Declaration for Independence

A Call to Transform Health and Long Term Services for Seniors and People with Disabilities



What We’re Reading: Dec. 15, 2014

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Is Medicaid expansion reducing disability claims? The total decline in Social Security Income claims in states that expanded Medicaid in the first six months of 2014 was 11.2 percent, compared with 10.0 percent in non-expansion states. (Modern Healthcare, Dec. 6) Report - “Parity or Disparity: The State of Mental Health in America, 2015.” Massachusetts scores [...]

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What We’re Reading: Dec. 8, 2014

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House approves tax-free disability accounts, bill moves to Senate. The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to approve a bill that would establish a new way for people with disabilities to save money without risking their government benefits. The Achieving a Better Life Experience, or ABLE, Act passed by a vote of 404 to 17 [...]

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What We’re Reading: Dec. 1, 2014

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Michigan delays implementing health care program for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees (The Times Herald, Nov. 25) The Michigan Department of Community Health announced the start date for MI Health Link – the State’s program for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid – will move from Jan. 1, 2015 to March 1, 2015 to make sure it’s [...]

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What We’re Reading: Nov. 24, 2014

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Blind from birth, but able to use sound to ‘see’ faces (NPR, Nov. 21) A brain area that recognizes faces remains functional even in people who have been blind since birth, research says. The finding, presented at the Society for Neuroscience Meeting last week, suggests that facial recognition is so important that evolution has hardwired [...]

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What We’re Reading: Nov. 17, 2014

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Teen lands venture capital for accessibility device (Disability Scoop, Nov. 14) One school science fair victory, a few national accolades, $35,000 of his parents’ savings and a visit to the White House later, seventh-grader Shubham Banerjee today is the founder of Palo Alto startup Braigo Labs, which aims to become the first purveyor of low-cost, [...]

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What We’re Reading: Nov. 10, 2014

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The best jobs for people with disabilities (Forbes, Nov. 4) As of March 2014, a 1973 federal law designed to protect disabled people from job discrimination got additional teeth, prompting companies to be more proactive about hiring people with physical or mental challenges. Justice department monitoring disability access at polls (Disability Scoop, Nov. 4) Despite [...]

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What We’re Reading: Nov. 3, 2014

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Lawmakers urge feds to listen to autism self-advocates (Disability Scoop, Oct. 31) Members of Congress are calling on the Obama administration to take into account concerns of self-advocates as the federal government works to implement the recently-passed Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education and Support Act, or Autism CARES. Opinion: Students with disabilities are still being [...]

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What We’re Reading: Oct. 27, 2014

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Blog: America’s Social Security benefits to increase 7.1 percent in 2015 (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 22) Americans who receive Social Security benefits will see a modest increase in their checks next year to cover higher consumer prices, according to the Social Security Administration. Retiree beneficiaries will see the first increase in their January payment. Those [...]

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What We’re Reading: Oct. 20, 2014

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Tech pros with disabilities use creativity to level the field (Diversity/Careers in Engineering & Information Technology, Oct. 20) To companies considering hiring people with disabilities, Laureen Summers says this: “Disabled employees bring a unique perspective and creativity to problem solving that can enhance everyone’s lives.” Research: Study connects police tactics and mental health concerns (MSNBC, [...]

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What We’re Reading: Oct. 13, 2014

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HUD publishes Section 811 and Section 202 proposed rule (NCSHA Blog, Oct. 9) HUD published in the October 7 Federal Register a Proposed Rule for implementing statutory reforms made to the Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities and Section 202 Housing for the Elderly programs by the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of [...]

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