It's A Good START

For as often as I challenge and even criticize politicians let me offer praise where praise is due.  Kudos to the United States Senate for doing the right thing in passing the New START Treaty with Russia.  This treaty is essential in the efforts to make this planet a safer and more peaceful place.  Its a winning proposition for everyone.

The Treaty is far from perfect.  Nevertheless, it really is a good START (pun intended).  To begin with each side will have to reduce their respective arsenal of ready-to-launch warheads by nearly 30%.  In addition, the number of ballistic missiles will be cut in half.  Perhaps more importantly, for the first time in nearly a year both sides will again be able to verify each other's compliance with the treaty.

While we still have too many bombs - - far more than we will ever need - - it is good to celebrate steps that lead in the right direction.  Thank you to those Senators that understood the importance of this treaty.  In particular, thank you to the thirteen Republicans who put partisan politics aside and used their heads and their vote to do what they were elected to do:  namely, act in the best interests of the American people.  The final vote of 71 - 26 was a strong indication of the significance of this action. 

I would be remiss if I did not say this:  Shame on the 26 Senators - - all Republicans - - who voted NO!  What were they thinking?  How could they be so blinded by their stubborn, childish, and ignorant ideology that they would think it wise to vote FOR arms proliferation in this overly violent world?  In effect, that is what they did by casting a NO vote.  And while I am at it, where does Sarah Palin come off saying that the treay is not in the country's interests?  Then, too, there is Newt Gingrich, who declared the treaty to be an "obsolete approach that is a holdover from the Cold War".  Speaking of obsolete holdovers from the Cold War, has he looked in the mirror lately?

The ratification of this New START Treaty comes at a symbolically great time: three days before Christians around the world celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.  How odd that something so political could help me appreciate this religious holiday with renewed vigor!

The "Lame Duck" Excuse Is Just Lame

On another note, I understand that several Republican Congressmen are complaining that the Democratic Leadership, including President Obama, was wrong in pushing so much legislation through in the final weeks of the year.  Their reasoning goes like this:  Since the mid-term elections in early November this is now a "lame duck Congress".  Thus we should sit back and coast the rest of the way through to the end of the year and let the newly elected Congress deal with the tough issues.

What they mean in reality is something a bit different, however.  The above comments have been made only by certain Republican Senators and Representatives.  And while they lack the courage to say it openly they actually mean to say "Let's wait until we Republicans control the majority in the House and make significant gains in the Senate so we can have a stronger influence in the outcome of the voting."

Well it says here that such thinking "stinks to high heaven", to borrow a term from a now-deceased friend of mine.  Our members of Congress were duly elected to do a job and as long as Congress is in session I, for one, expect them to do it.  I do not pay these guys to sit around and smoke cigars, drink martinis, and do nothing while they are "on the clock".  I would be fired from my job if I did not fulfill my duties or was caught wasting time or watching the clock instead of producing some actual work.  In my opinion every member of Congress who criticized the agenda of these past few weeks deserves to be fired.
Unfortunately, that will have to wait another two years for most of these deadbeats.

I welcome your comments and thoughts.  Please share them by clicking on the "COMMENT" tab.

-gdgehr

Playing The "Slots" With Disabilities

What do you think of when you hear the word "slots"?  Slot machines?  Gambling?  Mental Retardation?

Say what?  Mental retardation?  How did that slip into the conversation?  Welcome to the world of government programs and financing, my friend!

Raising a child with a disability is not easy these days.  It is a stressful, tension-filled experience to say the least.  Unfortunately, such stress is not something that comes and goes periodically, but in many cases is an ongoing, daily fact of life.  I read somewhere a few years ago that the divorce rate among couples with a child who is on the autism spectrum is just barely under 80%.  That statistic is too staggering for me to comprehend, yet I must admit that I have no doubt whatsoever that it is accurate.

One of the major tension points is the issue of finances.  This becomes increasingly significant when the disabled person reaches the age of 21.  Indeed, twenty-one is a critical age, for at that point all the rules change. Up until then the individual receives much of their funding through Medical Assistance or the public school system.  To be sure there are many areas of need not covered by these two sources, but many of the essentials are.  Education, doctor appointments, medication, and various forms of therapy and/or support are just a few.  Once a person turns 21, however, things changes.  Medical Assistance continues.  Now, however, to receive such support programs as vocational rehabilitation, residential placement, and an assortment of therapeutic services one needs to apply for and be accepted into one of several funding streams.  Most of these, at least the big ones that provide for the majority of services, are called waivers. 

To begin the process one must first be diagnosed as in need of Mental Health services or Mental Retardation services.  Believe it or not these are not the same.  Even though in Pennsylvania they operate jointly under the acronym "MH/MR" they are in fact two separate entities.  As one would expect the definitions are pretty clear cut.  The client must be accurately diagnosed to begin seeking financial support.  If the diagnosis is of a mental health nature the individual must apply for funding through the MH Office.  If the diagnosis is instead of a mental retardation nature, then that branch would supply the funding through one of its waiver programs, most likely.

Here in Pennsylvania, however, a diagnosis is not in itself sufficient to guarantee services.  (Note:  I cannot speak for any other State, only the one I live in.)  In addition to qualifying by definition, one  must be granted a "slot".  Here is where I will confess my ignorance.  I am not a social worker.  I do not fully understand what a 'slot" is.  I am told by my civil servants that each county is assigned a particular number of slots.  I am led to believe that one person fills one slot.  Thus if the County is awarded, say, 200 slots from the State, they can in turn serve 200 people.  No more.

The number of slots are set by the State.  But here is where the system falls apart.  All slots are NOT created equal.  The needs of one client cannot possibly be the same as the needs of another client.  It follows, then, that Client "A" will likely require more money (or less money) than Client "B".  Yet Client "A" and Client "B" each receive one slot - - to the exclusion of Client "C" who was either born too late, applied too late, or simply did not know how to maneuver through all the red tape.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, my County of residence, recently lost 30 slots that were removed from them by the State of Pennsylvania and distributed to other Counties.  Lancaster already had too few slots to meet the needs of its population.  Now there are 30 additional people with special needs who suddenly do not have the funding they once did.

The situation becomes even more critical as we approach 2011.  With the coming of the New Year Pennsylvania will lose a huge amount of money that was received through the Stimulus Package and had been designated for MH/MR funding.  In addition, our incoming Governor, Tom Corbett, is pledging to make a 5 % cut across the board at all levels of government spending including, you guessed it, MH/MR.  There is a growing crisis on our hands that is approaching critical levels.  The number of persons diagnosed with developmental or intellectual disabilities is growing exponentially.  I do not know why, but it is.  The number of persons diagnosed as on the autism spectrum, for example, is currently 1 in 150.  That is a staggering statistic.  And that only represents one segment of the population.  It does not take into account those with mental retardation, Downs Syndrome, cerebral palsy, spinal bifida, or a host of other diagnoses that render one as disabled in one form or another.  Because of their disabilities the overwhelming majority of these people will never be able to hold a fulltime job to support themselves or function independently.  This is no one's fault and especially not theirs.  Yet they are being denied the very funding they so desperately need in order to survive.

What I would like to know is who gets to play the role of God in this dramatic tragedy?  Who decides the number of slots that are assigned to any given local office?  Who says Client "A" will be funded for everything that he needs, but client "B" will not receive one cent? 

One of the true tests of any society is its ability and willingness to assist those who cannot provide for themselves due to some form of disability.  We have an ethical and a moral obligation to step up to the plate and go to bat for these people.  The declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal".  The United Sates was founded on this premise with the pledge that we would, in turn, treat all persons accordingly.  Yet we are failing to do so in relation to the disabled community.  These persons are just being swept under the rug.  They are expected to go off into oblivion and be hidden from our sight so that we can maintain our precious tax cuts and the wealthy in this nation can become even wealthier.

The politicians and the upper class already know that the disabled community will not speak out, simply because they do not have a voice.  In addition, they are gambling that that the rest of us will not notice their schemes and they in turn will get away with it.  Well, I for one am calling them out!  If the squeaky wheel gets the grease then I will be the sound of a chorus of  

fingernails on chalkboard!  In my conversations with the Director of the Mental Retardation Office in Lancaster County I was told that the only way to correct the problem is to call and/or write my State Legislators to lobby for more slots.  I can do that!  I can also spearhead a campaign to get more people to do the same. 

SO PLEASE NOTE:  If you are reading this article please to what is morally and ethically correct.  Find out who your State Senator and State Representative is, if you do not already know.  This information is easily obtained at http://www.legis.state.pa.us/   Write a letter to both of them explaining that you are deeply concerned for the future of those with developmental or intellectual disabilities.  Ask them to seek more "slots"/funding for such programs as the Consolidated Waiver and the PFDS.  Hold them accountable and be sure to follow up with them after a few weeks, if they do not contact you first.

We owe it to our brothers and sister who are affected by disabilities to be their voice, their presence in the political arena.  I have never been in favor of gambling, but I especially refuse to play the "slots" with my friends who are affected with a disability.  They are far too precious for that.

I gladly welcome your comments and thoughts on this or any other issue

found on this blog.  I would truly like to see this site become a forum for

exchanging ideas and resources.  Feel free to post you ideas by hitting the

"comment" tab above.  You may be prompted to create a free google

account.  It is painless and simple and will cost you nothing. 

Blessings!

--gdgehr,

December 18, 2010

So This Is "Infamy"?

December 7, 1941.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed it to be "a day that will live in infamy."

As I write this it is December 7, 2010.  Today marks the 69^th Anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  One could argue that this was the day the world changed forever.  One could easily build a case that this was the single most significant day of the 20^th Century.  Consider some of the results of that tragic day.

·        The Japanese virtually eliminated the United States Naval fleet within a few hours.

·        In turn, the United States accepted the Japanese invitation to join the Grand Ball known as World War Two.

·        The entire nation is put on "Red Alert".  Factories begin operating at full capacity, churning out the goods required of a massive war effort.

·        As men go off to war the women are forced to become the new work force in this nation.

·        Through the ever-increasingly popular medium of the movie reels, Government propaganda spins tales that are intended to cast the war effort in a positive light while igniting a growing suspicion toward the Japanese and the Germans.

·        In the name of Patriotism and security human rights are trampled upon here in the United States as the Federal Government rounded up over 100,000 persons, most of whom were U.S. citizens, and forced them to live in "Internment Camps".  These detainees were never charged with or tried for any crimes other than the fact that they were of Japanese descent.  For this reason only they were forced to live in sub-standard conditions in poorly constructed shacks surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards for the duration of the war.  Oddly enough, no such imprisonment was ever organized against persons of German or Italian descent even though we were equally engaged in war with those nations, too.

·        Many historians believe that the concentrated war effort ultimately brought us out from under the Great Depression and restored the American economy.

·        Perhaps the most lasting mark of the Second World War was the global entrance into the atomic/nuclear age.  To this day the United States remains the only nation in history to deploy atomic/nuclear weapons. 

Infamy?  Well, I suppose in many ways it is.

INFAMY REVISTED?

Isn't it interesting to compare the conditions of that era with our contemporary world?  Consider a few striking similarities.

1.      The surprise attack on December 7, 1941 is mirrored in September 11, 2001.  Both events took place on American soil (though Hawaii was not a State, it was a U.S. Territory in 1941) and led us into war.

2.      The nation was put on "Red Alert".

3.      Our Government spins the events in such a way as to stir patriotic emotions and build support for the war effort.

4.      In the name of Patriotism and security a new enemy is identified: people of Arabian  descent or the Muslim tradition are looked upon suspiciously and in many cases find their rights are denied.  Perhaps the 21^st Century equivalent of the Internment Camps is embodied in Guantanamo Bay.  While "Gitmo" only received 775 detainees the conditions appear to have been worse there than in the Japanese Internment Camps some 60 years earlier.  As of last month (November 2010) 174 detainees are still being held at Guantanamo.

5.      Support for the invasion of Iraq was inspired by reports of the infamous "Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)" that were being built and hidden inside Iraq, or so we were told repeatedly by the Bush Administration.  We now know this charge was completely false and we, the American public, were duped!  Ironically WWII ended, for all intents and purposes, with the actual deployment of two devastating and horribly destructive "weapons of mass destruction" by the United States at the expense of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

6.      Ironically, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are driving us further and further into an economic crisis the likes of which the world has not seen since the days of the Great Depression.

"Infamy": 1)  evil reputation brought about by something grossly criminal, shocking, or brutal;  2)an extreme and publicly known criminal or evil act" (source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Yes, FDR was likely justified for bestowing this title upon December 7, 1941.     But as we decry the actions of the Japanese on that date we also incriminate our own Government and nation for the actions we have undertaken since September 11, 2001.  As we look in the mirror of the former we see the reflection of the latter.  And it is equally horrific.

The Bureau of Autism's Missing Link

Pennsylvania prides itself for being on the cutting edge of meeting the needs of persons on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  In 2007 Pennsylvania became, to my knowledge, the first State to create a branch of government dedicated solely to addressing the needs of people with ASD.  This was accomplished through the establishment of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Autism Services.  It offered a welcomed beacon of hope for families living with Autism.  In the nearly four years that have followed, however, the Bureau of Autsim Services (BAS) has fallen sadly short of expectations thus creating an added source of frustration for many families.

The issue is extremely complicated.  First of all, Autism itself is difficult to define.  It is a developmental disorder that manifests itself in a huge variety of ways.  For this reason it is referred to as a "spectrum".  That being said, a diagnosis is not only possible but also well defined.  Identifying a person with Autism is certainly not the problem.  One in a hundred and fifty persons are now identified as such.  The problem is in receiving the funding necessary to obtain the required services for this population.  This is where the Bureau of Autism Services was supposed to help.  Unfortunately, things never are easy for individuals with Autism and this is certainly no exception.  It becomes even more difficult as persons transition to adulthood.  Things change dramatically the day a person turns 21.

The sadly ironic thing is that money itself is not really the problem.  For Fiscal Year 2010-2011 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has budgeted $18.6 million dollars for the BAS.  In doing so they also became elligble to receive an additional $24 million in Federal Funds.  That is a total of $42.6 million.  The BAS has established two primary funding streams through which adult individuals may receive the services they require.  These two streams are the Adult Autism Waiver and the Adult Community Autism Program or ACAP for short.  Both are very good in theory.  However, things become questionable when one attempts to actually acess funds for the services that are needed.  Here is where the complications set in.

As I understand it, many providers do not accept funding from the Adult Autism Waiver nor from ACAP.  I am having a difficult time understanding why.  One agency tells me they can never get clear answers from the Bureau of Autism Services regarding how they would receive funds in return for services rendered.  Furthermore the expectations placed on the agency are likewise unclear.  I certainly cannot blame any agency for choosing not to enter a program where great financial risk is at stake and a thick cloud of uncertainty hangs over it.  Furthermore, families have a better chance of stopping a hurricane than finding out what services are covered and by whom services are provided.  Access to information is extremely limited and fuzzy at best.  Both waivers offer similar services, supposedly, in selected areas of need.  At the same time they both differ considerably in other areas.  The real catch is the one receiving the services can only enroll in one waiver program.  Therefore you must determine which one can best meet your needs.  Additionally, while it is advertised that the BAS will provide a full range of services, some of the most needed services are only available in one geographic area within the Commonwealth.  Thus while Residential Habitation is said to be available through the Adult Autism Waiver, one may need to move hundreds of miles away to find such support.

I am still learning the ugly details of how all this works - - or more acurately, how it does NOT work.  My wife and I recently sat through a tense two hour meeting that was supposed to result in a plan for funding the needs of our son when he turns 21 in 2011.  His needs are many and well documented.  Due to his dual diagnosis he clearly qulifies for full support under both the Bureau of Autism and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Mental Retardation program (MH/MR).  The latter has two Wavers of its own that provide funding:  The Consolidated Waiver and the Person/Family Direct Support Waiver (PFDS).  With representatives from all the power brokers present we failed, for the second time in the past 30 days, to find a way to secure a continuim of support for this young man.  Currently, his entire support system will be terminated in early June of 2011.  Why?  Because no single program can meet all his needs and no one is permitted in more than one program.  Furthermore, the bureaucrats keep changing their story, telling us one thing now and something quite different the next time we meet.  Then too, there is the age-old game of passing the buck.  MH/MR tells us we are better off seeking support through the Bureau of Autism.  The Bureau of Autism, on the other hand, tells us no, they can not meet all of his needs, but MH/MR can.  Go there for the necessary funds and programs.  

In all of this there is a very innocent young man who never asked to be classified as "Special Needs" and who can not possibly begin to maneuver through these muddied waters on his own.  And he, like so many other Pennsylvania citizens with developmental disabilities, is in danger of being left behind in the shuffle.

There has to be a better way.

When the dust settles I am sure that we will successfully secure a future for our son.  We will not rest until we do.  But there is no reason whatsoever as to why it must be so complicated.  I have only scratched the surface through this post.  I do not want to bore anyone with too many details.  I haven't even considered the likelihood of reduced services through budget cuts and downsizing as threatened by our incoming Governor.

Through it all I find solace in this:  Jesus dedicated his life to helping the helpless and providing hope when human avenues are exhausted.  And he has a special place in his heart for men, women, and children with special needs.  Somehow, someway, I know he will provide.