people with disabilities

Helen Ha to Retire

Helen Ha, a Benefits Counselor at CIDNY for 10 years, is retiring in February. Helen is a native Chinese speaker and a great asset for her ability to connect with the Asian American community in NYC.

She plans to babysit her first granddaughter, to travel (including a visit to her native China), and to be more active physically. She looks forward to bringing the knowledge and skills she’s acquired to help her peers navigate applications as they also reach retirement.

Helen has three children, an older son who works in computer science, a younger son who is a doctor, and a daughter who is transitioning from international marketing to a career in nursing. She calls CIDNY her “first family,” since “you’re there from 9 to 5.”

After raising her three kids, Helen started her work in benefits advisement by working part-time doing outreach for the legally blind. She then worked at Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) for 10 years, helping seniors and people with disabilities to connect with benefits, and helping people displaced by fires or other emergencies. Then she joined the team at CIDNY, where she first helped people access health care benefits before becoming a generalist and helping with a host of benefits. “I learned a lot,” she recalls fondly of each experience.

“I find if I can help someone, I feel good,” she says. As a person who is about to retire and a diabetic, Helen also sees for herself how complicated it can be to navigate options.

Helen shared a recent story about a long time CIDNY participant who had a problem with prescription coverage, which can change every year. A hand lotion that he needed retailed for $5,000; the generic version was $2,000. But he had enrolled in a plan that didn’t cover the prescription. Helen found that his previous plan only charged a small premium for the medication, and then she was able to get him back on that original plan. “It made me happy,” she says, smiling.

“Helen brought first-hand knowledge of the Asian community to CIDNY and some of the issues these consumers face as new Americans transitioning to the complex, diverse cultural life of NYC,” says Paula Wolff, Senior Benefits Counselor. “With her strong knowledge of health care benefits, she enabled consumers to enter and navigate the complicated health care services web to achieve their goals of optimum wellness. She did all of this with a calm, even [demeanor]. She’ll be missed.”

We thank Helen for her service and dedication to our consumers and wish her all the best in her retirement.

Get Food Help

Are you or someone you know looking for food help this holiday season?

CIDNY can help New Yorkers with disabilities connect to food pantries in your neighborhood and/or apply for long term food help.

Low income New Yorkers with disabilities can get food help through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps). Low income seniors might qualify for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) or the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).

Hunger Free America has guides to food pantries by borough available in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian. It is best to call each location before you go to find out if they are accessible.

If you’re looking for a food box for Thanksgiving or a Thanksgiving meal, you can contact food pantries, soup kitchens, community centers, churches, or see the list below. A Google search for “community centers” in your neighborhood will show senior centers, settlement houses, and other community centers that may offer food boxes.

If you currently receive SNAP, you can use your EBT card at Greenmarkets to get Health Bucks. For every $5 you spend, the NYC Health Department will give you $2 in Health Bucks to use at the market. Look for the booth at the market.

If you’re looking for recipes and tips on cooking healthy food on a budget, Good and Cheap is available free online.

Turkey Distributions 2017

1. HARLEM — Fresh Direct is giving away 150 turkeys at Drew Hamilton Houses Thursday. The supermarket chain will give the turkeys away at 6 p.m. and invites people from the NYCHA development to pick up a bird at the Drew Hamilton Community Center at 220 W. 143rd St.
2. The Harlem YMCA is also distributing turkeys from their building on 135th Street. Those interested in receiving one can visit the YMCA and sign up. The giveaway will be Nov. 24 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
3. On Sunday, the restaurant BTH on 712 W. 125th St. will be giving away about 100 turkeys on a first-come-first serve basis starting at noon.
4. Thanksgiving Turkey Distribution. Joseph P. Kennedy Center at 34 West 134th St on Tuesday, November 21, 8:30am – 1:30pm EST.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

ICAN Helps New Yorkers Who Need Long-Term Care

New York State’s Independent Consumer Advocacy Network (ICAN) program helps New Yorkers with disabilities with their health insurance and long-term care problems. Long-term care includes care in a nursing home or in your own home with help from an aide. Personal care aides can help with activities like getting dressed, walking, and going to the bathroom.

The way the long-term care system works can be hard to figure out, which is why ICAN is here to help.

ICAN is a group of advocates and lawyers from different organizations across New York State, including CIDNY. ICAN’s staff at CIDNY are experts in the long-term care system and handle a wide range of cases from all five boroughs of New York City. Our staff provides services ranging from simple advice to representing people at appeals, free of charge.

In 2015, New York State created both the Independent Consumer Advocacy Network (ICAN) and the new Fully Integrated Dual Advantage (FIDA) insurance plans. FIDA was intended to make it easier for people with both Medicaid and Medicare to get health care.

When people with Medicaid become eligible for Medicare, they usually have to change their Medicaid plan. Then they have to figure out how to use their separate Medicaid and Medicare insurance on their own to get health care. These “dual-eligibles” generally need more care than most people with only Medicaid. The State hoped that setting them up with a single plan that combines their Medicaid and Medicare would make it easier for them to get services.

Many people were confused by the changes.

Luckily, ICAN was created to help people navigate the new long-term care system at the same time as the new FIDA program. ICAN helps people who need long term care services with any kind of Medicaid managed care: FIDA, FIDA-IDD, MLTC, MMC, PACE, MAP, and HARP. ICAN’s services include answering people’s questions, giving advice, advocating with plans or agencies, and representing people in formal appeals.

If your managed care plan denies coverage for services you need, ICAN can help you fight to keep your services.

Here are some real examples of how CIDNY’s ICAN advocates have helped consumers:

Fran* fell and hurt herself and had to go to the hospital. After she recovered, her family wanted to bring her home, but her insurance plan refused. They said she needed more help than they were providing, but did not want to pay for more. With ICAN’s help, she was able to get the plan to pay for 24-hour help, which let her live at home.

Carolyn* was stuck on the second floor of her family home and couldn’t get out on her own. The insurance company had promised to send people to carry her wheelchair down the stairs whenever she needed to go out, but they never actually did. ICAN helped her get a stairlift so that she could go out whenever she wanted.

CIDNY’s ICAN staff understand how difficult it can be for New Yorkers with disabilities to get the help they need. If you are confused about the long-term care system or a notice you received, you can call ICAN’s toll-free telephone help line at (844) 614-8800. ICAN’s staff will answer your questions and will try to help you solve your problems. See how ICAN has helped other New Yorkers with disabilities on ICAN’s website.

(*Names changed for confidentiality.)

Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities 5 Years After Hurricane Sandy

Five years ago, emergency preparedness efforts failed people with disabilities during Hurricane Sandy.

Three years later, we won a court case against the City on disaster preparedness for people with disabilities (Emergency Preparedness Case Settlement Release). We’re taking a look at what’s changed.

In 2014, we negotiated with the City to improve emergency planning for people with disabilities. This was based on the Judge’s findings in the court order (Stipulation of Settlement and Remedial Order 2014). These negotiated commitments include:

making 60 City shelters accessible for people with disabilities;
devising a better accessible transportation plan so people with disabilities can evacuate safely before or after an emergency;
providing accessible communications both in messages about emergencies and for materials in the shelters so people with disabilities can understand what is going on and what their options are;
providing better canvassing so people with disabilities stuck in high rise buildings or in their homes after an emergency can get help, including evacuation help if needed; and
developing a high-rise evacuation plan for people with disabilities so that those who can’t evacuate because of their disability can get help.

So – how is the City doing and what’s changed for people with disabilities? There is some progress.

But if another major storm or emergency happened today, many in our community may still not be able to get the help they need that is required by law.

By 2017, the City was required to make 60 shelters accessible and a plan for making the rest of the shelters accessible. The City now has 30 accessible shelters. They promise to have the other 30 accessible by September of 2018. There is no projection for when the rest of the shelters will be accessible.

For those who tried to evacuate but couldn’t get to an accessible shelter during Sandy, there is progress. The City’s 30 accessible shelters do have more accommodations and supplies for people with disabilities. These include priority charging stations for equipment, accessible cots, and refrigeration for medications. Shelters also have more information in accessible formats and wayfinding materials. Shelter staff and volunteers are being trained so that they are better aware of the needs of people with disabilities and how to provide accommodations. Yet, because there are only 30 accessible shelters citywide, getting to one of them nearby still may be difficult, if not impossible, for many.

The City’s accessible transportation plan was due in August 2017. We’re still waiting.

Will there be accessible transportation to get people to accessible shelters or to families and friends if an emergency happens today? What changed for people who waited at a bus stop during Sandy only to see accessible buses pass them by because they were full? Or who stayed at home because accessible transportation was shut down early and they couldn’t get out? We still don’t know if the City has enough accessible transportation for those who need it. Or if there’s an efficient plan to provide it or drivers trained to help people with disabilities.

Canvassers help those who need to evacuate after the event or who need to get to critical medical appointments like dialysis. The City’s canvassing plan needed updating to help people with disabilities. People may need accommodations and/or supplies directly after an emergency so they can stay safely in their homes. Thankfully, the City’s plan includes a more timely response than they had for Sandy. Canvassers are better trained in accommodating people with disabilities. But it’s still unclear how canvassers will be able to help many people with disabilities. For example, those who cannot get to the door, who cannot stand long enough to answer the survey questions, those who are Deaf or who are blind, and people who have difficulty understanding what’s going on.

A high rise task force was developed to provide evacuation and transportation plans for people with disabilities in high rise buildings. This could be before or after an emergency.

We are waiting to see a plan that includes how people with disabilities will get help evacuating safely before an emergency. We don’t know what accessible transportation will be available for them. Or how they will leave with their equipment, service animals, and such. We also have not seen a plan for how they will get home after the emergency and power is returned to their buildings.

We are concerned that nothing much has changed in emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. People were stuck in their homes during Sandy because the power went out, because they couldn’t transfer out of their apartments without help, or because they couldn’t get to accessible transportation in time to evacuate.

We agree that people should try to prepare for emergencies as they can. But many New Yorkers with disabilities also live in poverty. They are not able to prepare in the way the City suggests: they cannot stockpile extra equipment, food, water, or medication. Many do not have family or friends in accessible apartments or homes that they can stay with during an emergency. Many are isolated and may not be able to reach out to neighbors. They need the City to help them have an equal opportunity to survive an emergency, just like anyone else. The City has made some progress, but we still have a way to go.

CIDNY continues to watch and comment on the City’s progress. If you want more information on the progress of emergency planning for people with disabilities, please contact info@cidny.org.