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Archive | 2015
Home Helper’s New Payment System
I researched for my members, upcoming changes to the Medicaid funded home helper’s reporting, as of July 2015. I’m passing this information along to you. Starting in July, the helpers will need to report online, in order to be paid for their services. You can check out the Electronic Service Verification (ESV) online on Michigan.gov/homehelp. My instructions (attached) are from a You Tube video, the address is on the instructions in a handout for members and their home helpers. Home helpers can learn to use the State’s Community Health Automated Medicaid Processing System (CHAMPS) to access their Electronic Service Verification (ESV). All times and specific services will be recorded each month by the home helpers and submitted electronically. It looks easy, just clicking the mouse! Especially when Members have a home helper that is a friend or family member, member will be concerned with them receiving payments for taking care of them. My member’s home helper is also a member. We had a computer use tutoring session in my office this morning! It went great! Hope this will be helpful!
Home Heat Credit Deadline September 30
People may believe it’s too late to file their HHC. My best practice to get the word out was to deliver notes urging members to file for HHC and notify their DHHS worker if the amount was $20 or more. Members who used AARP tax prep were given notes that I provided and AARP passed them out, if they qualified for $20 or more. The notes urged them to report this to their DHS worker. In a note to my actives, I offered to assist to complete the claim form and to email the signed form to their workers. Many members thought they would have a SNAP CUT if they received over $20, or that they don’t pay for heat, so they couldn’t get a HHC. These beliefs had to be explained away. I’ve done a lot of these claims and I’m available if you have questions.
The following was from January 2015………(edited)
I received verification from DHS supervision about assisting members that were effected by the Heat and Eat decision. The State had to provide $20 for heat to each food assistance eligible public assistance recipient, (about $40 million) and then the Feds could continue funding the higher Bridge card amounts. Michigan did not provide this. However, members that receive $20 or more from the Home Heat Credit (HHC) will preserve their, “higher” Bridge card amounts. The DHS workers do have access to the Michigan Treasury’s HHC records. The deadline to file a HHC is September 30. The explanation from the Kalamazoo DHS supervisor follows: You are correct that we have seen many FAP benefits cut, especially those in subsidized housing where their rent includes heat. This resulted from a federal law change. Lansing along with other states were able to give all FAP cases the full heat standard by issuing $1.00 per year in energy money to clients. The federal level considered this a loophole and shut it down. They changed the law to state that at least $20 in energy funds, had to be given yearly to each FAP client in order to give every FAP client the full heat standard. This amount was too costly for the state to exercise.
Washington Sq Falls Prevention presentation
Our educational presentation for April is about fall prevention. The speakers are from our local PACE program, with CentraCare. We hope to beat our record of attendees!
MI Health Link
Below is a link to the MI Health Link Webinar for Wayne and Macomb County.
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1681337263344110082
Mental Illness and Older Adults
Below is the link to the Mental Illness and Older Adults Professional Development:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3943945276043372290
Alcoholism and Substance Use/Abuse
Below is the link for the Professional Development on Alcoholism and Substance Use/Abuse:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8754854005331720193
Suicide Prevention and Older Adults
Below is the link to the Suicide Prevention Professional Development:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3201070140342845185
Resources lacking for older victims of sexual violence
Take Back the Night Event – Hannan Scoop Article
By Vanessa Rorai
On Wednesday April 8th, 2015, I had the privilege of attending a Take Back the Night event. This event was created to raise awareness of sexual violence and empower men and women to stand up against it. This was my first time going to such event and it was very engaging, educational, and empowering. The guest speaker was Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy. She spoke about the terrible situation Wayne County was in regarding discovering thousands of untested rape kits, and the progress that has been made since. Many community agencies and organizations attended the event to hand out information about available services and resources for victims and survivors of sexual violence and/or domestic violence.
After looking over the services, there are unsurprisingly little resources, if any, directed to older adults. Most services are specific to children or generally directed to adult victims of domestic violence. Services offered to adults have no age limits. However, news reports prove that sexual violence is just as pertinent of an issue with older adults as other age groups.
An incident occurred in 2012 when a man suffering from dementia was reported to have killed his wife in Winsford, England (BBC, 2013). Also, a very recently reported incident occurred in early April of a man suffering from dementia killed his wife in New Jersey (Konstantinides, 2015). Both of these couple’s relationships had a history of domestic violence. Sexual violence among older adults is occurring, but there are unique characteristics among this population, such as health concerns, longer relationship histories, and generational differences. Clearly, there is a need of focus towards the older adult population exclusively for treatment and programs for victims/survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
References
BBC (2013, October 29). Hazel Bailey death: Husband jailed for walking stick killing.
BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england
merseyside-24728165
Konstantinides, A. (2015, April 6). 100-year-old dementia sufferer ‘murdered his sleeping
wife, 88, with an ax, then committed suicide with a knife’. DailyMail.com
News. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article
3028326/100-year-old-New-Jersey-man-allegedly-killed-sleeping-wife-ax
committed-suicide.html