Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living

Connecting people to the power of independence

Something to KNOW

Medicaid Expansion in Texas Still Undecided, But The Debates Continue

As the current legislative session draws nearer to close, Texas lawmakers are still debating what to do about Medicaid Expansion. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 offers states the option to expand their existing Medicaid programs to provide health insurance coverage to millions of uninsured adults. Texas has the largest percentage of uninsured adults in the nation at a rate of 20-25%. The federal government would pay 100% of new Medicaid Expansion costs for three years, then gradually reduce their contribution to 90%, leaving states to then sustain the remaining 10%. Unlike other federal programs that mandate sustainability, states unable or unwilling to budget this residual cost will have the choice to opt out.

Opponents argue that Texas cannot afford Medicaid Expansion because of the possibility of increased healthcare costs down the road, and that opting out of the program later would be unfair to Texans by pulling the proverbial rug from under them. Lawmakers are now exploring several other alternatives to straightforward Medicaid Expansion. Those options include using traditional Medicaid block grant money to overhaul the existing Medicaid system, setting up a new state health care system in place of Medicaid, or negotiating with federal lawmakers about how Medicaid Expansion funds could be used differently, such as using private insurers to provide the expanded care or setting up “personal responsibility” measures to offset future costs, such deductibles as co-payments for expanded Medicaid services.

Medicaid matters because it helps people and creates jobs, but it also costs a great deal of money. The important thing right now is that our lawmakers are talking actively and exploring our options. It’s our job as Texans to investigate those options for ourselves, make up our own minds, and then let our legislators and our governor know where we stand. We can surf the Internet, read newspapers, and listen to the news to learn more about Medicaid Expansion in Texas. We can also use the link below to find out who our representatives are and how to contact them.

 

Find Your Texas Representatives

 

Local Partnership Helps People Save for Education, Homeownership, and Entrepreneurship

Goal$avers is a local program that can help low-to-moderate income individuals and families save money to buy a first home, pay for school, or start a small business. Goal$avers is made possible by a grant-funded partnership between the Brazos Valley Community Action Agency (BVCAA) and the United Way of the Brazos Valley.

homeownershipeducation

small business

After filling out an application and qualifying for the program (income, residency, and asset restrictions apply), participants in Goal$avers establish a savings account called an Individual Development Account into which they place money toward their home, school, or business goal. At the end of six months, Goal$avers matches at a rate of 2 to 1 the money the participant saved, up to $2000. For example, if a participating family saves $2000 toward their homeownership goal, Goal$avers provides an additional $4000, for a grand total of $6000! Now that’s a lot of tuition or a chunk of a down payment on a house or for a business!

While Goal$avers is open to everyone who meets the qualifications, this program can be especially helpful to people who have disabilities in building their independence through reaching housing, educational, or vocational goals. One thing that people with disabilities need to keep in mind when applying for Goal$avers is that only earned income can be saved toward the match. SSI and SSDI cannot be used for the match.

For more information please contact Goal$avers Program Coordinator Tara Lazaro at (979) 255-8301 or by email at ida@bvcaa.org.

 

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month

The Brain Injury Association of America reminds us that, “A brain injury can happen anytime, anywhere to anyone. Brain injuries do not discriminate. Did you know that 1.7 million people will sustain a brain injury each year? An injury that happens in an instant can bring a lifetime of physical, cognitive and behavior challenges and early, equal and adequate access to care will greatly increase overall quality of life. This is our goal. Please click here for more information.

Local and Online Tax Prep Help for People with Disabilities

It’s Tax Time again, and if you don’t see well or have any of a number of other access needs, those piles of forms can be downright daunting! But wait! There’s lots of help out there!

The Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities once again announces “Tax Time with Lex the Service Dog,” a captioned video guiding people who have disabilities to accessible online resources for tax prep. And he even does it in sign language. Just click the red and white arrow to meet Lex:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=B6cMaSwCjU8

For those not comfortable doing taxes on the Internet, we also have great local resources to help with tax prep. Both the Bryan and College Station public libraries offer FREE tax prep assistance to anyone in the community, and they tell us they are more than willing to take the extra steps to assist their neighbors who have disabilities, such as explaining complex tax topics and reading small print forms out loud.

Here are the times and locations:

Clara B. Mounce Library in Bryan:

201 East 26th Street
Bryan, Texas 77803
(979) 209-5600

Hours are: MWF 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., T 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., R 2:00 – 5:00 p.m., Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Larry J. Ringer Library in College Station:

1818 Harvey Mitchell Parkway
College Station, Texas  77845
(979) 764-3416

Hours: MWF 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Both locations are fully wheelchair accessible. Use elevator at Bryan location to access tax help on second floor.

 

 

“Gathering Grounds” School-based Employment Skills Program Helps Youth with Disabilites Achieve Job Readiness

Students with special abilities at Brenham High School in Washington County, Texas gain employment skills while helping to keep the faculty on their toes. “Gathering Grounds” is a school-based job readiness training program partnered with Independence Coffee Company in Brenham. Students in this program make and deliver coffee to teachers and staff within the high school. Through their choice to participate in this program, students learn transferable work skills such as promptness, planning, sequencing, following procedures, and interpersonal communication.

This program was part of the Brazos Valley Employment Project, and had developmental support from BVCIL Director Jackie Pacha. Please watch the following YouTube video for more information about the “Gathering Grounds” program.