October 2002 Newsletter
Volume 2, Number 2
New Working Healthy Staff Members
Nancy Scott has joined the Working Healthy staff in Topeka as the Benefits Specialist
Team Leader, filling the position recently vacated by Craig Perbeck. Nancy comes
to the program from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, where she
worked in the Disability and Health Division. Nancy can be reached by phone
at (785) 291-3461 or by e-mail at NAS@srskansas.org.
As Working Healthy enrollment continues to rise, the program has also added
two new Benefits Specialists. The new Benefits Specialist for the Wichita area
is Madeleine Anthony and the new Benefits Specialist for the Manhattan area
is Judith Vargas. A new map of the counties covered by each specialist is shown
on page 2 and will be posted on the Working Healthy web site.
Frequently Asked Questions about Working Healthy
Q: Does an individual need to work 40 hours/month to participate in Working
Healthy?
A: A person may qualify for Working Healthy if he or she is a recipient of SSDI/SSI
or meets the Social Security Administration disability criteria and provides
verification of paying FICA or SECA taxes. At this point in time, there is no
minimum number of hours for Working Healthy.
Q: If you work in another state, but live in Kansas are you eligible for Working
Healthy?
A: Yes, residency is in Kansas. If a person is employed in another state and
meets all other eligibility criteria then he or she qualifies for Working Healthy.
Q: Can Working Healthy premiums count as Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE)?
A: No. Working Healthy premiums can not be used as an IRWE for the Working Healthy
program. However, premiums can be used as an expense for the food stamp program.
Q: Can the $3.00 co-pay for prescriptions be counted as IRWE or a Blind Related
Work Expense (BWE)?
A: Yes, the co-pay for medication can be used as an IRWE or BWE if the medication
is necessary for the person to work.
More Questions and Answers can be found on the Working Healthy web site:
http://das.kucrl.org/medicaid.html. If you have a question that is not answered
here, contact your local benefits specialist!
HELP SAVE TREES! Please sign up to receive this newsletter via e-mail. Contact
Noelle at pixie@ku.edu. THANKS!
With the hiring of two new Benefits Specialists in Manhattan and Emporia,
the counties covered by each specialist have changed. The following map shows
the new regions.
Map content: Region 1 includes the following counties: Cheyenne, Rawlins, Decatur,
Norton, Phillips, Smith, Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan , Graham, Rooks, Osborne,
Russell, Ellis, Trego, Gove, Logan and Wallace. The region 1 Benefits Specialist
is Gary Youngman. Gary is in the Hays Area SRS Office, Phone: (785) 628-1066
ext. 268, e-mail: HAGGY@srskansas.org.
Region 2 includes the following counties: Jewell, Republic, Washington, Marshall,
Mitchell, Cloud, Riley, Pottawatomie, Lincoln, Ellsworth, Ottawa, Saline, Clay,
Dickinson, Geary and Wabaunsee. The region 2 Benefits Specialist is Judith Vargas.
Judith is in the Manhattan Area SRS office, phone: (785) 776-4011.
Region 3 includes the following counties: Nemaha, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson,
Atchison, Shawnee, Jefferson, Douglas, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson. The
region 3 Benefits Specialist is Norm White. Norm is in the Lawrence Area SRS
Office, phone (785) 832-3716, e-mail LNBW@srskansas.org.
Region 4 includes the following counties: Greeley, Hamilton, Straton, Morton,
Wichita, Kearney, Grant, Stevens, Seward, Haskell, Finney, Scott, Lane, Gray,
Meede, Clark, Ford, Hedgeman, Ness, Rush, Pawnee, Edwards, Kiowa, Comanche,
Barber, Pratt, Stafford, and Barton. The region 4 Benefits Specialist is Steve
Curtis. Steve is located in the Garden City Area SRS office, phone (620 272-5828,
e-mail SXXC@srskansas.org.
Region 5 includes the following counties: Rice, McPherson, Reno, Harvey, Kingman,
Sedgewick, Harper and Sumner. The region 5 Benefits Specialist is Madeleine
Anthony. Madeleine is located in the Wichita Area SRS office, phone (316) 337-6427,
e-mail WMZA@srskansas.org.
Region 6 includes the following counties: Marion, Morris, Chase, Lyon, Butler,
Greenwood, Osage, Coffey, Elk, Cowley and Chautauqua. The region 6 Benefits
Specialist is Carrie Boettcher. Carrie is located in the Emporia Area SRS office,
phone (620) 342-2505 ext. 246, e-maiol EECAB@srskansas.org.
Region 7 includes the following counties: Franklin, Miami, Anderson, Linn, Woodson,
Allen, Bourbon, Wilson, Neosho, Crawford, Montgomery, Labette and Cherokee.
The region 7 Benefits Specialist is Dan Hallacy. Dan is located in the Chanute
SRS office, phone (620) 431-5096, e-mail CDLH@srskansas.org
Benefits Specialists' Corner
Benefits Specialists' Corner is a new addition to the Working Healthy newsletter.
Look here each issue for a special commentary and/or news from a Benefits Specialist.
This issue's featured Specialist is Carrie Boettcher from the Emporia Area Office.
Thanks to Carrie and all the Specialists for their hard work and dedication.
Accepting the position of Benefits Specialist with the Working Healthy program
at SRS has been an exciting and challenging opportunity. The Working Healthy
program has provided an opportunity for individuals with disabilities to work
and maintain medical coverage. There are a lot of gaps in the "system"
and a lot of disincentives for individuals with a disability to go to work.
Working is a positive and healthy activity for many people. Many individuals
I have worked with are concerned about medical coverage and employment. Working
Healthy has filled a gap out there for a specific group of individuals. Providing
outreach on this program has been a critical piece to getting the information
to individuals who need this medical coverage. Outreach presentations have been
given to a broad array of individuals and service agencies: CDDO's, Mental Health
Centers, Independent Living Centers, Health Departments, family members, business
leaders, attorneys, etc. Each day is different and poses new challenges for
my position. It has been a welcome change to provide crucial information to
individuals and watch them make an informed decision of whether or not to work
or increase their hours at work. I look forward to watching this program grow
and develop.
-Carrie Boettcher, Benefits Specialist
Personal Care Services to Support Employment
When the Working Healthy program was initially being developed, SRS staff and
disability advocates acknowledged that personal care services would be essential
to support the work efforts of some people with disabilities. However, to implement
this part of the program, the state must first obtain approval from the federal
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Staff at SRS Health Care Policy
submitted a State Plan Amendment to CMS in late August to define the attendant
services that will be available for participants in the Working Healthy Program.
CMS must respond to the proposed Amendment by November 27th. At that time, the
amendment will either be approved, or suggestions will be provided on how to
change it to gain future approval. In its current form, the amendment would
cover personal care services for Working Healthy participants who need such
services to obtain or maintain employment of at least 40 hours per month. Look
for an update in January's newsletter.
Outreach Activities
Breakthrough Club has completed its outreach activities to consumers, family
members, service providers and employers across the state. Twenty presentations
were made to a total of 545 individuals. Working Healthy staff members also
conducted outreach to community-based organizations, consumers, employment programs,
Social Security Administration offices, and SRS staff. The Benefits Specialists
conducted 162 of these outreach presentations in July, August and September,
reaching 1,411 people. Central office staff made 6 additional presentations
to 379 individuals. Additional project outreach took place via the Working Healthy
toll-free line and web site (managed by the project staff at KU). Since May
more than 100 people have called and over 700 have accessed the web site.
Organizations are encouraged to contact Mary Ellen O'Brien Wright at (785) 296-5217
or (800) 449-1439, to request informational presentations on Working Healthy.
Working Healthy Enrollment Steadily Rises
Several months into its implementation, the Working Healthy program has 412
enrollees. In the initial weeks of the program, the majority of enrollees did
not have enough income to be required to pay a premium. However, premium payers
now account for about half all enrollees (see Table 1). Enrollees are required
to pay a premium for their continued Medicaid coverage through Working Healthy
when their income exceeds 100% of the federal poverty level. People with many
different disabilities have enrolled in the program, as illustrated in the pie
chart below.
TABLE INFORMATION: Table title: Kansas Working Healthy Total Enrollment
July 2002: Total enrollment = 175, 29% of which are paying a premium
August 2002: Total enrollment = 250, 45% of which are paying a premium
September 2002: Total enrollment = 297, 55% of which are paying a premium
October 2002: Total enrollment = 412, 49% of which are paying a premium
Source: Kansas Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS)
PIE CHART INFORMATION: Title: Enrollees and Disability Type (n=92)
(listed counterclockwise)
Mental illness = 48%
Chronic illness = 16%
Physical disability = 15%
Mental retardation/development disability = 9%
Sensory = 8%
Cognitive = 2%
Traumatic Brain Injury = 1%
HIV = 1%
Source: KU 2002 Baseline Survey of WH Eligibles identified by Kansas SRS
This newsletter and other Working Healthy program information can be found
online at: http://das.kucrl.org/medicaid.html
Working Healthy is published quarterly by the KU Department of Health Policy
and Management, in cooperation with the KU Division of Adult Studies and the
Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.
Additional copies and copies in alternate formats are available upon request
by writing the University of Kansas Department of Health Policy and Management,
c/o Division of Adult Studies, Attn: Noelle, 1122 West Campus Rd.. JRP Hall
Rm. 517, Lawrence, KS 66045, by phone (785) 864-7085, by email: pixie@ukans.edu
KU Research Team
Michael Fox, Principal Investigator
Jean Hall, Project Director
Noelle Kurth, Editor
Erin Rink, Research Assistant
SRS, Division of Health Care Policy
Mary Ellen O_Brien Wright, Program Director
Nancy Scott, Benefits Specialist Team Leader