TANF Changes: 5 Year Limit

If you or someone you know receive TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), you should know that DSHS HAS AMENDED THE RULES FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ON TANF/SFA (State Family Assistance) FOR 60 MONTHS (or 5 years) EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1, 2011.

What does this mean for families that have been on for 60 months?
• Families will lose their TANF benefits if they have been on for 60 months in their lifetime, unless they qualify for an exemption or a hardship exception.

What are the exemptions?
• You are an older adult care taker relative (over 55 years old, are caring for a child, and you are not the child’s parent OR
• You are an adult with a severe and chronic disability OR
• You are required to be in the home to care for a child with special needs OR
• You are required to be in the home to care for another disabled adult

What are the hardship extensions?
• You have an open child welfare case with the state and this is the first time that you have had a child that is a dependent of the state OR
• You are working in unsubsidized employment for 32 hours or more per week OR
• You can document that you are victim of family violence and you are working with domestic violence services.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I QUALIFY FOR AN EXEMPTION OR HARDSHIP EXTENSION?
1. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIAELY CONTACT YOUR DSHS CASE MANAGER OR SOCIAL WORKER
• DSHS case managers and social workers review cases and determine if a person meets one of the exemptions or hardship extensions
2. If you think you qualify for an exemption or hardship extension you have a right to appeal the termination
If your benefits are scheduled to end January 31, 2011 YOU HAVE ONLY UNTIL JANUARY 31ST TO FILE your appeal if you want to keep getting benefits until the hearing decision. You can still file an appeal later, within 90 days of the notice, but you won’t keep your benefits while you wait.

IF YOU LOSE YOUR HEARING
• Any continued benefits will stop, and you may have to repay benefits. You will not have to repay more than 2 months of the continued cash benefits.

HOW TO FILE AN APPEAL
• Best way: Go in person to the local DSHS office. Turn in a written hearing request. Keep a copy. Have DSHS stamp your copy with the date received by DSHS. Keep this as your proof.
• Next best way: Call DSHS Be sure to speak to a person (not just a voicemail box). Get the person’s name. Write down the name, the date and time. Keep this as your proof. Ask for a fair hearing for your benefit termination. Ask the worker to make the written request to the hearings office for you.
• Another way: Fax, and mail the original the same day. Use the fax number and address on the hearing form. Keep a copy. Keep your proof of fax (fax transmittal). This is safer if you can mail it certified mail, return receipt.
• Call Office of Administrative Hearings for King County call the Seattle Office at (206) 389-3400

SEEK LEGAL HELP
• In King County: Call 2-1-1 or Solid Ground at 206-694-6742
• In all other counties: Call CLEAR at 1-888-201-1014 (Monday-Friday, 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.)

Toys for Tots free new toy distribution

If you or someone you know have children under 14 and receive benefits from DSHS such as food stamps, I want to let you know about Toys for Tots, a program which distributes free new toys as holiday gifts to needy children in the community. Toys for Tots is partnering with DSHS Community Service Offices (CSOs) in King County this holiday season to distribute toys for children, birth through age 14. For the next two weeks they will be giving away toys at DSHS offices and some churches throughout King County. DSHS will make a list of clients on public assistance who are active, pending or recently closed and provide that list to Toys for Tots. Families may receive toys once during the holiday season. People who are unsure of their status should call their local CSO for clarification. The Toys for Tots give aways are on the following dates and locations. All events start at 8:30am and end at 3pm, except Belltown, which ends at 2pm.

Thursday December 9, 2010
Lake Samm Foursquare Church
14434 NE 8th Street, Bellevue
King South CSO
1313 W Meeker St, Kent

Monday December 13, 2010
King South CSO
1313 W Meeker St, Kent
Capitol Hill CSO
1700 E Cherry, Seattle

Tuesday December 14, 2010
White Center CSO
9650 15th Ave SW, Seattle
Federal Way CSO
616 348th St, Federal Way

Wednesday December 15, 2010
White Center CSO
9650 15th Ave SW, Seattle
Belltown CSO
2106 2nd Ave Seattle

Thursday December 16, 2010
White Center CSO
9650 15th Ave SW, Seattle
Renton CSO
500 SW 7th St, Renton

Monday December 20, 2010
King North CSO
907 NW Ballard Way, Seattle
Federal Way CSO
616 348th St, Federal Way

Tuesday December 21, 2010
Rainier CSO
3600 S Graham St, Seattle
Auburn First United Methodist Church
100 N St SE, Auburn

For more information about Toys for Tots visit toysfortots.org
Happy Holidays!

Major Medicaid Cuts Proposed in 2011

Do you or someone you know receive Medicaid benefits? You should know that DSHS is proposing major cuts to Medicaid benefits next year. Many Medicaid services are scheduled to be cut in 2011. Adult dental services will no longer be covered. If you are working with a dentist now, make sure that the dentist submits all information required by DSHS for pre-approval before December 31st of this year. If your current Medicaid plan covers services such as vision and hearing, podiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy and/or speech therapy, these benefits are also scheduled to be cut on January 1st, so if you need any of those services, such as glasses, you might want to get those taken care of now too. DSHS will send notices to clients affected sometime in December, but that may not be enough time to work with your provider. They also plan to cut Medicare Part D Co-Pays, State Alien Medical coverage and School-Based Medical Services by January 1st.

DSHS have also proposed some other major Medicaid cuts to take effect March 1st 2011, including cutting adult pharmacy benefits and GAU medical benefits. They also plan to cut Family Planning/Take Charge, First Steps/Maternity Support Services/Infant Case Management/Childbirth Education, Children Health Program (CHP), and Interpreter Services by March 1st.

Hopefully advocacy can get these benefits reinstated. Call your state legislators at 1-800-562-6000 and tell them not to make the proposed cuts to Medicaid benefits. The legislative hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 430 pm. The state legislature needs to hear from you why they can't make these devastating cuts to Medicaid, call 1-800-562-6000. But be prepared for these proposed cuts by getting your dental and medical work done now.

For More information:
Complete list of proposed Medicaid cuts
Letter from DSHS to Medicaid clients
DSHS Medicaid budget webpage

World AIDS Day 12/1

Hello. This is a health message from Community Voice Mail and AIDS.gov, the Federal HIV/AIDS information source.

Wednesday, December 1st is World AIDS Day. This is an important day for us to remember the friends, family, and community members who we have lost to AIDS, and to honor those working to respond to HIV.

It is also an opportunity to remind ourselves that help and treatment are available for people with HIV – which is why it is so important to know if you have HIV. If you’ve never had an HIV test, or if your last test was a while ago, I encourage you to get an HIV test. HIV tests can be quick and there are many places that offer them for free.

To find an HIV testing center near you, call the CDC information line at 1-800-CDC-Info , or 1-800-232-4636. You can call any time and someone will answer your questions and help you find a free or inexpensive testing center. Or visit aids.gov/locator, where you can enter your zipcode, city, or state to see a map of nearby HIV testing centers and service providers.

We encourage you to share this information with your friends and family. Together we can address HIV and AIDS in our communities! Thank you for listening, and please, tell your friends and loved ones.

Get Online Day 11/18

Hi, would you or someone you know like to learn how to use computers and the internet? This Thursday November 18th is Get Online Day! Participate in a free Get Online event in Seattle and find out more about the computer learning centers in your neighborhood. Did you know you can attend classes for free or low-cost at computer learning centers in your own neighborhood? Stop by your nearest participating center on Thursday, November 18 between 4:00 and 8:00 PM and Get Online! There will be activities and demonstrations on many topics, including: social networking, posting/viewing photos online, paying bills online, using email, accessing wireless networks, using Skype to make free phone calls, and using the internet safely. Also, each computer learning center will be hosting a celebration with refreshments. The Participating centers are:

STAR Center at 2600 South Walker Street
206-325-4284

RecTech-Garfield at 2323 East Cherry St
206-684-4788

Neighborhood House at 4410 29th Ave South
206-461-4568

RecTech-Rainier at 4600 38th Ave S
206-386-1919

Refugee Women's Alliance at 4008 Martin Luther King Jr Way
(206) 721-0243

Horn of Africa Services at 4714 Rainier Avenue South, Suite 105
(206) 760-0550

RecTech-South Park at 8319 8th Ave South
(206) 684-7451

Seattle Urban League at 105 14th Avenue
206-461-3792

RecTech-Yesler at 917 E Yesler Way
(206) 386-1245

Get Online Day is this Thursday November 18th from 4 to 8 pm. For more information visit www.seattle.gov/getonline, call Vicky at 206-233-7877 or E-mail vicky.yuki@seattle.gov or Amy at amy.hirotaka@seattle.gov.

Energy Assistance Programs

Hi, If you or someone you know are having difficulty paying for heat this winter and face living without heat, several programs are available to low income households to make home energy use more affordable, avoid shutoff of utility services during the winter, and maintain a warm and safe environment especially for the elderly, the disabled, and households with young children.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (or LIHEAP) is a federally funded program to help eligible low-income homeowners and renters meet their home heating needs. The program provides:

• Heating bill assistance up to $1000 annually
• Energy conservation education
• Support for window repair up to $1000, chimney cleaning, and furnace repair or replacement up to $5000
• Eviction prevention up to $500

Another program, Puget Sound Energy’s HELP provides assistance with the cost of natural gas consumption to qualified Puget Sound Energy (PSE) natural gas customers with an account in their name or in the name of a member of their household. HELP Provides:

• Puget Sound Energy customers help with their home energy costs and
• Natural gas bill assistance up to $1000 annually

Both these programs do not require that your household have a disconnection notice or even overdue bills in order to be eligible. In Seattle energy assistance is administered by Central Area Motivation program (or CAMP), In South King County, The Multi-service center administers the program, and in North & East King County the program is through Hopelink. But no matter where you live, To apply for the program, you must call the automated Energy Assistance Appointment Line 1-800-348-7144 to schedule an appointment at one of the three participating agencies, determined by ZIP code. That’s 1-800-348-7144.

Stay warm this winter with assistance through LIHEAP and HELP.

Community Green Jobs Forum 11/12

The Community Green Jobs Forum is a free event to learn about green job opportunities through Project Greenlight, which is recruiting men and women of color and low-income workers for free job training in:

Deconstruction: hazardous materials and demolition jobs that reuse/recycle building materials

Green building: entry-level weatherization installation

Green Manufacturing: manufacturing and assembling environmentally sustainable products.

Light refreshments and language interpretation will be available.

The Green Jobs Forum is on Friday, November 12, from noon to 2 at YWCA Learning Center at 9720 8th Avenue SW, in White Center. Please pre-register by calling (206) 290-5136 or email info@gotgreen.org. More info at gotgreen.org.