Tag Archives: DHHS

Survey Monkey Time! Will Our Dysfunctional State Gov’t Finally Listen?

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Who knows…I’m not holding my breath

in a 7 question survey found on the client portal of my area agency, last week wether I was on my male-period or what, I decided to be blunt

Here was the 4th question: What improvements or changes would you like the Bureau of Development Services to consider regarding self-directed programs?

listen to the area agencies’ concerns as families are not allowed to be in contact with BDS or have BDS involved more with families and individuals

They also asked “Are there any innovative approaches or best practices you have encountered that support self-directed programs?”

listening to the individuals and not push them what a coordinator’s grand view is of supports and services.

Another one I threw in a Direct Support Professional shortage and how the state has a law that prohibits anyone making over $20 an hour without justification, the question was ”

What areas do you feel you need additional support to successfully manage your self-directed program?”

more *qualified* direct support staff that can be paid in a liveable wage [sic]

Anything else you want the BDS to know… I sure sounded off…

The Bureau knows for years pushing clients out into community based supports 6+ hour days and 5 days a week in the wild has not worked for a number of clients. Their vision of community based supports, for some individuals feels like someone else’s delusion. Also the importance of direct support professionals and how they need to be paid better, and the career ladder shouldn’t have DSP and management on the opposite sides of said ladder

I really don’t care about political correctness to conservative bureaucrats anymore – if their grannie panties go up in a bunch, not my responsibility. I can’t see this anymore.

Re-De with the local DHHS

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I am saying this loosely, even for high functioning autistics, people like me need to have benefits… because I am not enough work wise too.

The annual re-determination process (aka re-de) is in August, where my mother has to file the annual paperwork to say I am totally and permanently disabled and we have to supply the state the last checking and savings monthly statement, etc. Because my mother neglected a certain detail that changed this year, I did not get my bi-monthly benefits beginning in September.

my mother tried to call the office one time in early September but because I didn’t fill the consent to talk, it further delayed. We tried calling the office again later in the month and was on hold for nearly 20 minutes.

Despite the Cisco CallManager on-hold music, it got my mother really anxious. My grandmother was dying to be blunt.

Last Wednesday, we went to our local DHHS office, and much to my chagrin, there was no wait, my name was the only one on the digital display, and for all intensive purposes, we were applying for benefits (aka it was like being 18 all over again with the paperwork.) However that part got expietitied because of the long term supports (i.e. my day services connection.) My mother did apply for Food Stamps because other benefits in a re-de last year shrunk because of a misunderstanding of how the funds were supposed to be used.

Obviously, I do not want to share the details, nor embellish it. I do want to say there is some shame living with a pre-existing autistic condition. That’s explained in a follow up phone meeting on Friday.

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