Posted Nov. 18, 2014 | On Nov. 1, 2014, President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation in recognition of National Family Caregiver Month. The president said, “In the United States, more than 60 million caregivers provide invaluable strength and assistance to their family members… Caregivers support the independence of their family members and enable them to more [...]
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NCD Releases 2014 Report on the Status of People with Disabilities in the U.S.
Posted Nov. 5, 2014 | Since its inception, the National Council on Disability (NCD) has reported on the status of people with disabilities in the United States of America. The 2014 review of National Disability Policy: A Progress Report continues that tradition, providing policymakers, advocates and other stakeholders with an overview of the progress the United States [...]
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Election Day is Tomorrow, November 4!
Posted Nov. 3, 2014 | Election day is tomorrow, November 4. This Election Guide – courtesy of the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) – provides information about the candidates in your state/district as well as information about where to vote. Several disability and civil rights groups have resources about voting and voting rights. The Disability Rights [...]
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New Resources on Minimum Wage and Overtime Pay for Direct Care Workers
Posted Oct. 30, 2014 | Leaders of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) recently met with officials from the U.S. Department of Labor to discuss the Fair Labor Standards Act regulation as it applies to home care workers, including their recent enforcement delay (see October 13 In Brief) and state action to comply with the rule in their [...]
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Justice Department Releases Technical Assistance on Rights of Voters with Disabilities
Posted Oct. 23, 2014 | The Department of Justice (DOJ) has published two new Technical Assistance (TA) documents regarding the rights of voters with disabilities: The Americans with Disabilities Act and Other Federal Laws Protecting the Rights of Voters with Disabilities and Solutions for Five Common Access Problems at Polling Places. Laws covered in the DOJ TA documents [...]
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Medicaid Directors Join Peer State Groups in Response to Home Care Final Rule Delay
Posted Oct. 21, 2014 | On October 7, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it would be delaying federal enforcement of the changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) pertaining to wages for certain home care workers. The announcement states that DOL will not bring any enforcement action against employers, including states, [...]
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Call for Nominations to Federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee; Respond by Nov. 14
Posted Oct. 14, 2014 | The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced the opening of nominations for public members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. The committee was established by the Combating Autism Act of 2006 and reauthorized by the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act of 2014. Those eligible for nomination include [...]
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Call for Papers on SSDI Program Improvements; Respond by Nov. 1
Posted Oct. 9, 2014 | The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Solutions Initiative – an effort of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget – has issued a call for papers to identify ideas to improve the SSDI program. Earlier this month, former Reps. Jim McCrery (R-LA) and Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) announced the formation of the SSDI Solutions Initiative to identify concrete, practical strategies [...]
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DOL Announces Time-limited Non-enforcement Policy for Home Care Final Rule
Posted Oct. 7, 2014 | This afternoon, the Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division gave notice of a 12-month, time-limited non-enforcement policy with regard to the Oct. 1, 2013 Final Rule that extended Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) protections (e.g., minimum wage and overtime) to most home care workers, which becomes effective Jan. [...]
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Policymakers and National Organizations, Trades Urge DOL to Delay Home Care Rule
Posted Oct. 1, 2014 | Federal policymakers, state leaders and national stakeholder groups are ramping up attention on the Department of Labor’s recent changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The rule will impact most Medicaid programs, though to varying degrees. It is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2015. America’s Health Insurance Plans [...]
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