INARF’s national partner ANCOR has announced its 2016 DSP Award recipients. The recipient of the 2016 National Direct Support Professional Recognition Award is Joshua Alford of Independent Opportunities in Somerset, KY. ANCOR will present the award to Alford at a ceremony honoring Direct Support Professionals (DSP) from across the nation on May 3rd at ANCOR's 2016 Conference: Get Smart! Get Inspired! Get It Done! in Chicago, IL in front of an anticipated audience of nearly 400 attendees. Indiana’s 2016 State Direct Support Professional Recognition Award winner was Penny Hostetler of INARF member organization Dungarvin Indiana.
Since 2007, ANCOR has honored exceptional Direct Support Professionals with the Direct Support Professional Recognition Award for exemplary work in furthering community inclusion and full participation for the many Americans living with intellectual, developmental and other disabilities. Josh Alford was the standout of this year's field of 242 nominees. ANCOR also named state recipients of the DSP Recognition Award in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. INARF congratulates Mr. Alford and Ms. Hostetler on the receipt of these prestigious awards. On March 24, the Department of Labor published the new Persuader Rule affecting employers, consultants, and lawyers. The rule, set to become effective on April 25, 2016, applies to all arrangements, agreements and payments made on or after July 1, 2016. The Persuader Rule requires employers and their hired consultants to report when the consultants directly persuade workers or when the consultants acts to plan, direct or coordinate managers to persuade workers; provide persuader materials to employers to disseminate to workers; conduct union avoidance seminars; or develop or implement personnel policies or actions to persuade workers.
The new rule has generated a concern from employer groups and attorneys. Litigation is already pending that seeks to stop the rule altogether. To review the Persuader Rule posted on the Federal Registry, click here. For more detailed information about the Persuader Rule, visit Hall, Render, Killian, and Lyman’s Labor and Employment Law blog post. Members who have questions about the audit process can contact Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman for assistance and additional information. Nominations are now open for the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame was created to honor those who are making a significant difference in the lives of youth and adults with disabilities through mentoring and to raise awareness about the importance of mentoring for individuals with disabilities. Nominations will be accepted until May 1, 2016.
The Hall of Fame's namesake, Susan M. Daniels, devoted her life to improving the lives of others with disabilities. As a person with a disability who achieved enormous professional and personal success, she had significant impact as a senior policy maker and as a mentor to hundreds of individuals. INARF encourages members to learn more about the Hall of Fame and 2015 inductees and nominate individuals to be recognized. Click here to find out how you can nominate a mentor to be inducted in 2016. Last week, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) named 20 organizations from 18 different Indiana counties recipients of the Early Education Matching Grant (EEMG). These grants will help recipients provide quality early education for low-income children in Indiana. Twelve previous grant winners will renew their grants, and eight sites have been awarded new grants to serve a total of 1267 children for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. INARF members Blue River Services, Inc. and Pathfinder Services, Inc. were previous recipients of the grant, and their grants were renewed.
INARF is pleased to provide additional information on federal legislation, keeping members abreast of national advocacy efforts to address industry issues. INARF’s national partner ANCOR has shared that the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a markup on the Common Sense Savings Act of 2016 (H.R. 4725) on March 14 and 15.The bill seeks to make several changes to the Medicaid program. It would restrict eligibility for benefits for lottery winners and prisoners and repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund. It would also sunset the enhance FMAP match for CHIP that was established in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
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September 2022
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