Make A Year-End Donation to the NCCI Homecoming Fund

As 2017 draws to a close, it's a good time to make charitable donations. We hope you will consider contributing to the NCCI Homecoming Fund. This online GoFundMe campaign is an opportunity to make a valuable local, small-scale donation that helps disabled people get out of nursing homes and hospitals, and make a smooth transition into their own homes.

Click here to give to the NCCI Homecoming Fund at GoFundMe.com.

The NCCI Homecoming Fund helps pay for:

• Kitchen supplies
• Bed and bathroom supplies
• Furniture
• Adaptive equipment
• Startup groceries

It also helps us pay for storage space for these purchased supplies and donated items that we can then give to people with disabilities making what can be a difficult, but exciting move back to independence in our community.

Help us out! It doesn't take a large donation to make a big difference. And whether you give or not, please share this with friends and family who might be interested.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays, from everyone at the North Country Center for Independence!

The NCCI office will be closed for Christmas on Friday, December 22nd and Monday, December 25th ... and for New Year's on Friday, December 29th and Monday, January 1st.

Note that time sheets for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program need to be in by December 19th at 12 noon, and January 2nd by 12 noon.

Finally, here is an excellent article with tips on how to make all kinds of holiday parties and events accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities:

‘Tis the Season for Inclusive Holiday Festivities
Rooted In Rights - December 15, 2017

Best wishes!

New Year Resolutions

Long Term Care Ombudsman Forum
January 4th at 5:30 PM
North Country Center for Independence
80 Sharron Ave, Plattsburgh, New York

At this time of year you may find yourself asking, “Where has the year gone?” Thoughts of what will my resolution for the New Year be? Commitments such as this is the year I will lose the extra pounds or exercise may quickly fade as we lose sight of our goal because results are slow to come. Our nature is to seek immediate gratification as it makes us feel good.

So why not make a resolution that will give you gratification each and every time you do it? Why not choose to feed your soul rather than your empty stomach? This year choose to be a volunteer and make a difference in someone’s life. There is nothing more gratifying than putting a smile on someone’s face or helping to resolve a situation or helping them seek answers. Long-term Care Ombudsman do that every day.

You may be saying right now Ombud what??? Om-buds-man. This is a person that advocates, educates and empowers residents in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult and family type homes. As an ombudsman you visit a local facility and assist in being the voice for a resident who may not be able to advocate for themselves. Many of our residents no longer have anyone that comes to visit them. As an ombudsman you are able to fill some of this void by listening to resident’s stories and bringing a smile to the face of someone who may feel that no one cares anymore. A certified volunteer ombudsman meets people from all walks of life and has the honor of being a part in a chapter of their lives that enriches it by being a caring advocate.

The ombudsman program covers Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties.  We cover 27 facilities in which there are over 1,500 residents. Currently we are at a critical low number of advocates with far more facilities than we have volunteers. This is truly a volunteer commitment. So you may be asking, “How do I get involved?”

Step one is getting more information. If you like what you hear then you shadow a certified ombudsman in a facility to see if this is truly something that will be a good fit for you. If you say yes, and we love when you do, then you take the certification training. Finally you are mentored by an experienced ombudsman until you become certified and get assigned to a facility.

Why not take the first step and at least hear more about this volunteer opportunity? A forum will be held on January 4, 2018 at 5:30 pm at the North Country Center for Independence located at 80 Sharrron Ave (next to the VA clinic) in Plattsburgh. If you find that this is not the commitment you are looking for then we can refer you to one of the many other volunteer opportunities available if you are interested.

As you sit and reflect on the year and ask yourself questions such as, did I make a difference this year?  Was I able to reach out and assist someone in need? Do I want to stand up for resident’s rights and fill my heart with one of the most amazing volunteer opportunities there is? If this is calling to you, then please reach out to get more information on becoming a volunteer ombudsman. If you are unable to attend the forum please contact Amy Gehrig, Ombudsman Coordinator, at 518-562-1732 to set up a time to discuss the program and your potential involvement.

Why not try something new for 2018? Dieter Uchtdorf says it perfectly, “As we lose ourselves in the services of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.” Become a volunteer ombudsman.  Pay it forward and BE the difference. Hey, you may even lose some pounds

Call Amy Gehrig, Long Term Care Ombudsman: 518-562-1732

Happy New Year!

Action Alert: Call In Day on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Monday, Dec. 11, 2017

This Action Alert is based on information from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities and the Center for Public Representation ...

Join people with disabilities, our families, and advocates around the country on Monday, December 11th, for a national call-in day to oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

The Senate and House have each passed versions of the TCJA and the bill is in a conference committee to come up with the final bill. THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE TO MAKE OUR OPPOSITION HEARD TO THIS #TaxOnDisability

This bill will hurt people with disabilities.

* It dramatically cuts the revenue needed to fund Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, housing, and other services that benefit people with disabilities.

* The over $1 trillion cut in revenue is the “pay for” for tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.

* Members of Congress who support this bill have already said that they next plan to make cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and other programs on which people with disabilities rely to address the increased deficit caused by this bill.

* The bills themselves have provisions that directly hurt people with disabilities. It eliminates tax deductions and credits that help people with disabilities pay for high medical expenses, work, access housing, and get medication.

* It repeals the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that everyone have health insurance. This will cause premiums for people with disabilities and pre-existing conditions to increase, leaving heath insurance unaffordable for millions. 

Help us send a loud and clear message that this legislation is unacceptable!

You can use this sample script and talking points.

After you call: email, write, or tweet!

You can RSVP and invite friends using the Facebook event.

You can find a list of Congress members to contact here.

Note that Representative Elise Stefanik is on this list. She voted "No" on the original House bill, and needs to hear again the issues with the bill now, especially how it would affect people with disabilities.

Elise Stefanik @RepStefanik
DC: (202) 225-4611 
Glens Falls (518) 743-0964 
Plattsburgh (518) 561-2324 
Watertown (315) 782-3150

Additional Resources

Fact Sheet: How to Call Your Elected Officials (Autistic Self Advocacy Network)

Fact Sheet:  The Top 5 Reasons the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is Bad for People with Disabilities (Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities)

Fact Sheet: Congress’ Tax Proposals Endanger Health Care for Older Adults (and people with disabilities) (Justice in Aging)

Fact Sheet:  The Republican Tax Plan is a Tax on Disability (Center for American Progress)

Event Sponsors

American Association of People with Disabilities

Autism Society

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Center for Public Representation

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD)

Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)

Justice in Aging

National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

National Council on Independent Living

National Disability Rights Network

National Down Syndrome Congress

National Health Law Program

Action Alert: Last Chance to Stop the Dangerous Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Update on the original Action Alert below, from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities: As we emailed over the weekend, it is critical that we keep up the advocacy against the tax bill with the House. The report that we got from the Hill this morning is that targets in the House were pounded with opposition to the bill over the weekend.  Keep it up! Re timing of the bill, we know that a vote in the House is scheduled for 6 pm today.  While the intel we are getting is that the vote is likely going to be to set up a conference, it still is possible that the House could just vote to accept the Senate bill.  And the timing of a conference is complicated by the other work that Congress needs to do this week to keep the government open.  We'll be sending another update late today. In case it is helpful to your advocacy, here is the CCD fact sheet on the worst impacts of the tax bill on people with disabilities; here is a link to call, email, and with talking points; and here is a recent alert from AAPD with lots of resources. CCD Fiscal Policy Task Force ========== This Action Alert comes from the American Association of People with Disabilities: Early Saturday morning (around 2am Eastern Time), the Senate passed their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This vote in the middle of the night left little to no time for other Members of Congress and the general public to review the content of the bill. Since the House of Representatives passed their version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (H.R. 1) in mid-November, the House and Senate must now reconcile their versions of the bill. This is expected to happen in Conference Committee starting today. It is also possible that the House will pass the Senate’s version of the bill as is. Either way, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is very close to reaching President Trump’s desk and becoming law. NOW is the time to call your Representative and tell them to OPPOSE this dangerous bill! Key Provisions for People with Disabilities in the House and Senate Tax Bills – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities The Top 5 Reasons the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is Bad for People with Disabilities – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities The Senate tax bill is extremely dangerous to the well-being of people with disabilities. Tax cuts open the door for cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, and other services that benefit people with disabilities. While neither the House nor Senate tax bill includes direct cuts to these services, cuts are expected to follow to offset the $1.5 trillion added to the deficit due to providing large tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Medicaid and other disability services were the target of intense cuts over the summer through the various Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bills proposed in the House and Senate. There is no doubt that these same services remain on the chopping block to help pay for the proposed tax cuts. The Senate bill eliminates the Affordable Care Act (ACA) individual mandate. The individual mandate helps make health insurance affordable. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that 13 million people would lose access to affordable coverage by 2027 if the individual mandate were eliminated. Furthermore, insurance premiums would rise by 10%, which amounts to an increase of hundreds of dollars per year for nearly 7 million middle-income Americans and by over $1,000 per year for seniors, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). The Senate bill benefits the wealthiest Americans while the poorest would be worse off. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report which found that Americans earning less than $100,000 a year would, ultimately, not benefit from the proposed tax cuts. According to a Washington Post analysis of the CBO report, “By 2019, Americans earning less than $30,000 a year would be worse off under the Senate bill, CBO found. By 2021, Americans earning $40,000 or less would be net losers, and by 2027, most people earning less than $75,000 a year would be worse off. On the flip side, millionaires and those earning $100,000 to $500,000 would be big beneficiaries, according to the CBO’s calculations.” The House bill is also damaging as it proposes to eliminate several tax deductions and credits that benefit people with disabilities. These include: The Medical Expense Deduction: This tax deduction allows people to deduct large, unreimbursed medical and dental expenses that exceed 10% of their income. Approximately 8.8 million people utilize this deduction, 70% of which have an income at $70,000 or lower. Most filings are around $10,000 by people with high healthcare costs, which largely includes people with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and other medical conditions. People are allowed to deduct expenses for a variety of expenses including treatments, surgeries, medications, and medical travel. The Disabled Access Credit and Barrier Removal Tax Deduction: Businesses that accommodate people with disabilities may qualify for tax credits and deductions including the Disabled Access Credit and the Barrier Removal Tax Deduction. This credit and deduction incentivizes small businesses to make their businesses accessible for disabled people. Small businesses can claim a 50% credit per year for expenditures between $250 and $10,250 that increase access and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Work Opportunity Tax Credit: This federal tax credit is available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups (including disabled people who receive services from Vocational Rehabilitation, SSI recipients, returning citizens, veterans, and long-term unemployment compensation recipients) who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. The current tax credit for hiring a person with a disability can be as high as $2,400 for a business. The final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could contain any of these harmful provisions from the Senate and House bills. While neither tax bill includes direct cuts to Medicaid or other disability services, these cuts are expected to follow to offset the roughly $1.5 trillion added to the deficit due to providing large tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Medicaid and other disability services were the target of intense cuts over the summer through the various Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bills proposed in the House and Senate. There is no doubt that these same services remain on the chopping block to help pay for the proposed tax cuts.

Take Action Contact your Representative and tell them to oppose this bill! House Targets for the Tax Bill – Center for Public Representation What to say: Please vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This tax bill will hurt people with disabilities and their families. Tax reform should not be rushed. People should have time to understand the legislation and how they will be affected. Services that benefit people with disabilities and low-income Americans – such as Medicaid, Medicare, and Supplemental Security Income – are in danger of losing funding to help pay for these proposed tax cuts. Eliminating the individual mandate will reduce access and increase costs for people with disabilities and all Americans. Call your Representative Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or (202) 224-3091 (TTY) and ask to be connected to your Representative. Email your Representative Contacting Congress provides unique links to email your Representative directly. Tweet your Representative Twitter has become a powerful tool to communicate with elected officials directly. Find your Congress Members on Twitter and tell them to oppose these bills. House of Representatives Twitter Handles Sample Tweets to Fights Against Disability Attacks in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) (developed by Access Living) 8.8 million households claimed medical deductions in 2015. Eliminating deduction vital to people with high medical costs is a #TaxOnDisability. Taking away medical deductions from seniors with greater medical needs, people with disabilities, and families with disabled kids is a #TaxOnDisability. Average deduction claimed is close to $10K; cost of long-term care could be $100K or more. Keep deduction, no to #TaxOnDisability #TCJA eliminates incentive for businesses to hire people with disabilities, including older Americans with disabilities. No to #TaxOnDisability Current tax credit for hiring a person with a disability can be as high as $2,400; ending the Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a #TaxOnDisability Eliminating orphan drug tax credit is a #TaxOnDisability. Older Americans and people with disabilities are more likely to have a rare disease or condition #TCJA Eliminating small business tax credit for increasing accessibility to employees with disabilities, older workers, and customers is a #TaxOnDisability The #TCJA may result in older Americans and individuals with disabilities paying more taxes on Social Security benefits. If seniors and individuals with disabilities can’t deduct medical expenses, many may need to use tax-deferred accounts. No to #TaxOnDisability #TCJA could kill investments in underserved communities that provide people with disabilities a place to live. No to #TaxOnDisability Eliminating deduction of state/local income, sales taxes from federal taxable income would squeeze state budgets No to #TaxOnDisability #TCJA could force massive cuts that block grant #Medicaid and damage state programs for people with disabilities. No to #TaxOnDisability   Tax Bill Disability Tweets – Center for Public Representation

Additional Resources Action Alert! Vote Likely this Week – Urge your Senators to Oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – AAPD Action Alert! Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – AAPD Action Alert! Don’t Let Congress Trade Tax Cuts for Medicaid and Other Essential Services – AAPD Here are 7 differences Republicans must resolve between their tax bills – The Washington Post Tracking the Congressional Tax Debate – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) How Does the Senate Republican Tax Bill Affect Your State? – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Tracking the Congressional Tax Debate – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Comparing the Latest House and Senate Tax Bills by Provision – Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) The Republican Tax Plan Is a Tax on Disability – Center for American Progress Action Alert – Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Death and Taxes: Dangerous Tax Reform Bill Introduced – Take Action Now! – National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) CCD Fiscal Policy Task Force Statement on House Tax Cut Bill – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Joint Committee on Taxation Distribution Tables Confirm Skewed Priorities of House Tax Bill – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) Tax plan would hardly boost growth, add trillions to deficit: study – The Hill House Tax Bill Bad for Those Who are Aging and Disabled – Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) ASAN Opposes Tax Bill, Repeal of Individual Mandate – Autistic Self Advocacy Network

NCCI on Twitter, November, 2017