Bridges to Better Advocacy, April 6-8, 2000
Conference Handouts


A two-day conference for attorneys, paralegals and
advocates who specialize in Assistive Technology Advocacy

 

42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Enforcement of the Medicaid Act
Maintaining Health Services for Children Amid Welfare Confusion:
The Importance of Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment
Resolving Complaints in Medicaid Managed Care:
The "Brutal Need" for Consumer Protections

The 1999 Federal Special Education Regulations: New Obligations for School Districts; New Challenges for AT Advocates
Ron Hager, Esq., National AT Advocacy Project

Special Education Case Development for the AT Advocate
Ron Hager & Diane Smith, Esq., National Association of Protection and Advocacy Systems, Washington, D.C. - Special education file review: How do you interpret assessment data? How do you determine whether an AT evaluation is needed? When do you seek an independent AT evaluation? How do you integrate AT into school's special education program?

IDEA, the Public Schools and AT
Primary Presenter: Ron Hager, Esq., National AT Advocacy Project
General overview of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and criteria for approving services. Where does AT fit in? How to use U.S. Department of Education Policy Letters on AT. Using section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act as an alternative for funding AT.

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999
Steven Mendelsohn, Esq., New York, NY & Jim Sheldon
How "Ticket" program creates a special voucher for vocational rehabilitation services, and the potential problems with the program; explain key Social Security, SSI, Medicaid and Medicare provisions that will affect AT advocacy; and explain new funding possibilities for P&A agencies under two titles of this legislation.

Medicaid and Exclusive Lists in the Year 2000 - Lew Golinker, Esq., Ithaca, NY
Following the DeSario litigation and the federal policy clarification issued in September 1998, exclusive list issues are still with us. When is a denial really the application of an exclusive list? What policies is a state Medicaid agency permitted to have? When is the policy illegal?

THE DEFINITION OF DISABILITY AFTER SUTTON v. UNITED AIRLINES
by Brian East, Senior Attorney in the Legal Services Unit of Advocacy, Inc. Mr. East provides technical assistance and representation to persons with disabilities in a variety of areas, including employment matters. He is also co-author of the chapter on "Workers with Disabilities" in the Employee & Union Member Guide to Labor Law (West Group 1999).

Introduction to SSDI/SSI Work Incentives As A New Area of Advocacy for P&As and Their AT Advocates
What are the SSDI/SSI work incentives? Why are they important to Protection and Advocacy advocates, generally? Why should all AT advocates be conversant with the work incentives? What new funding opportunities are available to P&As under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999?

SSI's Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS): An Example in Corel format
The PASS allows for special income and resource exclusions to allow an individual to pay for items related to a vocational goal, while obtaining or retaining SSI and Medicaid.

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