Deal reach on tax-free disability savings accounts (Disability Scoop, Sep. 19)
Federal lawmakers say they’ve reached a deal to move forward on legislation that would establish a new way for people with disabilities to save money without jeopardizing their government benefits.
For autistic adults, coverage options are scarce (Kaiser Health News, Sep. 19)
It’s getting easier for parents of young children with autism to get insurers to cover a pricey treatment called applied behavioral analysis. Once kids turn 21, however, it’s a different ballgame entirely.
Report: Nearly one in three with disabilities in poverty (Disability Scoop, Sep. 18)
[T]wice as many people with disabilities live in poverty as compared to those who are typically developing and less than 30 percent of working-age people in this population are participating in the workforce, far less than the 78 participation rate for other Americans, according to the Senate report.
Vote on UN disability treaty blocked (Disability Scoop, Sep. 17)
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, took to the Senate floor Wednesday calling for a unanimous consent vote on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Judge approves city’s push for wheelchair-accessible cabs (New York Daily News, Sep. 16)
The settlement… will implement a 30-cent surcharge for all fares starting in 2015 to fund a new fleet of 7,500 wheelchair-accessible cabs[.]
University, state to employ higher proportion of people with disabilities (Minnesota Daily, Sep. 16)
As a new state directive aims to increase the proportion of state employees with disabilities, the University of Minnesota is hoping to do the same.
House passes child care bill (POLITICO, Sep. 15)
The House passed a bill [the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act] to overhaul child care for low-income families Monday, and it will likely become law before the end of the year.
For advocates, Abbott’s policy more important than his disability (Houston Chronicle, Sep. 14)
Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott showcases the tenacity with which he approaches his life in a wheelchair as indicative of the determined leadership he would bring to the governor’s office.
Nearly 90 percent who sought disability through healthcare.gov fail to respond to state letters (The State, Sep. 12)
The state agency that administers Medicaid sent approximately 10,000 letters seeking more information from South Carolinians who suggested on the new federal insurance marketplace that they were disabled or seeking long-term care. Only about 10 percent of the letters were returned[.]
Looking out for yourself with disability insurance (New York Times, Sep. 12)
In case anyone has forgotten, we’re all basically on our own here in personal finance land.
Opinion: Don’t coerce the mentally ill into treatment (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sep. 10)
[I]nvoluntary outpatient commitment… is a “less restrictive alternative” to the horrors of prison and mental institutions. But why make people choose the lesser of two evils? Why not focus instead on providing an upfront investment in voluntary housing and support services that are proven to work?