Check Out the ADA Amendments Act of 2008!

Many of you are undoubtedly wondering about the implications of the new ADA Amendments Act of 2008, which becomes effective on January 1, 2009. While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has not yet completed the regulations for the new legislation, JAN has developed a publication and resource page regarding what information is currently available about the Act.

The new publication is called JAN's Accommodation and Compliance Series: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 ( http://www.jan.wvu.edu/bulletins/adaaa1.htm) and will be periodically updated as additional information is made public.

JAN's ADA Amendments Act of 2008 resources can be found at: http://www.jan.wvu.edu/LINKS/adalinks.htm

Parents Press States for Austism Insurance Laws

CHICAGO – In Washington state, Reza and Arzu Forough pay more than $1,000 a week for behavior therapy for their 12-year-old autistic son.

In Indiana, Sean and Michele Trivedi get the same type of therapy for their 11-year-old daughter. But they pay $3,000 a year and their health insurance covers the rest.

Two families. Two states. Big difference in out-of-pocket costs.

If autism advocates get their way, more states will follow Indiana's lead by requiring health insurers to cover intensive and costly behavior therapy for autism.

In the past two years, six states — Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana — passed laws requiring such coverage, costing in some cases up to $50,000 a year per child.

The powerful advocacy group Autism Speaks has endorsed bills in New Jersey, Virginia and Michigan and is targeting at least 10 more states in 2009, including New York, California and Ohio.

Other states, including Illinois, have similar bills in the works but aren't working directly with Autism Speaks.

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The Ticket That Helps People go to Work

By Chris Jenkins, Public Affairs Specialist
Social Security Admininstration

Six years ago the Ticket to Work program was launched to help people with disabilities go to work. Since then, more than 150,000 people who get Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits have used their Tickets to obtain free vocational rehabilitation, job training and other support services.

The Ticket to Work program is voluntary. Social Security and SSI beneficiaries who receive a Ticket are not required to work, but may choose to use their Tickets to attempt to go to work. The number of people using their Tickets is expected to continue to grow as more Americans with disabilities become familiar with the opportunities the program has to offer.

A disability beneficiary can use the Ticket with either a private sector employment network or a State Vocational Rehabilitation Agency. Together the beneficiary and service provider design an individual employment plan outlining the services to be provided that will help the beneficiary reach his or her job goals.

The Ticket to Work program removes many barriers that had previously faced people with disabilities receiving benefits. Social Security disability beneficiaries are eligible for Medicare, and most Social Security disability beneficiaries now are protected by Medicare for up to eight years and six months after they go to work. Medicare coverage continues even if an individual no longer receives a monetary benefit from Social Security.

If you or someone you know is a Social Security or SSI disability beneficiary who would like to learn more about how the Ticket to Work program can help, just visit Social Security’s website at www.socialsecurity.gov/work. Or you can call Social Security’s toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY1-800-325-0778) and ask for the Your Ticket to Work leaflet (Publication No. 05-10061).

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Disability-law update offers greater access

By Robert Pear
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — "The Bush administration is about to propose far-reaching new rules that would give people with disabilities greater access to tens of thousands of courtrooms, swimming pools, golf courses, stadiums, theaters, hotels and retail stores.

The proposal would substantially update and rewrite federal standards for enforcement of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a landmark civil-rights law passed with strong bipartisan support in 1990. The new rules would set more stringent requirements in many areas and address some issues for the first time, in an effort to meet the needs of an aging population and growing numbers of disabled war veterans.

More than 7 million businesses and all state and local government agencies would be affected. The proposal includes some exemptions for parts of existing buildings, but any new construction or renovations would have to comply.

The new standards would affect everything from the location of light switches to the height of retail service counters, to the use of monkeys as "service animals" for people with disabilities.

The White House approved the proposal in May after a five-month review. It is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, with 60 days for public comment."

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