National, State and Local Disability News brought to you by The Special Needs Trust Program at The Arc of Northern Virginia.
November  2016
View this email in your browser

First Fridays Futures Planning 
November 2016


Managing Property in a Special Needs Trust

The room is already full so we are offering it as a webinar as well.  Please Register Here.
Housing for people with disabilities is a challenge.  There simply isn't enough of it.  On Friday, November 4, 2016 from 10:00am to Noon we'll be presenting on Housing at The Arc of Northern Virginia.  
SPEAKERS:
Kelly Thompson, Attorney, and
Jeannie Cummins-Eisenour, Regional Housing Specialist, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services.
Tia Marsili, Director of Trusts, The Arc of Northern Virginia


 

Special Needs Trust and the ABLE Act
A special presentation in the afternoon on November 4th - 1-3pm

Back by popular demand...Special Presentation: Special Needs Trust and the ABLE Act will be presented from 1:00 - 3:00pm. 
It is important to ensure that your child is financially secure when you can no longer provide help. In this presentation, learn about the roles of Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts in safeguarding government benefits and meet The Arc of Northern Virginia’s new Trustee: Key Private Bank.
SPEAKERS:  
Cindy McDonald, Senior Vice President, Key Private Bank
Tia Marsili, Director of Trusts, The Arc of Northern Virginia

REGISTER FOR THIS SESSION, Space is limited.

Social Security Beneficiaries Are Getting A Modest Raise

From our Beneficiary Advocate, Megan Rusicano, "As a Beneficiary Advocate for The Arc of Northern Virginia I see first hand how cuts in services and programs can hurt my clients. Even though this is an increase I would love to ask each and everyone how they plan to spend their extra $4 a/month!"


Article from Huffington Post Oct 19, 2016

Social Security benefits will rise by 0.3 percent in 2017 to account for inflation, the government announced Tuesday. Although this marks the first cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, in two years, a chorus of mostly progressive retirement security advocates say the increase is not enough to keep pace with the living costs of the more than 60 million Americans who receive benefits.  
“Seniors and disabled veterans deserve a fair cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs and health care,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the increase announced today doesn’t come close to doing that.” Read More

Two New Guides for Your Toolbox!

Cents and $ensibility

A Guide to Money Management For People with Disabilities

This booklet, by the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation in conjunction with Widener University (2013 ), was developed for people in Pennsylvania but is still very helpful for anyone with a disability learning to manage their money.   

Download a copy here. 
 

Housing Spotlight

The Long Wait for a Home

The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released Housing Spotlight: A Long Wait for a Home — a report that analyzes the current state of Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) and public housing waiting lists across the country. The report spotlights the problems around HCV waiting lists and its systemic effects on extremely low income (ELI) households. Problems stem from 53% of HCV waiting lists closed to new applicants, 65% of waiting lists had been closed for at least one year, and the average waiting list wait time is 1.5 years. 

Download a copy here. 
 



Voters With Disabilities Fight For More Accessible Polling Places


November 8th is Election Day - Go out to vote!

Article from NPR - October 24, 2016
Heard on All Things Considered

More than 35 million eligible voters in the U.S. — about one in six — have a disability. And in the last presidential election, almost a third of voters with disabilities reported having trouble casting their ballots — whether it was getting into the polling place, reading the ballot, or struggling with a machine.
Despite some improvements, many of these voters are expected to face similar problems again this year.
Ian Watlington, of the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), demonstrates why. He has cerebral palsy and needs to use a wheelchair to get up a long concrete ramp outside a church in Washington, D.C.......Read This Article
On the First Friday of the month we present to families, siblings and adults with disabilities, or others interested in learning about special needs trusts and other tools to consider when developing a plan for the future.
Session are free, registration is required.

Dec. 2, 2016
10am-12pm
Social Security: The Application and Appeal Process
RSVP

Jan. 6, 2017   10am-12pm
Navigating Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
RSVP

Learn More about First Fridays on our Website
“Brunch Bunch”
An extension of our ever popular “Lunch Bunch” sessions. These sessions will focus on Special Needs Trusts. and   the importance of planning for the future of your loved one with a disability, why trusts are important,  and other critical services and programs that you should consider.

The next session is Nov 22,
10-11:30am  
Register today!
My Life, My Community: Medicaid Intellectual and Developmental Disability Waiver Redesign 
Implementation started Sept. 1, 2016. For up-to-date information about the implementation see the VDBHDS My Life My Community Website
 

Schedule your appointment with Tia Marsili to set up a Special Needs Trust.


 

Special Needs Trusts at The Arc of Northern Virginia

 

The Arc's Special Needs Trust (SNT) program in Falls Church services all of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. 

We serve people with disabilities - all disabilities, not just Intellectual and Developmental (ID/D) - we do not discriminate!  If you have been diagnosed with ID/D, have a mental health, or physical disability, you may be eligible for our SNT program. 

We have heard people say, "I can't have a SNT there, I don't have ID".  The fact of the matter is, many of our Trust clients have a mental health diagnosis.  We work within the world of disabilities as experts; and if we don't have the answer, we reach out to our partners who do. The Arc prides itself in being current on disability issues federally, at the state level, and locally.
To schedule an appointment with Tia, attend a Brunch Bunch on Special Needs Trusts (SNT), and First Fridays Futures Planning, go to Trust Presentations

For extensive information on SNTs, see our website

To schedule an appointment to discuss Futures Planning and/or establish a Special Needs Trust, please contact Tia Marsili at or call 703-208-1119 ext. 115.






This email was sent to <<Please provide us with your email address>>
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
The Arc of Northern Virginia · 3060 Williams Drive - Suite 300 · Fairfax, VA 22031 · USA