FLORIDA LEGAL SERVICES SEEKS PLAINTIFFS:
FILES LAWSUIT TO REQUIRE MEDICAID TO PAY FOR DIAPERS FOR CHILDREN

This lawsuit challenges the fact that Florida will only cover diapers for Medicaid recipients who are in a Home and Community Based Waiver. In addition to harming incontinent children who are not in a waiver, this policy also hurts those children in the DD waiver who need services (including diapers) in excess of their tier cap. We believe that federal Medicaid law requires the state to cover medically necessary diapers for any child on Medicaid.

If you are aware of parents who have a child with each of the following criteria:

1) child is over age 5 and under age 21 and is incontinent due to his or her disability; and

2) child receives Medicaid; and

3) child is either:

a) not in a Medicaid Waiver program, or

b) in the Developmental disabilities (DD) waiver and needs waiver services that are not covered under the state plan, e.g. residential habilitation services, respite service and exceed the child's tier cap.

Please contact:
Miriam Harmatz
Staff Attorney
Florida Legal Services, Inc.
305-573-0092 ext. 206
FAX: 305-576-9664

If the family is speaks Spanish, please ask them to contact Monica Vigues-Pitan at 305-438-2417.

Chapel Hill, NC --- Many teachers and families have questions about inclusion. What is it? Is there research to support it? What are characteristics of high quality inclusive settings? A new 12-minute video resource, Foundations of Inclusion Birth to Five, answers these questions.

For more information and to view the video, go to http://community.fpg.unc.edu/connect

Volunteer Florida and Florida Developmental Disabilities Council Release Disaster Guide for Floridians with Disabilities

Hurricane season is here and Floridians are being urged to develop emergency plans in case a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes Florida.

To help Floridians with disabilities develop a disaster plan, Volunteer Florida and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council (FDDC) created "Disaster Ready - Emergency Preparedness Guide for Floridians with Disabilities." It includes specific information to assist individuals with developmental disabilities prepare for a disaster. This guide is intended for individuals with disabilities who live on their own or with family or friends, not those who live in other types of residential placements.

"Disaster Ready" has two parts. The Florida guide section provides information about emergency management, disaster supply kits, evacuation, communication, personal support networks and more. The second part of the guide is a blank "Personal Disaster Plan." This plan leads the reader through the process of preparing for and responding to a disaster. Individuals can use the information provided in the Florida Guide section to create their own personal disaster plans.

To download the guide, or to order copies online, visit http://www.fddc.org/publications
Or contact the FDDC at 1-800-580-7801.