer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc...We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(althoughwe have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for hispersonal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we takehim places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We arehiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him tothe gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to thelibrary, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless theprovider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, inorder to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go tothe Family Support Network website and click on the link for the newAdult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC ofIllinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quiteoverwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar,was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language thatwe all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the powerpoint presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, youcan follow and make lots of notes!The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involvedand lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keepgoing to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and overwhat the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until Iwent to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a bigjumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Eventhe agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not awell traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring upEllen. thank you!>> Hi all:> I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my> area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the> educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid> Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those> individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the> question is: how to implement it?> I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience> in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how> it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime> in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes...>> I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home> Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the> educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU> caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be> prepared to apply for Home> Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We> emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork.>> May 8th, 2007> Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home> based had been submitted.> At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might> not hear until October.>> October 2007> I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the> paperwork had been proc essed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It> would likely be another month.>> November 2007> I was told it would likely be another month.>> December 30, 2007> Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for> Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid> losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how> to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good> question and would like others who have not yet applied for or> received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a> game plan well ahead of the funding letter.>> January 2, 2008> We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency,> Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to> set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the> funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday,> January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who> specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$,> the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work> rendered using Home Based funding.>> To Be Continued...> _________________________________________________________________ Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Great questions, Mar...I am hoping that Charlotte Cronin will weigh in here, as I believe she is the best person to answer your questions... If she does not, I will forward your post to her. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Re: Home Based Funding My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 There is a difference in that child waiver does not allow close relative to be a psw. In addition, it appears unclear at this time whether the funds cannot be used for recreational or other outside programs. Ellen Bronfeld <egskb@...> wrote: Great questions, Mar...I am hoping that Charlotte Cronin will weigh in here, as I believe she is the best person to answer your questions... If she does not, I will forward your post to her. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Re: Home Based Funding My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 This discussion is very timely and valuable for me. I just received an email from our contact person (wonderful woman, very helpful)at Access informing us that the local agency has agreed to facilitate my son's home-based-services. She also said that once the agency actually signed the paperwork, she would forward all of the paperwork to DHS for funding. My question is this: my son is 20 yo and still receives services through the school district. From the posts here, it seems that he would not be eligible until he exits the school system. If that is the case, should we still pursue this now? Thanks, Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Great topic - considering I just had to fax ANOTHER set of " extra documentation " to DHS - here is our story: We have two sons with Autism (age 14 and 10) . We started our application with CAU almost one year ago, early 2007. The package has only just been sent to DHS (Sept/Oct , 2007). Both applications are sitting in " clinical " committee review (not even out of DHS yet!!) And here we are, one year later, January, 2008, and we are still not even approved for the Waiver, much less on the 6-month waiting list yet. UUGHH!! The latest hold-up - they are not convinced that my younger son has Autism - this is a 4th grader in an NSSED ELS program, can't function without a one-on-one support at school, gets OT, APE, ST, and at Stage 3 of our RDI program (essentially the overall development of a 2-3 year old!) He was diagnosed, several times over the years, starting at 18-months. Yes, we have made progress, but he is certainly not CURED. So because of this, both of our sons' applications for Autism Waiver are just sitting in someone's pile somewhere. We wait, and we wait!! -------------- Original message -------------- From: " ellenbronfeld " <egskb@...> Hi all: I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the question is: how to implement it? I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be prepared to apply for Home Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. May 8th, 2007 Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home based had been submitted. At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might not hear until October. October 2007 I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It would likely be another month. November 2007 I was told it would likely be another month. December 30, 2007 Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good question and would like others who have not yet applied for or received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a game plan well ahead of the funding letter. January 2, 2008 We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work rendered using Home Based funding. To Be Continued... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 I hope all of you who are fighting for this daily don't find this a dumb question. But...How do you get SSI for a child. What qualifies them. My husband always felt that Shane should receive disability or SSi but having heard a lawyer speak at an ASI meet (Fox, I believe) I thought it was just impossible to get. As I can see it is lots of filing and follow up. Where do you start? My sister in law who is on disability for MS filled twice and the third time got a lawyer to help and that got her in. Please excuse the questions I guess I always thought it was impossible. **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 My son is still in school and receives funding the difference is he only receives 2X SSI instead of 3X. You should definitely pursue if you can get approved. -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " jhart40023us " <Jhart40023@...> This discussion is very timely and valuable for me. I just received an email from our contact person (wonderful woman, very helpful)at Access informing us that the local agency has agreed to facilitate my son's home-based-services. She also said that once the agency actually signed the paperwork, she would forward all of the paperwork to DHS for funding. My question is this: my son is 20 yo and still receives services through the school district. From the posts here, it seems that he would not be eligible until he exits the school system. If that is the case, should we still pursue this now? Thanks, Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Thanks, Leah. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Re: Home Based Funding My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen, It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our Home Based Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back in early April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we would receive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, but considering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amount that SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they are telling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply to the time they will receive their award letter. I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until we met with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(great guy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out the forms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether we could start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicated that they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign an employer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is that if anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding, that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW), and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them for the paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See if you can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, even before your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for an employer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do it properly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, so you may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of my son's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will all need to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that my husband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSW that we will have. All the employer has to do is sign off on the timesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be the employer, although, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, in which case, we would've had to ask someone else to be our employer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc... We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(although we have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for his personal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we take him places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We are hiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him to the gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to the library, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless the provider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, in order to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go to the Family Support Network website and click on the link for the new Adult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC of Illinois has any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quite overwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar, was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language that we all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the power point presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, you can follow and make lots of notes! The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involved and lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keep going to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and over what the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until I went to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a big jumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Even the agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not a well traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring up Ellen. thank you! > > Hi all: > I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my > area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the > educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid > Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those > individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the > question is: how to implement it? > I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience > in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how > it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime > in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... > > I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home > Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the > educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU > caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be > prepared to apply for Home > Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We > emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. > > May 8th, 2007 > Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home > based had been submitted. > At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might > not hear until October. > > October 2007 > I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the > paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It > would likely be another month. > > November 2007 > I was told it would likely be another month. > > December 30, 2007 > Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for > Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid > losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how > to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good > question and would like others who have not yet applied for or > received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a > game plan well ahead of the funding letter. > > January 2, 2008 > We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, > Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to > set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the > funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, > January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who > specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, > the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work > rendered using Home Based funding. > > To Be Continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi Jo-Ann: I forwarded your question and Mar's questions to Charlotte Cronin. I know some of the answers, but not all of them and I want to make sure that you could good, accurate information. I am hoping Charlotte will be so kind as to post her answers to both of you on IPADDU... Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Home Based Funding This discussion is very timely and valuable for me. I just received an email from our contact person (wonderful woman, very helpful)at Access informing us that the local agency has agreed to facilitate my son's home-based-services. She also said that once the agency actually signed the paperwork, she would forward all of the paperwork to DHS for funding. My question is this: my son is 20 yo and still receives services through the school district. From the posts here, it seems that he would not be eligible until he exits the school system. If that is the case, should we still pursue this now? Thanks, Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 How infuriating, . I would suggest a call to your local state Senator or Representative. Chances are, if you are in the NSSED system it would be Senator Garrett (847/433-2002). If you do not know who your State Representative is and/or you would like assistance in how to frame your call, feel free to email me at egskb@... This is really not at all acceptable. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Home Based Funding Great topic - considering I just had to fax ANOTHER set of " extra documentation " to DHS - here is our story: We have two sons with Autism (age 14 and 10) . We started our application with CAU almost one year ago, early 2007. The package has only just been sent to DHS (Sept/Oct , 2007). Both applications are sitting in " clinical " committee review (not even out of DHS yet!!) And here we are, one year later, January, 2008, and we are still not even approved for the Waiver, much less on the 6-month waiting list yet. UUGHH!! The latest hold-up - they are not convinced that my younger son has Autism - this is a 4th grader in an NSSED ELS program, can't function without a one-on-one support at school, gets OT, APE, ST, and at Stage 3 of our RDI program (essentially the overall development of a 2-3 year old!) He was diagnosed, several times over the years, starting at 18-months. Yes, we have made progress, but he is certainly not CURED. So because of this, both of our sons' applications for Autism Waiver are just sitting in someone's pile somewhere. We wait, and we wait!! -------------- Original message -------------- From: " ellenbronfeld " <egskb@...> Hi all: I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the question is: how to implement it? I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes... I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be prepared to apply for Home Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork. May 8th, 2007 Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home based had been submitted. At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might not hear until October. October 2007 I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the paperwork had been processed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It would likely be another month. November 2007 I was told it would likely be another month. December 30, 2007 Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good question and would like others who have not yet applied for or received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a game plan well ahead of the funding letter. January 2, 2008 We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency, Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday, January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$, the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work rendered using Home Based funding. To Be Continued... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Hi, my daughter is on the Home Based Adult Waiver. She is 20 and still in school so we qualify for 2x social security. I am a single parent so she is the employer. This can only be done if you have not taken guardianship, which I have not. If I ever do then she can no longer be the employer. I get paid for taking her to therapies, driving her to activities, instructional time (cooking, cleaning, laundry training), etc. If was told I cannot charge for fees like SRA or a gym so I would be interested if anyone knows differently and how do you do it. I also function as her job coach so I get paid for that and then I use whatever funds I get to pay for any fees, etc. The blessing for me was that I was able to quit a second job because I made enough as her PSW. She get psychological therapy thru the agency and they have a social group that they put together where a number of clients go out to bowl, dinner, shows, etc. once a week. I pay for her expenses and they charge the PSW time and travel split between the clients. I have not found anyone to provide services at the rates allowed, but since she is still in school that is not a big issue. I would like her to continue psychology and speech and social work later so if anyone knows of people who will do it for the rates allowed I would appreciate it. I'm also told that I cannot pay the difference (if the rate allowed is 37/hr and the actual is 60 for instance) so I don't know how that will work. We are still trying to get Social Security, and more important, Medicaid, but are having problems. She currently has Medicaid as a special needs adoption, but it runs out in a few months. If we can exchange info and help each other thru this forum it would surely be good because I know there are creative ways to use it. I never use our full amount. Part of it is that I am nervous about what I charge as her PSW. I don't want to get in any trouble and it is not clear to me what is appropriate. I would love to get some respite but I'm told I can't pay for that other than if I can get people to take her out and then I get a few hours. Anyone have any info on that? Thanks, Gloria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 What type of services are eligible for the funding? marjanca@... wrote: My son is still in school and receives funding the difference is he only receives 2X SSI instead of 3X. You should definitely pursue if you can get approved. -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " jhart40023us " <Jhart40023@...> This discussion is very timely and valuable for me. I just received an email from our contact person (wonderful woman, very helpful)at Access informing us that the local agency has agreed to facilitate my son's home-based-services. She also said that once the agency actually signed the paperwork, she would forward all of the paperwork to DHS for funding. My question is this: my son is 20 yo and still receives services through the school district. From the posts here, it seems that he would not be eligible until he exits the school system. If that is the case, should we still pursue this now? Thanks, Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 I can tell you that although my son has been disabled since birth he never qualified for SSI since a child's eligibility is based on the parents income. The best way to find out is to call Social Security and ask. They will ask some questions and let you know whether or not you qualify. My son having just turned 18 is currently awaiting approval. I completed the online application, sent copies of all his doctor and school reports and had a phone interview. My interviewer told me that he should qualify no problem since he is a non verbal autistic person. That was one month ago. According to her it takes 120 days to process. -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: KlippertC@... I hope all of you who are fighting for this daily don't find this a dumb question. But...How do you get SSI for a child. What qualifies them. My husband always felt that Shane should receive disability or SSi but having heard a lawyer speak at an ASI meet (Fox, I believe) I thought it was just impossible to get. As I can see it is lots of filing and follow up. Where do you start? My sister in law who is on disability for MS filled twice and the third time got a lawyer to help and that got her in. Please excuse the questions I guess I always thought it was impossible. **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 Here are two good resources for SSI: If you can afford it (I forget the cost), call Sherry Schneider at Family Benefits Solutions and she can do most of the work on the SSI for you...847/279-8506. Otherwise, Marsie Frawley at Health and Disability Advocates can give you the information you would need to apply for SSI on your own, 312/223-9600. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Re: Re: Home Based Funding I hope all of you who are fighting for this daily don't find this a dumb question. But...How do you get SSI for a child. What qualifies them. My husband always felt that Shane should receive disability or SSi but having heard a lawyer speak at an ASI meet (Fox, I believe) I thought it was just impossible to get. As I can see it is lots of filing and follow up. Where do you start? My sister in law who is on disability for MS filled twice and the third time got a lawyer to help and that got her in. Please excuse the questions I guess I always thought it was impossible. **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 sherry schneider's cost is approximately $1500 if you can afford it, as ellen says, it is well worth it karen On Jan 8, 2008, at 11:11 AM, Ellen Bronfeld wrote: > Here are two good resources for SSI: > If you can afford it (I forget the cost), call Sherry Schneider at > Family Benefits Solutions and she can do most of the work on the SSI > for you...847/279-8506. > Otherwise, Marsie Frawley at Health and Disability Advocates can > give you the information you would need to apply for SSI on your > own, 312/223-9600. > Ellen > > Ellen Garber Bronfeld > egskb@... > Re: Re: Home Based Funding > > I hope all of you who are fighting for this daily don't find this a > dumb > question. But...How do you get SSI for a child. What qualifies them. > My > husband always felt that Shane should receive disability or SSi but > having heard a > lawyer speak at an ASI meet (Fox, I believe) I thought it was just > impossible to get. As I can see it is lots of filing and follow up. > Where do you > start? My sister in law who is on disability for MS filled twice and > the third > time got a lawyer to help and that got her in. Please excuse the > questions I > guess I always thought it was impossible. > > > **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. > http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 From a parents perspective on SSI, if you are unsure, why don't you apply yourself and then you can always ask for help from an attorney. If you take your time, you can fill out the application on line and then schedule an appointment to visit your local SS office. I applied on my own for my daughter and brought copies of her IEP and anything else I thought would help including letters from her Drs. I included her on my visit to the SS office and the agent was very helpful. She was approved in a short period of time. The only problem I encountered was her limited amount due to the way my child support allocation from her dad was written and then I needed an attorney. Other than that, the process was actully pretty simple. Jean --------- Re: Re: Home Based Funding > > I hope all of you who are fighting for this daily don't find this a > dumb > question. But...How do you get SSI for a child. What qualifies them. > My > husband always felt that Shane should receive disability or SSi but > having heard a > lawyer speak at an ASI meet (Fox, I believe) I thought it was just > impossible to get. As I can see it is lots of filing and follow up. > Where do you > start? My sister in law who is on disability for MS filled twice and > the third > time got a lawyer to help and that got her in. Please excuse the > questions I > guess I always thought it was impossible. > > > **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. > http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 We applied for home based support for the first time and were just turned down in IL. Seems our 19 y/0 (with DS) is not showing emergency needs. We thought he did have some mental health issues that were very needy, and costly for treatment. We were told to reapply after he is done with school at 21 to better qualify. Has anyone else rec'd a rejection with a school age teen? Marget marjanca@... wrote: My son is still in school and receives funding the difference is he only receives 2X SSI instead of 3X. You should definitely pursue if you can get approved. -- Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " jhart40023us " <Jhart40023@...> This discussion is very timely and valuable for me. I just received an email from our contact person (wonderful woman, very helpful)at Access informing us that the local agency has agreed to facilitate my son's home-based-services. She also said that once the agency actually signed the paperwork, she would forward all of the paperwork to DHS for funding. My question is this: my son is 20 yo and still receives services through the school district. From the posts here, it seems that he would not be eligible until he exits the school system. If that is the case, should we still pursue this now? Thanks, Jo-Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2008 Report Share Posted January 8, 2008 I understand though that he would qualify for an adult workshp and the waiver. Adult workshops meet 9-2 Monday through Friday year round. I work from 6-6:30 everyday as I am a divorced single mom. So in the summer when my son is off school I need 60 hours a week of care for 6 weeks which cost me about $660.00 - $720 a week and for the five weeks he's in half day summer school I use about 45 hours a week or $450 - $540 a week. I am wondering if anyone can explain the difference between having your son in school or an adult workshop besides a shorter day. He is currently gone 7-4 for school including bus time an adult workshop would probably have him gone 8:00 - 3:00 with bus time which would be about 2 hours less but would be year round. How is school an advantage? What services do they get in school that these programs won't provide? Anyone know the differences so I can make a educated decision. I can tell you I visited an adult workshop last week and was very impressed with what they offer. I would think a year round program might be an advantage especially since I can't save up the waiver dollars for times more coverage is needed. I am currently trying to find a part time job so I can pay for summer care. Anyone know of any home based jobs that are solid part time work? Thanks, Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: Joanne Schubert <jojack81@...> Why can you not be your own son's PSW? I don't understand that... you provide more personal support than anyone. I would absolutely keep my child in the school system until he's 22. Think about it...if you took him out, you would be getting $1900/month, but you also would have to hire someone to care for him if you work. Right now, you're getting $1270 with him in school, can you hire someone for $637/month to care for him approx. 7 hours a day(same amount of time that he'd be in school)? That's only about $5/hour. It really depends what you want for your son... If you're not happy with your school system, then that may be a different story, but if you are happy with them, by all means, take advantage of that wonderful safety net. Joanne Schubert I use " GoodSearch " for WE GROW DREAMS, INC... Please help We Grow Dreams, Inc. by using GoodSearch as your main search engine. www.goodsearch.com, is powered by thank you From: marjanca@...: IPADDUnite ; IPADDUnite@...: jojack81@...: Re: Re: Home Based FundingDate: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 03:32:57 +0000 My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? --Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen,It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our HomeBased Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back inearly April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we wouldreceive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, butconsidering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amountthat SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they aretelling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply tothe time they will receive their award letter.I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until wemet with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(greatguy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out theforms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether wecould start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicatedthat they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign anemployer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is thatif anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding,that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW),and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them forthe paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See ifyou can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, evenbefore your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for anemployer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do itproperly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, soyou may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of myson's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will allneed to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that myhusband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSWthat we will have . All the employer has to do is sign off on thetimesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be theemployer, althou gh, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, inwhich case, we would've had to ask someone else to be ouremployer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc...We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(althoughwe have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for hispersonal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we takehim places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We arehiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him tothe gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to thelibrary, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless theprovider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, inorder to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go tothe Family Support Network website and click on the link for the newAdult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC ofIllinois h as any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quiteoverwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar,was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language thatwe all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the powerpoint presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, youcan follow and make lots of notes!The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involvedand lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keepgoing to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and overwhat the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until Iwent to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a bigjumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Eventhe agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not awell traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring upEllen. thank you!>> Hi all:> I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my> area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the> educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid> Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those> individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the> question is: how to implement it?> I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience> in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how> it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime> in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes...>> I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home> Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the> educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU> caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be> prepared to appl y for Home> Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We> emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork.>> May 8th, 2007> Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home> based had been submitted.> At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might> not hear until October.>> October 2007> I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the> paperwork had been proc essed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It> would likely be another month.>> November 2007> I was told it would likely be another month.>> December 30, 2007> Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for> Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid> losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how> to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good> question and would like others who have not yet applied for or> received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a> game plan well ahead of the funding letter.>> January 2, 2008> We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency,> Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to> set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the> funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday,> January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who> specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$,> the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work> rendered using Home Based funding.>> To Be Continued...> __________________________________________________________ Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 In response to , I too would strongly suggest contacting and visiting your State Senator and your State Representatives home offices with your story. This should bring results in a much more timely manner. I know from personal experience. **************Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape. http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2008 Report Share Posted January 9, 2008 Mar: I am not an expert in this but here are a few thoughts: At least part of your decision might be based on what your son is accomplishing in school. Typically the goals and opportunities in the educational system are better than in the adult workshop world, e.g; life skills training, vocational training, community training don't always exist in the workshop model, but that seems to be changing in some agencies. School can be a valuable entitlement, if the program is well designed to incorporate indivdual goals but if your home situation would make an adult program easier to manage or if the school is not particularly impressive, you might choose to exit the educational world sooner than later. What about the social component? In an integrated highschool setting, often our kids with disabilities have social opportunities that they may not have in adult settings. Can your son weigh in on this decision? If he has a preference, it might be important to respect his choice, if possible. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... RE: Re: Home Based Funding I understand though that he would qualify for an adult workshp and the waiver. Adult workshops meet 9-2 Monday through Friday year round. I work from 6-6:30 everyday as I am a divorced single mom. So in the summer when my son is off school I need 60 hours a week of care for 6 weeks which cost me about $660.00 - $720 a week and for the five weeks he's in half day summer school I use about 45 hours a week or $450 - $540 a week. I am wondering if anyone can explain the difference between having your son in school or an adult workshop besides a shorter day. He is currently gone 7-4 for school including bus time an adult workshop would probably have him gone 8:00 - 3:00 with bus time which would be about 2 hours less but would be year round. How is school an advantage? What services do they get in school that these programs won't provide? Anyone know the differences so I can make a educated decision. I can tell you I visited an adult workshop last week and was very impressed with what they offer. I would think a year round program might be an advantage especially since I can't save up the waiver dollars for times more coverage is needed. I am currently trying to find a part time job so I can pay for summer care. Anyone know of any home based jobs that are solid part time work? Thanks, Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: Joanne Schubert <jojack81@...> Why can you not be your own son's PSW? I don't understand that... you provide more personal support than anyone. I would absolutely keep my child in the school system until he's 22. Think about it...if you took him out, you would be getting $1900/month, but you also would have to hire someone to care for him if you work. Right now, you're getting $1270 with him in school, can you hire someone for $637/month to care for him approx. 7 hours a day(same amount of time that he'd be in school)? That's only about $5/hour. It really depends what you want for your son... If you're not happy with your school system, then that may be a different story, but if you are happy with them, by all means, take advantage of that wonderful safety net. Joanne Schubert I use " GoodSearch " for WE GROW DREAMS, INC... Please help We Grow Dreams, Inc. by using GoodSearch as your main search engine. www.goodsearch.com, is powered by thank you From: marjanca@...: IPADDUnite ; IPADDUnite@...: jojack81@...: Re: Re: Home Based FundingDate: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 03:32:57 +0000 My son was approved for the child waiver which was previously called 72D. We applied in Oct. 2006 were approved Fruary 2007, fnded August 2007 but did not hire a PSW until Oct 3 2007 so two months of funding was lost. I then was unable to use all the funds my PSW was not available enough hours so we lost 1/2 our funding in Oct and Nov. I now have two PSWs that split the funds. I was told this money could not be used for anything other than personal support. I am unable to hire myself since I am divorced so I cannot access funds to pay for park district programs or anything else. Is there a difference between child waiver and adult waiver? I only get 2x social security. Can the adult waiver be used for other things? Should I leave my son in the child waiver until age 22? It's my understanding that he could move into the adult waiver at anytime now that he is 18 but would have to be removed from school to do so? Which is better? --Mar -------------- Original message -------------- From: " josies223 " <jojack81@...> Hi Ellen,It sounds like you are about 2 months behind us. We received our HomeBased Support award letter on Nov. 8th, 2007. We were approved back inearly April, and were told that it would be 4-6 months before we wouldreceive the funding. It was quite a long frustrating process, butconsidering that my son will receive $1900(3 times the current amountthat SSI pays)each month, it was truly worth it. Now, we hear they aretelling people that it will take 12 months from the time they apply tothe time they will receive their award letter.I too am frustrated that we couldn't receive any of the funds until wemet with Acces$. We met with Acces$ in early December, with Brad(greatguy-he actually drove up from Springfield to help us fill out theforms), and at the end of Dec., I hadn't heard anything, whether wecould start using the funding or not, so after calling Brad-he indicatedthat they were still waiting for the state to approve and assign anemployer id number to my husband. That would be my suggestion, is thatif anyone is in the process of waiting for the award of their funding,that they decide who will be their child's personal support worker(PSW),and who will be that person's employer. Call Acces$ and ask them forthe paperwork to fill out for an employer identification number. See ifyou can get that paperwork filled out and approved by the state, evenbefore your funding is awarded. I think anyone can apply for anemployer identification number, it's just navigating the system to do itproperly. It is quite involved to fill out forms to be a PSW though, soyou may have to wait to meet with Acces$ on that one. I am one of myson's PSW's-you can have as many as you need, although they will allneed to fill out lots of forms for Acces$. Then, we decided that myhusband will be my employer, as well as the employer for our other PSWthat we will have . All the employer has to do is sign off on thetimesheets. Seemed like the best idea to have my husband be theemployer, althou gh, he could've also been another of Nick's PSW's, inwhich case, we would've had to ask someone else to be ouremployer-friend, neighbor, grandparent, etc...We can use his funding for day programs, special rec programs(althoughwe have to pay ourselves, then pay the SRA), anything we need to for hispersonal support. We can use it for mileage, and our time, if we takehim places. We can use it for a gym membership, anything. We arehiring another PSW to spend 10 hours with him each week to take him tothe gym to work out, take him to lunch, take him on a train ride, to thelibrary, just spend quality time with him. In most cases, unless theprovider is a medicaid provider, you have to pay yourself first, inorder to pay for that gym membership, you can't bill the state for it. What I highly suggest, is that anyone needing more information, go tothe Family Support Network website and click on the link for the newAdult Waiver program, which is Home Based Support. Also, if the ARC ofIllinois h as any more training seminars on the Adult Waiver Program, make it a priority to go to it! It is an all day seminar, and quiteoverwhelming, but Charlotte Cronin(of FSN), who facilitated the seminar,was amazing and explained everything in detail, and in a language thatwe all could understand! They also supply you with a copy of the powerpoint presentation at the beginning of the day, so as they go along, youcan follow and make lots of notes!The whole process of applying for Home Based Support is quite involvedand lengthy, but it's important to learn as much as you can, and keepgoing to the meetings, seminars, anything that will go over and overwhat the process is about, and how to do it. I'll tell you, until Iwent to the ARC training on the Adult Waiver, everything was a bigjumbled mess in my brain, and it truly all came together that day. Eventhe agencies are still just learning about the Waiver, so it's not awell traveled highway yet. This was an excellent topic to bring upEllen. thank you!>> Hi all:> I would like to get some dialogue going on Home Based funding. In my> area, a number of my friends whose young adults exited the> educational system this past June, applied for Home Based (Medicaid> Waiver) funding just prior to leaving school and most of those> individuals got their award letters this past month. Now the> question is: how to implement it?> I thought what I would do is journal on IPADDU about our experience> in applying for, receiving, and using Home Based funds, and see how> it goes. Anyone who has already been through the process can chime> in at any time to share experiences and ideas. So here goes...>> I was at a meeting in the early part of 2007 and heard that Home> Based funding could be applied for 6 weeks prior to exit from the> educational system. During our annual meeting with our CAU> caseworker to update Noah's PUNS, I mention that I wanted to be> prepared to appl y for Home> Based funding 6 weeks prior to his June 12th exit from school. We> emailed back and forth and finished the necessary paperwork.>> May 8th, 2007> Received an email from our CAU caseworker that our paperwork for home> based had been submitted.> At that time, I was told it would take about 6 months and we might> not hear until October.>> October 2007> I emailed our caseworker to see " where things were " . I was told the> paperwork had been proc essed in Chicago and was in Springfield. It> would likely be another month.>> November 2007> I was told it would likely be another month.>> December 30, 2007> Received our letter that as of January 1, 2008, Noah was eligible for> Home Based funding. My husband's question...how does one avoid> losing a month of funding (at minimum) by the time you figure out how> to actually access the funding? I thought that was a VERY good> question and would like others who have not yet applied for or> received funding to think about the possibility of establishing a> game plan well ahead of the funding letter.>> January 2, 2008> We had already identified that we wanted to work with a local agency,> Glenkirk, so I emailed my contact there and our casework at CAU to> set up a meeting ASAP, making it clear we wanted to start using the> funds sooner than later. We now have a meeting set up for Wednesday,> January 9th with our CAU caseworker, the person at Glenkirk who> specializes in Home Based funding, and a Representative from Aces$,> the fiscal agent chosen by Illinois to process paychecks for work> rendered using Home Based funding.>> To Be Continued...> __________________________________________________________ Share life as it happens with the new Windows Live. http://www.windowslive.com/share.html?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_Wave2_sharelife_012008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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