Nevada’s Protection and Advocacy System for Individuals ...€¦ · Nevada’s Protection and...
Transcript of Nevada’s Protection and Advocacy System for Individuals ...€¦ · Nevada’s Protection and...
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Nevada’s Protection and Advocacy System for Individuals with Disabilities
ABOUT US
The Nevada Disability Advocacy & Law Center (NDALC) is a private, statewide non-profit organization that serves as Nevada's federally-mandated protection and advocacy system for human, legal, and service rights for individuals with disabilities. NDALC has served as Nevada’s protection and advocacy system since March 1995.
Services provided by NDALC include, but are not limited to: information and referral services, education, training, negotiation, mediation, investigation of reported or suspected abuse or neglect, legal counsel, technical assistance, and public policy work.
NDALC has offices in Las Vegas, Reno, and Elko with services provided statewide. All services are offered at no cost to eligible individuals in accordance with NDALC’s available resources and service priorities.
MISSION STATEMENT
Protect and advocate for human and legal rights, interests, and welfare of Nevadans with disabilities.
Promote, support, and assist Nevadans with disabilities in understanding and controlling those systems and processes which directly affect their lives.
Foster the development, availability, and accessibility of services which increase the opportunities available to Nevadans with disabilities to live their lives as fully, independently, and productively as possible.
PROTECTION & ADVOCACY (P&A) SYSTEMS
P&A systems throughout the United States were established as a result of public concern and outcry regarding abuse, neglect, and denial of rights of individuals with disabilities.
Since 1978, Congress has established protection and advocacy programs in all U.S. states and territories to address the needs of different populations of individuals with disabilities. Under these programs P&A systems are authorized to:
Pursue legal, administrative, and other appropriate remedies in order to enforce and uphold the rights of eligible individuals with disabilities. Investigate reported or suspected incidents of abuse and neglect of eligible individuals with disabilities.
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA)
PAIMI – serves individuals with mental illness
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Administration for Community
Living (ACL)
PADD – serves individuals with intellectual and
developmental disabilities
PAVA – serves individuals with disabilities regarding
their voting rights and access
PAAT – serves individuals with disabilities who need
assistive technology devices or services
PATBI – serves individuals with traumatic brain
injuries
U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Special Education and Rehabilitation
Services (OSERS)
PAIR – serves individuals with disabilities not
covered under other P&A programs
CAP – serves individuals with disabilities applying
for or receiving services under the federal
Rehabilitation Act
NDALC provides protection, advocacy, information and
referral, and legal services under funding provided by our
FEDERAL PARTNERS:
Social Security Administration, Office of
Acquisition and Grants (OAG)
PABSS – serves beneficiaries of Social Security
Income (SSI), or Social Security Disability Insurance
(SSDI) under the Ticket to Work and Work
Incentives Improvement Act (TWWWIIA) and offers
assistance with the removal of barriers preventing
them from returning to work.
WIPA – serves beneficiaries of Social Security and
offers work incentives and planning assistance
under the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives
Improvement Act (TWWWIIA)
This document has been developed by NDALC and has not been reviewed by the federal funders for accuracy or
endorsement by the Federal Government and is developed and printed at taxpayer expense.
PAIMI $428,000.00 28%
PADD $390,405.00 26%
PAVA $70,000.00 5%
PAAT $50,000.00 3%
PATBI $50,000.00 3%
PAIR $171,598.00 11%
CAP $131,917.00 9%
PABSS $100,000.00 7%
WIPA $120,500.00 8%
$1,512,420.00 100%
Funding by Yearly Award Allotment -
FY17
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1379 1869
CLIENTS - P&A Programs 1322 SERVICE REQUESTS - P&A Programs 1443
GENDER % Clients S/R PRIMARY DISABILITY % Clients S/R
Male 55% 732 806 Absence of Extremities 0.5% 7 8
Female 45% 590 634 ADD/ADHD 1.7% 22 22
AIDS/HIV 1.0% 13 13
AGE % Clients S/R Arthritis 0.2% 2 2
0-5 4% 55 60 Autism Spectrum Disorder 12.3% 163 185
6-11 9% 124 134 Autoimmune Disease 0.7% 9 9
12-18 8% 109 123 Blindness (both eyes) 0.8% 10 10
19-25 9% 116 123 Cancer 0.9% 12 12
26-35 11% 139 152 Cerebral Palsy 1.8% 24 28
36-45 13% 176 194 Deafness 1.9% 25 27
46-55 19% 252 281 Deaf/Blind 0.1% 1 1
56-65 15% 194 208 Diabetes 0.7% 9 10
66-75 5% 60 65 Digestive Disorders 0.2% 2 2
76+ 2% 24 26 Down Syndrome 0.2% 2 4
Unknown 6% 76 77 Epilepsy 0.9% 12 12
Genitourinary Conditions 0.2% 3 4
ETHNICITY Clients S/R Hard of Hearing (not deaf) 1.2% 16 16
Heart & Other Circulatory Conditions 1.5% 20 21
Intellectual Disabilities 6.4% 84 91
Asian 30 33 Learning Disabilities 0.5% 6 6
Asian (H/L)* 1 1 Mental Illness 34.3% 454 506
Black 170 190 Multiple Sclerosis 0.8% 11 11
Black (H/L)* 5 5 Muscular Dystrophy 0.3% 4 4
Hispanic/Latino 161 178 Muscular/Skeletal Impairment 0.5% 7 7
Multiracial 50 52 Neurological Disorders 4.5% 60 66
Multiracial (H/L)* 16 16 Orthopedic/Physical Impairments 14.7% 194 205
Other Emotional/Behavioral 0.1% 1 1
Respiratory Disorders 0.6% 8 9
Not Stated 18 18 Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) 1.7% 22 25
Unknown 41 43 Speech Impairments 0.5% 6 6
White 680 736 Spina Bifida 0.1% 1 1
White (H/L)* 130 147 Substance Abuse 0.1% 1 1
*(H/L - Hispanic/Latino) Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) 4.4% 58 62
Visual Impairment (Not Blind) 1.7% 22 24
REGION % Clients S/R Not Stated 2.3% 31 32
Northern 24% 313 333
Southern 70% 923 1020
Rural 6% 86 90
Northern Counties: Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, Storey, Washoe
Southern Counties: Clark, Lincoln, Nye
Rural Counties:
CLIENTS - WIPA 57 SERVICE REQUESTS - WIPA 426
Native Hawaiian / Other
Pacific Islander8 11
Churchill, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Mineral, Out of State, Pershing,
White Pine
WIPA is the Work Incentives Planning Program that has different process and criteria than the above P&A programs.
TOTAL CLIENTS TOTAL SERVICE REQUESTS
Clients Self-Identify for Ethnicity & Disability
American Indian / Alaskan
Native12 13
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HIGHLIGHTS of OUR FISCAL YEAR
Note – the following are representative, and are not all inclusive, excerpts from our program activities for Fiscal Year 2017.
NDALC initiates the process of determining service priorities in August of every year for the upcoming fiscal year by collecting input and public comments through the distribution of our Annual Advocacy Survey.
For 2017, the survey along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope was sent to 778 individuals on NDALC’s mailing list. This list is made up of current and former clients, family members, disability service providers, educators and legal/judicial individuals.
In addition to direct mail, the survey could also be completed in person at any one of our three locations, through Survey Monkey, or requested and completed electronically.
The survey was also provided to NDALC staff and Board members as well as community partners so they could also distribute to additional individuals on their email lists, or at any training or community events they may be attending.
The survey seeks input/comments on what the respondent feels are the most important disability related issues within the state, and then it asks the respondent to rank those issues by level of importance. It also asks whether the respondent has a disability, if they have been denied services, had services reduced or terminated, or are currently on a waiting list for services, and if so, which services are pending.
NDALC SERVICE PRIORITIES
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PAIMI – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR INDIVIDUALS withMENTAL ILLNESS
Services for individuals who have significant mental illness or emotional impairment.
49 individual PAIMI cases
were addressed in fiscal year 2017.
While great strides were
made and a positive momentum
continues, NDALC continued to be
concerned with, and saw issues with
inmates with severe mental illness
being placed in solitary.
Continuing from the end of
NDALC’s last fiscal year – the joint
(and final) report from NDALC, the
American Civil Liberties Union of
Nevada (ACLUNV), and Solitary
Watch was issued - Unlocking
Solitary Confinement: Ending
Extreme Isolation in Nevada State
Prisons.
The 48 page report is a
composite of details from
approximately 300 inmates who
completed 10-page surveys,
interviews conducted by NDALC of
selected inmates with disabilities
describing the harmful impact of
extreme isolation, and a 2 year
collaboration between 3 agencies.
Widely shared, distributed
throughout the State, and reported on
by state/national news outlets, the
report was released at a pivotal time
for prison policy in Nevada. ACLUNV
distributed it directly to legislators in
the 2017 session and they used it to
support Senate Bill 402, which
eliminates the use of solitary
confinement against individuals with
intellectual disabilities.
Senate Bill 402 was signed
into Nevada law by the Governor in
June 2017 and NDALC continues to
work with the Nevada Department of
Corrections to ensure effective
implementation of new requirements.
Death by suicide in prisons
also came to the forefront and NDALC
initiated requests for investigations for
a root cause analysis in licensed
facilities through various state/federal
departments. While the end of fiscal
year 2017 did not see this milestone,
NDALC continues to press for an
authoritative agency, other than the
Nevada Department of Corrections,
with investigative authority over prison
deaths.
Other than one agency that
‘periodically’ examines and prepares a
semi-annual report on the medical
services and locations where services
are provided, there are no known
designated authorities to conduct
these investigations. NDALC has
requested that the Vera Institute of
Justice make recommendations on
behalf of NDALC to promote the
utilization of the agency’s investigative
authority.
NDALC and the Clark County
Public Defender (CCPD) continued to
work to facilitate the most effective
process with the Nevada Department
of Corrections (NDOC) to ensure
continuity of care for those adjudicated
Guilty But Mentally Ill (GBMI). The
intention is for recommendations for a
mental health treatment plan in
preparation for transfer to NDOC.
NDALC and the CCPD are hopeful
future meetings with NDOC will result
in positive, systemic changes for
inmates entering pleas of GBMI in the
future. Attendees at those meetings
hope to see changes implemented
that include the removal of inmates
from solitary confinement and the
transfer of severely, mentally ill
inmates to the mental health unit in
Carson City.
Advocacy for systemic,
habilitative mental health services
are of concern for NDALC as it
appears Nevada Medicaid recipients
are not receiving these services under
a Medicaid Section 1915(i) waiver,
although included in the State Plan, as
approved by the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid.
NDALC hosted a meeting
with providers who received incorrect
Medicaid denials to discuss changes
to the State’s Medicaid Service
Manual and the State’s position with
respect to the 1915(i) waiver.
However, we were since informed the
State will amend their Plan to change
and/or eliminate the 1915(i) waiver. As
such, NDALC will continue to pursue
habilitative services under the 1915(i)
waiver for individuals with mental
illness, and is considering its
administrative and legal remedies.
NDALC conducted 7 public
awareness events and 4 educational
events with over 500 people educated
or trained in various areas.
The agency also investigated
state and county policies on
interventions and restraints in 5
representative facilities within: nursing
homes, group homes, SLAs, board
and care homes, homeless shelters,
hospitals, or schools. NDALC also
addressed individual situations that
indicated continual and unnecessary
institutional placements rather than
moving within the community.
The agency continues to
provide ongoing training and
education to clients, providers and
family members. FY 2017 saw over
200 people educated on Effective
Advocacy Skills, the Health Care
Notebook, and Navigation Pathways
training. The focus of which is to
educate parents and professionals
about the rights of individuals with
disabilities, and provide tips on how to
effectively advocate and navigate
within the system of care.
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NDALC monitored 59 private,
Supported Living Arrangement (SLA)
homes serving individuals with
developmental disabilities. Un-
announced visits included 49 SLA
homes in Southern Nevada, 6 in the
North and 4 in Rural areas.
NDALC reviewed provider
certifications and ensured all SLA staff
completed training in behavioral and
medication management, as well as
CPR/First Aid, prior to working with
clientele. All areas were toured and in
some cases, private interviews were
completed with staff and residents.
NDALC identified safety
concerns in several homes and
worked with providers and the
Regional Centers to rectify and ensure
residents remained free of abuse and
neglect.
NDALC observed positive
changes in group homes revisited
after initial visits in 2016 identified
areas in need of improvement. With
respect to a facility serving elementary
to secondary level students with
severe behavior challenges, NDALC
observed a 50% reduction in
suspensions and a 30% reduction in
recidivism since 2016.
An NDALC advocate serves
on a Regional Center’s Human Rights
Committee that meets monthly to
review habilitative plans for those who
reside in either the regional center, or
their SLA homes. The committee’s
objective - to ensure behavior and
medical interventions are safe and
appropriate, protect individual rights
(including privacy), choice and dignity,
and verify that individuals receive
services in the Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE).
A Jobs and Day Training
(JDT) facility was monitored where
safety issues were noted and
addressed for immediate resolution
with the facility administrator.
Continuing from the end of
NDALC’s last fiscal year – the joint
(and final) report from NDALC, the
American Civil Liberties Union of
Nevada (ACLUNV), and Solitary
Watch was issued - Unlocking
Solitary Confinement: Ending
Extreme Isolation in Nevada State
Prisons.
The report is a composite of
details from approximately 300
inmates who completed a 10-page
survey, interviews conducted by
NDALC of selected inmates with
disabilities describing the harmful
impact of extreme isolation, and a 2
year collaboration between 3
agencies.
Widely shared, distributed
throughout the State, and reported on
by state/national news outlets, the
report was released at a pivotal time
for prison policy in Nevada. ACLUNV
distributed it directly to legislators in
the 2017 session and they used it to
support Senate Bill 402, which
eliminates the use of solitary
confinement against individuals with
intellectual disabilities. The Bill was
signed into Nevada law by the
Governor in June 2017 and NDALC
continues to work with the Nevada
Department of Corrections to ensure
effective implementation of the new
requirements.
Starting in FY17, continuing
into 2018 – Two NDALC attorneys
contacted the Nevada Department of
Education (NDE) to investigate the
reporting process implemented when
restraints, seclusion, or aversion
interventions are used in schools.
NDALC reviews were
completed with communication and
open dialogue with the Special
Education and Teacher licensure
divisions, which will continue as the
department develops a revised
Procedures Manual.
Medicaid challenges were
effectively advocated for within various
needs including; accessing Medicaid
and other community healthcare
resources, treatment coverage after
discharge, and continued/covered
step-down services when none were
available within the community.
Two NDALC attorneys also
addressed client issues with Medicaid
reduced or terminated Personal Care
Assistant (PCA) services without
adequate rationale. Through meetings
with Medicaid administrators,
decisions were revised and an agency
brochure now details the clients’ step-
by-step process through the Fair
Hearing process and answers
frequently asked questions.
In FY 2017, the Executive
Director, who is also on the board of
the Nevada Governor’s Council on
Developmental Disabilities (NGCDD),
welcomed his service dog, Forever.
This also resulted in 6 trainings and
presentations to Health Districts and
Restaurant Associations within the
State. News outlets interviewed him
and filmed informational spots
promoting the abilities expanded by
these service animals to individuals
with various disabilities.
NDALC participates, or
coordinated services, with at least 16
community partner organizations on
diverse programs, outreaches, in-
services and trainings. In many cases,
trainings were offered in English and
Spanish. The agency strives to
review/revise and add presentations
as necessary to stay current with
program changes, as well as
additional needs.
PADD – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR INDIVIDUALS withDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES
Services for individuals who have a developmental disability; defined as a disability manifested before age 22, chronic
in nature, and results in substantial functional limitations in three or more major life activities.
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PAAT – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
Services for individuals with disabilities who need assistance obtaining
assistive technology devices and services.
NDALC continues to provide
individual case advocacy to children
and adults with disabilities who are in
need of assistive technology (AT)
devices and services. The agency’s
trainings addressed advocating for AT
services and devices as well as the
processes by which to request and
obtain.
In order to be aware of and
address any systemic issues,
NDALC’s Executive Director and a
staff member attend meetings of the
Nevada Assistive Technology Council,
that serves in an advisory capacity to
the Office of Disability Services in
order to provide consumer driven and
responsive advice for the planning,
implementation, and evaluation of AT
programs.
Some of this year’s projects
and collaborations include:
NDALC’s Executive Director
served on an integrated employment
subcommittee for the Commission on
Services to People with Disabilities.
The subcommittee issued a strategic
plan for integrated employment that
included services to obtain AT devices
to assist individuals in obtaining
integrated employment.
The Northern office of
NDALC also hosts an AT
demonstration area in conjunction with
the State’s AT project.
NDALC maintains a
collaboration with an AT provider to
address and present trainings on
commonly shared issues relative to AT
within the Hispanic community – in
part, how to overcome a bilingual gap,
how AT devices can help to function
more independently, and how to
access AT services without prejudice
and discrimination.
PAVA – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR VOTER ACCESS
Services for individuals with disabilities to provide education and advocacy to ensure full
participation in the electoral process.
In order to better advise,
NDALC advocates participate in
various trainings to enhance and
update their knowledge of the electoral
process and voting accessibility. One
such example included their
participation in a National Federation
for the Blind review of the blind voter
experience that followed the 2016
presidential election.
The agency maintains an
active working relationship with the
Secretary of State elections staff,
inclusive of the State’s HAVA
coordinator and the staff at the
Washoe and Clark County Registrar
offices.
FY17 focused efforts on
reaching individuals with
developmental disabilities and
providing voter education in the rural
areas.
Among the activities: Advocates
worked with Project Focus at UNLV to
address adults in post-secondary
education with developmental
disabilities and facilitate voting rights
and processes. Rural presentations
addressed individuals in schools and
tribal groups regarding voting
registrations, deadlines and
processes.
Southern Nevada advocates
worked with area psychiatric hospitals
to ensure patients were provided with
information regarding their voting
rights and individuals that were
registered to vote were able to cast a
ballot on election day as required
under State law. Advocates hand
delivered hand-written ballots to
patients and securely returned
completed ballots to the election
department to be counted.
10 separate voting locations
in Clark County were monitored for
accessibility with one concern
identified and then addressed by the
Clark County election officials.
And for the future…
advocates continue to work with
election officials in Las Vegas
regarding new voting machines that
will be used beginning with the June
2018 primary election. Initial issues
addressed with election officials
pertained to the use of a signature
stamp for persons with a disability who
need this accommodation rather than
using the projected touchscreen
electronic signature.
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PATBI – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES
Services for individuals living with traumatic brain injuries and their families.
In order to remain current on
resources and address the growing
concerns regarding trauma related
injuries, an NDALC advocate has
maintained a voting member position
on the Southern Regional Trauma
Advisory Board (SRTAB) since 2009.
The SRTAB works in collaboration
with UMC Trauma Hospital, the
Southern Nevada Health District,
Emergency Medical Systems and
other trauma providers to ensure a
quality system of patient care. SRTAB
makes recommendations and assists
in the ongoing design of the trauma
system and operation.
An NDALC advocate is also a
member of the Southern Nevada
Injury Prevention Partnership (SNIPP)
that partners with Nevada’s three
trauma hospitals to develop strategies
to prevent and reduce the number and
severity of traumatic brain injuries.
Concurrent with the critical
focus of traumatic brain injuries in
sports, an advocate is a member of
the Nevada Interscholastic Activities
Association (NIAA), a non-profit
organization of secondary schools in
Nevada that sets policies for handling
head injuries of student athletes.
Policies mandate that students be
removed immediately from competitive
sports if they suffer a concussion or
head injury and they are not allowed to
return to play until examined and
cleared by a health care provider. The
advocate monitors the coaches’
adherence to policy.
NDALC participated in
various community outreach programs
and events to educate individuals and
family members on available
resources and methods for self-
advocacy and access to the benefits.
NDALC advocates
participated with 5 community partner
agencies (Southern Nevada Health
District, UMC Medical School, Nevada
Community Enrichment Program,
Southern Nevada Mental Health
Services, and the Aging and Disability
Resource Centers) in a collaborative
project addressing the correlation
between Paratransit eligibility and
eligibility for Medicaid MTM
transportation services for
non-emergency rides. The project
intention was to find an eligibility
process for consumers who are not
Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
Paratransit eligible to be able to utilize
the MTM system with Medicaid. The
partnership addressed/drafted a
booklet on how to apply and appeal
decisions with RTC.
Numerous outreach
presentations by NDALC staff were
offered at the onset of the fiscal year
in conjunction with voting
areas/options in conjunction with the
presidential election.
A continuing NDALC project
in northern Nevada in cooperation with
the Governor’s Council on
Developmental Disabilities and People
First addresses the Virginia Street
RTC expansion. The project
addresses critical transportation needs
overall, but is specific to improving
safety, correcting ADA sidewalk
deficiencies, and improving traffic
operations.
LRIS – LAWYER REFERRAL AND INFORMATION SERVICES
The Nevada Bar Association minimally funds projects involving charitable/educational projects that promote public
understanding of the law, improvement of the administration of justice, or other law related public service projects.
Over the years, NDALC has been fortunate to receive various funding amounts from the above program that helped to
facilitate our efforts under our main protection and advocacy programs by covering print, supplies, materials, and/or presentation
services.
Starting at the end of the 2017 fiscal year and completing in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, the program partially
supported NDALC in funding materials and presentations to educate consumers about the law and how to advocate for their rights
as a person with a disability. Materials covered: Effective Advocacy Navigation and the Care Pathway Notebook, Guardianship and
Alternative Options, and What To Do When You Disagree with Your Child’s IEP, and Restraint and Seclusion Laws. Thirteen
presentations were offered in English and/or Spanish.
Funding also allowed a specific focus by rights attorneys in preparing materials and presenting to groups within the State
on the ABLE Act – the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. The ABLE Act allows families to invest funds on behalf of their child
with a disability, for disability related expenses.
Presentations were completed in the North, South, and Rural Nevada offices of NDALC. The Southern session was also
attended by the Chief of Staff of the Nevada State Treasurer’s Office, who administers the ABLE Act procedures in Nevada and
who responded to questions concerning the management and marketing of ABLE accounts. Attendees for all sessions included
disability service providers, families of individuals with disabilities, and individuals with disabilities. 9
PAIR – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS
Services for all other individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities who are not eligible for services under PADD and
PAIMI programs, or the Client Assistance Program (CAP).
NDALC served 32 individuals
under the PAIR grant during the 2017
fiscal year and provided an additional
325 information and referral services
to persons with disabilities.
Approximately 437
individuals attended 8 separate
trainings covering various subject
matter offered in English and/or
Spanish.
Systemic activities addressed
various areas of need.
Service Animal Trainings for
the Washoe County Health District
were conducted 3 times to 100
association members. As a result of
the trainings, a Service Animals Only
informational poster was developed
and 2 television news outlets in
northern Nevada filmed and posted
interviews with NDALC’s Executive
Director and his service animal,
Forever. Four additional service
animal trainings were presented to 90
individuals from the VA Hospital Spinal
Cord Support Group and the Nevada
Environmental Health Association.
NDALC’s northern office
hosts a weekly, Blind IOS User Group
meeting and at one point met with the
group to identify barriers within the
community. The group indicated a lack
of audible signals and curb cuts in the
City of Reno so NDALC attended
Reno Access Council meetings and
spoke on behalf of the group. The
Access Council made a commitment
to improve access inclusive of 15
additional audible signals in 2018.
NDALC continues to address
physical access issues under the
jurisdiction of the Nevada Equal Rights
Commission (NERC) as we were
notified that NERC was declining
jurisdiction under Title III ADA
complaints from individuals with
disabilities; alleging lack of physical
access to places of public
accommodation. A meeting was held
with the NERC Director to address
and inform NERC of its investigative
responsibilities.
NDALC worked to establish
the Nevada Commission for Persons
Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or
Speech Impaired with a staff member
remaining an active member of the
group. The commission addresses
statewide issues such as
transportation, interpreters, advocacy
training and utilization of the 911 text
features for emergencies. Two
trainings were provided to 50,
statewide sign language interpreters
regarding state interpreter rules and
regulations for the newly created state
interpreter pool.
NDALC updated and re-
formatted the Medicaid handout used
to instruct Medicaid recipients on the
actions to take when Medicaid
reduces, terminates or denies
Personal Care Assistance (PCA)
hours. The document takes clients
through the step-by-step Fair Hearing
process and answers typical
questions.
The agency also hosted
Medicaid long-term support specialists
to discuss changes to the State’s
Medicaid Services Manual.
CAP – CLIENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Assists individuals who may be having issues with vocational rehabilitation programs.
NDALC provided advocacy services for 96 individuals under the CAP program.
Five training sessions reaching approximately 357 people were presented to various community groups and public
agencies e.g., employees of Workforce Connections (Southern Nevada’s workforce development board), Desert Regional Center
case managers, and Clark County’s community social services agencies, as well as the Executive Director’s participation as a
panelist at the Integrated Employment Summit in Reno.
Monthly outreach events were also held in the rural areas of Ely, and one outreach event was held for the Moapa tribal,
vocational rehabilitation agency in the South.
Members of the NDALC agency participate on various Advisory Boards such as the Nevada State Rehabilitation Council
where a supervising attorney for the agency is the Client Assistance Program representative and is the co-chair of the State
Rehabilitation Council and chair of the State Plan Subcommittee of the Council. He is also Vice-Chair of a group regarding new
measures to the VR participant satisfaction survey sent out for bid to identify a contractor for implementation.
The Executive Director serves on an integrated employment subcommittee of the Commission on Services for Person with
Disabilities that supplies input to the State of Nevada regarding employment options for individuals primarily with intellectual or
developmental disabilities. The subcommittee was formed to implement recommendations of a Governor created task force
reviewing the service delivery system of employment options for individuals with developmental, or intellectual disabilities.
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PABSS – PROTECTION & ADVOCACY FOR BENEFICIARIES of SOCIAL SECURITY
Services for individuals who receive Social Security disability benefits and need assistance with
the removal of barriers preventing them from returning to work.
NDALC provided advocacy services to 10 individuals under the PABSS grant program; an additional 35 individuals
received information and referral services, and 1,173 received training/educational information at 12 outreach presentations.
During fiscal year 2017 outreach efforts targeted students with disabilities of transition age so several transition events
were sponsored through the Clark County School District (CCSD). PABSS advocates also hosted parent training that targeted
Hispanic families of children with disabilities and each participant received relative brochures prepared by NDALC.
NDALC PABSS advocates also presented at a CCSD transition specialists’ staff meeting offering information on the
PABSS program as well as employment networks and the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE); 25 CCSD staff members
participated.
Advocates presented to a wide range of groups over the fiscal year – Chaparral High School’s Parent’s resource fair,
Variety High Schools’ Parents’ Support Group, CCSD’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Transition event – 2 separate sessions, CCSD’s
Students Talking About Real-World (STAR) – Transition Fair, a Basic High School’s staff meeting, Miley Achievement Center’s
student/parent resource fair, a Boys’ and Girls’ Club of America staff meeting, and a training to Hispanic families of children with
disabilities at a Milagros Escondidos support group meeting.
PABSS advocates also prepared a program plan for the upcoming fiscal year on intended trainings and targeted groups.
WIPA – WORK INCENTIVES PLANNING and ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Assists Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities in making informed choices about returning
to work, or entering the workforce for the first time.
NDALC received 426 service requests and addressed 57 individual cases over the 2017 fiscal year.
The agency maintains three, fully certified Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC) on staff to provide clients with
personalized benefits planning services statewide. Each CWIC is also required to maintain an additional and yearly certification
requirement encompassing both federal and state specific benefits’ programs.
There is one CWIC in each NDALC office, although each CWIC may have clients in any area of the State and is
responsible for providing WIPA services throughout the State. CWIC staff member develop working relationships with community
partners, youth educators and disability employment service providers; opening the door to future client referrals and collaborations.
Presentations/Events throughout the year included Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, a vendor booth at the Nevada
Transition Conference, WIOA Board and Nevada Workforce Connections Partners, the Nevada Youth Transition Leadership
Summit, Resource Fair at Truckee Meadows Community College, Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Reno, Career Connect, Project Input of
the Moapa Band of Paiutes, Desert Regional Center, and Spring Creek High School.
The WIPA program’s planning services include:
(1) advice on working and the earning potential while receiving Social Security cash benefits,
(2) Benefits Analysis – summary of current benefits with an analysis on how benefits may be impacted by employment;
including Medicare/Medicaid;
(3) evaluation of available options and development of a work incentives plan,
(4) A Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS) which assists in the development of the PASS and ensures it is properly
submitted to the Social Security Administration, information, referral and problem solving, and
(5) ongoing assistance during the transition to employment.
Eligible individuals are working age Nevadans with disabilities (including transition aged youth, ages 14 - 22), who receive
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), are working, have a job offer, or are actively
seeking work and are interested in receiving benefits’ planning and assistance services. 11
SYSTEMIC ADVOCACY …….
is often completed through participation on
Boards, Commissions, Committees, or
Special Projects. NDALC staff members
participate on the following Boards,
Commissions, Committees, or Special
Projects:
• AIDD Partners
• National Disability Rights Network
• Brain Injury Association of America
• Federation for the Blind
• Desert Regional Center - Human Rights
Commission
• Elko Transportation Committee
• Medicaid Managed Care & Home & Community
Based Services - Town Hall
Meetings
• NV Supported Decision-Making Agreement
Committee - Legal Research
Subcommittee
• Nevada Commission on Services for Persons
with Disabilities (CSPD)
• Governor’s, Taskforce on Integrated
Employment Subcommittee
• NV- Special Education Advisory Committee
• NV Assistive Technology Council
• Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental
Disabilities
• Nevada State Rehabilitation Council • Southern
Nevada Adult Mental Health
Coalition
• Southern Nevada Injury Prevention Committee
• Southern Nevada Trauma Advisory Board
• Virginia Street Bus RAPID Transit Extension
Project
• Reno Access Advisory Committee
• Northern Nevada Access and Functional Needs
Work Group (Emergency
Planning)
• Comstock Chapter of Canine Companions for
Independence
SOUTHERN OFFICE
2820 W. Charleston, Suite B-11
Las Vegas, NV 89102Phone: 702-257-8150
Toll Free: 1-888-349-3843Nevada Relay: 711Fax: 702-257-8170
[email protected] Habla Español
NORTHERN OFFICE
1875 Plumas Street, Suite 1
Reno, NV 89509Phone: 775-333-7878
Toll Free: 1-800-992-5715Nevada Relay: 711Fax: 775-786-2520
[email protected] Habla Español
ELKO OFFICE
905 Railroad Street, Suite 104B
Elko, NV 89801Phone: 775-777-1590
Toll Free: 1-800-992-5715Nevada Relay: 711Fax: 775-753-1690
www.NDALC.org12