Government Executive: Disabled employees in federal government reach all-time high
More individuals with disabilities work for the federal government than in any time in the 34 years agencies have been tracking the statistic. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2014, federal agencies hired nearly 72,000 full-time permanent employees with disabilities. Between fiscal 2013 and 2014, the percentage of the total federal workforce with disabilities increased from 12.8 percent to 13.6 percent. That percent and the 248,000 total mark the highest percentage and real number of disabled feds since 1980. — Eric Katz (Oct. 13)
USA Today: Got $730K saved for nursing care? Dementia could cost that much
At a median annual cost of $91,250 for a private nursing home room, according to Genworth Financial’s 2015 Cost of Care study, that can add up to $456,250 for five years and $730,000 for eight. — Jayne O’Donnell and Laura Ungar (Oct. 16)
Kaiser Health News: Dementia also takes toll on unpaid caregivers, study shows
Unpaid caregivers and family members spend more than 100 hours a month, on average, assisting elderly people with dementia who live in the community and not in residential care or nursing homes, according to a new study. The time commitment was significantly higher than for similar caregivers who helped elderly people without dementia, who themselves put in an average 73 hours each month. — Michelle Andrews (Oct. 16)
Disability Scoop: SSI benefits to remain unchanged
For only the third time in decades, individuals with disabilities who receive Social Security benefits will see no increase next year in their monthly payments. The Social Security Administration said there will be no automatic cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2016 because inflation is too low to warrant an automatic benefit hike. — Michelle Diament (Oct. 15)
The Huffington Post: Stop the madness
Too many people, including some mental health professionals, think of psychiatric disease as something fundamentally different from physical disease. And yet the more we learn about mental illness, the less meaningful that distinction appears. McGorry now believes that the model of screening, preventative care and aggressive early treatment could be used to reduce the incidence not only of schizophrenia, but of other mental illnesses like depression and bipolar disease. — Jonathan Cohn (Oct. 15)
Fox News | Opinion: It’s time for a new understanding of disability, especially in the arts
It’s been seven decades since the first NDEAM and more than two decades since the ADA’s passage. It is time for everyone to catch up with the disability rights movement in redefining terms. In particular, we must reject understanding disability merely in terms of medical significance. This enduring approach marginalizes disabled people by overemphasizing their need for technical solutions and undervaluing their contributions. — Lane Harwell (Oct. 14)
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