FROM: Karen Halliday, Director, Kathleen Kabara, President
Connecticut Youth Leadership Project, Inc.
2009 will be the eleventh year we are offering this innovative leadership program. The four-day forum will include many exciting educational and motivational activities to assist you in strengthening your leadership skills. The forum will take place July 27- July 30, 2009 at the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus.
We are inviting you to apply, and are asking for your help in recruiting other students to apply for the forum. Completed application packets must be postmarked by January 16, 2009 and mailed to the address noted on the enclosed application. Through a competitive process, approximately 40 students will be selected to attend the forum. If you are accepted to YLF you will be required to attend follow-up sessions after the forum to implement your Community Action Plans.
It is the goal of the YLF planning committee to select students from all regions of Connecticut, who represent a wide range of disabilities and ethnic backgrounds.
The Youth Leadership Forum is sponsored through the cooperative effort of the public and private sector in Connecticut. There is no cost for you to attend the forum.
All information in your application is strictly confidential and will only be shared with members of the YLF selection committee. Applications may be downloaded by accessing the website at www.ctylp.org
APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
DISABILITY LAW LOWDOWN PODCAST in ENGLISH, SPANISH, and AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
PRESS RELEASE
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacquie Brennan
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
713.520.0232
jbrennan@bcm.edu
October 23, 2008 - The Disability Law Lowdown is a podcast series devoted to disability law issues. It is available for free download on both iTunes and the Disability Law Lowdown website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/. Listeners can subscribe to the podcasts to have shows automatically delivered to them. The podcasts are also available on the DLL website, where transcripts of the shows are simultaneously available.
New episodes are available today, including The ADA Amendments Act (the English podcast), Employment Discrimination and the ADA (the Spanish podcast), and Law Enforcement and the ADA (the ASL podcast).
The Disability Law Lowdown brings listeners the latest information about disability rights, disability case law updates, obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other disability-related topics.
Disability Law Lowdown is brought to you by the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC), which is a national network of ten ADA Centers, offering technical assistance and training in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws.
To subscribe or listen, look for the Disability Law Lowdown podcast on iTunes, or go to the website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/.
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacquie Brennan
DBTAC Southwest ADA Center
713.520.0232
jbrennan@bcm.edu
October 23, 2008 - The Disability Law Lowdown is a podcast series devoted to disability law issues. It is available for free download on both iTunes and the Disability Law Lowdown website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/. Listeners can subscribe to the podcasts to have shows automatically delivered to them. The podcasts are also available on the DLL website, where transcripts of the shows are simultaneously available.
New episodes are available today, including The ADA Amendments Act (the English podcast), Employment Discrimination and the ADA (the Spanish podcast), and Law Enforcement and the ADA (the ASL podcast).
The Disability Law Lowdown brings listeners the latest information about disability rights, disability case law updates, obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other disability-related topics.
Disability Law Lowdown is brought to you by the Disability Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC), which is a national network of ten ADA Centers, offering technical assistance and training in the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability-related laws.
To subscribe or listen, look for the Disability Law Lowdown podcast on iTunes, or go to the website at http://www.disabilitylawlowdown.com/.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
FLU SHOTS FOR VETERANS
For those of you who get your flu shots at the VA, they are starting to give them on October 9th in West Haven. 8:30 am till 4pm, in the lobby in Bld. 2. No appointment is necessary, but you must be enrolled in the VA Connecticut Healthcare system, and ID is required.
The same requirement applies If you receive care at the Newington VA, they will start on October 16th and be administered from 8am till 11am on the 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th, Nov. 1st, 6th, and 13th.
If you go to the clinics in Danbury, New London, Stamford, Windham, Winsted, or Waterbury you may call for an appointment, or get it when you go for your regular visit.
DON'T FORGET TO GO AND GET YOURS!!!!!
Stay well,
Ron
Ron Rusko
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Department of Connecticut
The same requirement applies If you receive care at the Newington VA, they will start on October 16th and be administered from 8am till 11am on the 16th, 18th, 23rd, 25th, Nov. 1st, 6th, and 13th.
If you go to the clinics in Danbury, New London, Stamford, Windham, Winsted, or Waterbury you may call for an appointment, or get it when you go for your regular visit.
DON'T FORGET TO GO AND GET YOURS!!!!!
Stay well,
Ron
Ron Rusko
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Department of Connecticut
Monday, October 6, 2008
Mental Health Parity Legislation Heads to the President’s Desk for Signature
Mental Health Parity Legislation Heads to the President’s Desk for Signature: Congratulations, Advocates!
Today we are one step closer to ending discrimination based on mental illness. Advocates have worked countless years to achieve this victory, and we applaud you! Congratulations on this historic day.
Your phone calls, email, faxes to and meetings with Members of Congress paid off. Congress included Mental Health Parity in their economic bailout package that is on its way to the President’s desk for signature! NCIL worked in coalition with Mental Health America and the Mental Health Liaison Group to enact this critical legislation. Below is a summary by MHA:
Bill Broadly Outlaws Health Insurance Discrimination; Recognizes Importance of Mental Health to Overall Health
Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588-Office or (202) 744-6341-Cell or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (October 3, 2008) — Mental Health America today hailed as “a great civil rights victory” the approval of mental health parity legislation that will broadly outlaw health insurance discrimination against Americans with mental health and substance-use conditions in employer-sponsored health plans.
The legislation, which recognizes the importance of mental health to overall health, bans employers and insurers from imposing stricter limits on coverage for mental health and substance-use conditions than those set for other health problems. It will provide parity for 82 million Americans covered by self-insured plans and another 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.
It is estimated that roughly 67 percent of adults and 80 percent of children requiring mental health services do not receive help, in large part because of discriminatory insurance practices
Mental Health America, which has worked for years to pass mental health parity, applauded Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), as well as Senate and House leadership key committee chairmen for championing the legislation and their long-standing commitment to ending this civil rights inequity. This victory also owes much to tireless champions such as Rosalyn Carter, David Wellstone and tens of thousands of Americans who have pressed for this historic reform.
“This is a historic day and a great civil rights victory for millions of Americans who have been unable to access mental health treatment,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “With approval of this bill, we will tear down the walls of stigma and discrimination and the open the doors to the power and promise of treatment and recovery. It recognizes that mental health disorders are every bit as debilitating, and just as treatable, as cancer and diabetes.
“With economic problems making it even harder for Americans to afford treatment and driving up rates of depression and family difficulties, passage of this law is even more important.”
The legislation, called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, builds on the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the recent approval of Medicare legislation that reduces discriminatory co-payments for mental health services. Dr. Shern said the law’s approval should spur further action to improve mental healthcare.
“This law sends a powerful message that we as a nation must address mental health conditions with the same urgency as other health problems,” he said. “We must continue to enact policies that embrace that principle.”
The legislation applies to group health plans of 51 or more employees. The bill takes the following steps:
Today we are one step closer to ending discrimination based on mental illness. Advocates have worked countless years to achieve this victory, and we applaud you! Congratulations on this historic day.
Your phone calls, email, faxes to and meetings with Members of Congress paid off. Congress included Mental Health Parity in their economic bailout package that is on its way to the President’s desk for signature! NCIL worked in coalition with Mental Health America and the Mental Health Liaison Group to enact this critical legislation. Below is a summary by MHA:
Mental Health America Hails Approval of Federal Parity Legislation
Bill Broadly Outlaws Health Insurance Discrimination; Recognizes Importance of Mental Health to Overall Health
Contact: Steve Vetzner, (703) 797-2588-Office or (202) 744-6341-Cell or svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (October 3, 2008) — Mental Health America today hailed as “a great civil rights victory” the approval of mental health parity legislation that will broadly outlaw health insurance discrimination against Americans with mental health and substance-use conditions in employer-sponsored health plans.
The legislation, which recognizes the importance of mental health to overall health, bans employers and insurers from imposing stricter limits on coverage for mental health and substance-use conditions than those set for other health problems. It will provide parity for 82 million Americans covered by self-insured plans and another 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.
It is estimated that roughly 67 percent of adults and 80 percent of children requiring mental health services do not receive help, in large part because of discriminatory insurance practices
Mental Health America, which has worked for years to pass mental health parity, applauded Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) and Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.), as well as Senate and House leadership key committee chairmen for championing the legislation and their long-standing commitment to ending this civil rights inequity. This victory also owes much to tireless champions such as Rosalyn Carter, David Wellstone and tens of thousands of Americans who have pressed for this historic reform.
“This is a historic day and a great civil rights victory for millions of Americans who have been unable to access mental health treatment,” said David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO of Mental Health America. “With approval of this bill, we will tear down the walls of stigma and discrimination and the open the doors to the power and promise of treatment and recovery. It recognizes that mental health disorders are every bit as debilitating, and just as treatable, as cancer and diabetes.
“With economic problems making it even harder for Americans to afford treatment and driving up rates of depression and family difficulties, passage of this law is even more important.”
The legislation, called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, builds on the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the recent approval of Medicare legislation that reduces discriminatory co-payments for mental health services. Dr. Shern said the law’s approval should spur further action to improve mental healthcare.
“This law sends a powerful message that we as a nation must address mental health conditions with the same urgency as other health problems,” he said. “We must continue to enact policies that embrace that principle.”
The legislation applies to group health plans of 51 or more employees. The bill takes the following steps:
- There is no requirement as to what conditions must be covered. But when a mental health or substance-use condition is covered, it must be at parity with medical coverage (except to the extent that a state parity law requires broader coverage). Specifically, it prohibits group health plans that offer coverage for any mental health or substance-use conditions from imposing treatment limitations and financial requirements on those benefits that are stricter than for medical and surgical benefits.
- If a plan offers out-of-network benefits for medical or surgical care, it must also offer out-of-network coverage for mental health and addiction treatment and provide services at parity.
- Strong state parity and consumer protection laws are preserved while extending parity protection to 82 million more people who are not protected by state laws and 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.
State parity laws vary widely from state to state (for a map of state laws, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity/states).
The legislation also establishes an important oversight mechanism to determine if insurers are discriminating against certain conditions or failing to cover some treatments.
In 2007, Mental Health America helped mount a nationwide tour that galvanized support for mental health parity. Led by Reps. Kennedy and Ramstad, the series of town hall meetings heard testimony from Americans living with mental illnesses, business leaders who have benefited from workplace mental health programs, experts on mental health and addiction, and administrators of programs that bear the huge cost of untreated mental illness.
For fact sheets on the legislation and more information, go to http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity
CT Association of Centers for Independent Living
151 New Park Ave. Suite 106
Hartford, CT 06106-2191
860-656-0430 Voice
860-656-0486 Fax
860-656-2353 TDD
M. Jodi RellGovernor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2008
Governor Rell: Requests for Home Heating Aid Three Times Higher than 2007
Since Mid-August State has Received More than 18,000 Applications
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that more than 18,000Connecticut households have applied for winter heating assistance, more thantriple the amount the state handled the same period last year.
"There is no question that this winter will be one of the mostexpensive ever for Connecticut families," Governor Rell said. "Some ofthese families, who have never needed help before, are now reaching out. That iswhy I insisted that we expand our eligibility requirements so we can serve asmany as possible."
The Department of Social Services reports that intake agencies havereceived 18,816 since mid-August, compared to just over 6,400 on October 1,2007. Households can start receiving assistance on November 1. Assistance isavailable to low- and moderate-income residents and other vulnerable households.
"The chilly autumn days have arrived and we all know theConnecticut winter is not far behind," Governor Rell said. "Theconcerns over heating homes, coupled with the high cost of groceries and othergoods, deepen day by day."
The Connecticut Energy Assistance and Contingency Heating programsreceived a big boost this week when the federal government approved more than$104 million in heating assistance for Connecticut. The Governor also workedwith the legislature to ensure that state's entire $84 million surplus bededicated to various heating assistance programs.
For more information on energy assistance programs, includingeligibility and where to file and application:
Call 800-842-1132 or the state information line at 2-1-1
Visit www.ct.gov and click on CT Energy Resources link
Visit www.ct.gov/dss
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 3, 2008
Governor Rell: Requests for Home Heating Aid Three Times Higher than 2007
Since Mid-August State has Received More than 18,000 Applications
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that more than 18,000Connecticut households have applied for winter heating assistance, more thantriple the amount the state handled the same period last year.
"There is no question that this winter will be one of the mostexpensive ever for Connecticut families," Governor Rell said. "Some ofthese families, who have never needed help before, are now reaching out. That iswhy I insisted that we expand our eligibility requirements so we can serve asmany as possible."
The Department of Social Services reports that intake agencies havereceived 18,816 since mid-August, compared to just over 6,400 on October 1,2007. Households can start receiving assistance on November 1. Assistance isavailable to low- and moderate-income residents and other vulnerable households.
"The chilly autumn days have arrived and we all know theConnecticut winter is not far behind," Governor Rell said. "Theconcerns over heating homes, coupled with the high cost of groceries and othergoods, deepen day by day."
The Connecticut Energy Assistance and Contingency Heating programsreceived a big boost this week when the federal government approved more than$104 million in heating assistance for Connecticut. The Governor also workedwith the legislature to ensure that state's entire $84 million surplus bededicated to various heating assistance programs.
For more information on energy assistance programs, includingeligibility and where to file and application:
Call 800-842-1132 or the state information line at 2-1-1
Visit www.ct.gov and click on CT Energy Resources link
Visit www.ct.gov/dss
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
