Governor Phil Bryant announces appointments to several state agencies. January 2012

The 2011 edition of the NCLEJ ADA-TANF Manual is now posted on NCLEJ’s website, www.nclej.org and can be downloaded free of charge. The Manual has been revised primarily to address two major legal developments that have occurred since the 2010 edition was released in April 2010: In September 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice issued [...]

Settlement Agreement Between the Social Security administration and Deaf Claimants Under Section 504 on Sign Language Interpreters In March 2011, the Social Security Administration (SSA) entered into a settlement agreement with six deaf and hard of hearing individuals to settle administrative complaints filed with SSA under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act regarding SSA’s failure [...]

Mental Health for 2012 budget got $249,300,000 which is almost $7,000,000 more than this current fiscal year. Need to watch where they spend it. A big push should be for home and community services and treatment. Let’s see if director puts any of funds towards the ID/DD waiver to address the waiting list of over [...]

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department has reached a settlement with Inova Health System to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in the provision of medical services. The agreement, under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act, resolves a complaint that Inova failed to provide sign language [...]

Legislative Update, March 29, 2011 Special Education: Senate Bill 2433 The procedural safeguards rights of parents who have children receiving special education services as stated in IDEA 2004. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2011/pdf/history/SB/SB2433.xml Senate Conferees Named: Carmichael, Burton, Blount House Conferees Named: Brown, Broomfield,Gardner S) Conference Report Filed 03/27 (H) Conference Report Filed 03/28 (H) Conference Report Adopted 03/28 [...]

HUD issued a Memorandum to “All public Housing Agencies” entitled “Consideration of Extenuating Circumstances When Screening Applicants with Disabilities.” HUD states “it has recently come to the attention” of HUD that people with disabilities “face additional challenges during screening procedures [for public housing and housing choice vouchers] due to poor credit histories, often exacerbated by [...]

HUD is nearing publication of a proposed format for a survey of Disaster Assistance Program (DHAP)-assisted households to complete its Incremental Rent Transition Study. If you are interested in seeing the draft survey instrument now (it will be published for comment in the next couple of weeks), please call Marina Myhre at (202) 402-5705. Below, [...]

Following confusion around Response to Intervention (RTI) and evaluation and reports to the U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) that local school districts might be using RTI strategies to delay or deny evaluation for students suspected of having a disability, OSEP’s Director, Dr. Melody Musgrove, sent a memo to state directors [...]

Congress Enacts Legislation to Reform HUD’s Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities Program The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010 (S.1481) has passed the Senate and the House, and is now on its way to be signed by President Obama. S. 1481 authorizes an innovative 811 demonstration program, which promotes integrated [...]