Disability
Disability:
NYS Assistive Technology Project
New York State Assistive Technology (AT) Project
Our State AT Advocacy Project will provide free service as follows:
(Contact Marge Gustas, 716-847-0655 Ext. 256 or [email protected] to obtain these services.)
Individual Representation (Hearings, Litigation): We represent children and adults, statewide, when funding for AT/specialized equipment is denied. We handle cases involving Medicaid, Medicare, special education, private insurance and a range of ot;her issues. In some cases, we may refer you to an attorney or advocate in your part of hte state who can assist you for no charge.
Technical Assistance (TA): We provide will provide technical assistance to callers statewide. This may involve information about how to apply for funding from a government agency or it may involve extensive consultation on how best to present evidence at an upcoming hearing. We are always willing to review draft letters of justification and provide input on how to improve the letter. We will share resources with callers to assist them in advocating for themselves or others.
Written Materials: We publish an electronic newsletter, IMPACT, providing key information about funding criteria and strategies to support funding applications. Shorter documents include our electronic FYI Series, including brief summaries of hearing decisions, court decisions, policy developments, and related information.
Training by Our Staff: We periodically offer training covering topics such as Medicaid criteria for funding AT, preparing letters of medical justification, and obligations of Medicaid managed care agencies. We can also come to your agency or training event, in some cases, to to a presentation.
Other Resource Materials: We are a statewide clearinghouse for resources needed to advocate for AT. This includes, for example: winning Medicaid hearing decisions awarding funding for AT, court decisions from NY and other states awarding funding for AT; the briefs and written arguments submitted in hearings and litigation; and a range of medical and technical resources, including published articles, research findings, etc., to support an appeal.
(Contact Marge Gustas, 716-847-0655 Ext. 256 or [email protected] to obtain these services.)
