Brewer mum on measure to raid children-services fund

Funny how she gets quiet with elections coming up, I personally am dumbfounded that this is even on the ballot!

Brewer mum on measure to raid children-services fund

A Line in the Sand...

I have not heard much still on the Family Cost Participation as of yet, I'm still working on it.

What I have been hearing about, is the border, and in my opinion, I've been hearing way too much lately. Border this, border that, troops going to the border, troops needed at the border, for some reason this is an issue that has taken on huge proportion, and is overshadowing other things, like education, and the needs of those that Governor Brewer and our other legislators insist on neglecting in favor of the border.

Forgive me if this sounds too opinionated but here is my take on it:

We fail to realize that the border is nothing more than a THING, a line in the sand, it is not anything precious, no harm will come to it if there are no troops there, it is not sacred ground that is being violated by unauthorized crossings, but we are treating it as if it were a person or it was sacred ground that we have to throw all sorts of resources at to protect it.

The border is not what is important, it should have little significance, the troops should not be paying attention to the border at all.

Sound crazy?

I think that the troops and our government should pay more attention TO PEOPLE, NOT A LINE IN THE SAND.

We are paying way too much attention to the border and not enough attention to those who are living behind it. I truly wish that we could someday pick our heads up from looking at the line in the sand and look around at those of us who live here and see that there is a greater need of citizens in this state who are suffering tremendous hardship by the hands of our state government, not by the hands of "illegal immigrants". Unjustly burdening families of the disabled is something cooked up by our state legislature.

I don't hear them talk about giving up border safety, or stating they're going to reduce funding because they are broke, , or throwing their hands in the air saying that there is nothing they can do because they have no money, or the state can't afford all the resources they are putting on the border, and for what? To patrol a line of sand. What about the cities and towns in and around the border? If there is such a danger to our citizens, why not post troops near where people are living as opposed to the middle of the desert landscape?

I've heard different percentages thrown around, and while Governor Brewer wants to focus on the 20% of crimes allegedly committed by "illegal immigrants" she neglects to mention what she plans on doing about the OTHER 80%. Oh, I know, lets cut funding to after school programs for at risk youth so the number of crimes committed by citizens increases, and then it can look like we are taking care of the "illegal immigrant" problem. Good plan.

Let's face it, if someone broke into your home and stole your possessions, or assaulted you, would there be less damage if the person was a US citizen? Would you feel better or be less traumatized? Probably not. I know that there is a lot of drugs crossing the border, I do not debate that is a problem, but it would be a problem regardless, in my opinion, the bigger problem is the citizens that are giving them the business, if there was no profit in it, they wouldn't be doing it.

I apologize for the rambling, I just get frustrated, I just feel that a child's education, ability to eat, talk or walk should be more important than chasing people looking to work as well as provide a better life for their families across the desert.

Silly me.

Family Cost Participation is Rearing it's Ugly Head Again...

Okay, so I was wrong, there is rumblings now that the state is still trying to charge ahead with their Family Cost Participation Plan for therapies for children ages birth to 3. I still am dumbfounded by this, why in these economic times would we want to burden families with disabled children further, especially the working ones that pay taxes.

It makes no sense, Governor Brewer pushed prop 101 to tax us more for "education" (might I add that these services are part of the IDEA act, and do come under the Department of Education), nobody asks where that money is going or how it is being used, or why it is not contributing to this program. Maybe I'll call them and ask, I'll post the results of the conversation if I have one, assuming Governor Brewer's office will talk to me.

The draft indicates that the only recourse for parents is to apply for "reviews" all of which are run by the state, who have a vested interest in having the parents pay for services that their taxes already fund.

Who knows how this will all go down, it's crazy to me, the state has made no hesitation to violate our children's civil rights before, I don't doubt they will try to do it again.

Apoligies...

I am sorry I seem to have been out of touch for a while, but things have been quiet, at least I haven't heard much, and we just moved to a new home. My son has aged out of the early intervention system, he just turned 3, and is now in a developmental program in the school system, so my guess someone probably took us of the mailing list on his 3rd birthday, so I'm not too sure if I would hear anything.

I have noticed on other sites that they are going to implement a team approach for services going forward, which I do believe is a good thing, increased communication is always a good thing, streamlining and becoming more efficient and making sure everyone is on the same page is a good thing too. I wish we could get a first hand experience as to how it works, someone will have to keep me posted.

Be aware anytime a new programs starts like this there will initially be confusion, that is just par for the course, change no matter how positive is always met with some resistance, it will take some getting used to.

Has there been any word on the cost participation? I haven't heard, if not implemented soon, my guess would be our local politicians will be hesitant to push it with elections coming up, I think the last thing they would want would be for one of us to show up on their opponents commercials discussing it, but logic always seems to evade me when it comes to our politicians in AZ.

Too Quiet...

I haven't recieved any info on the cost participation delay or "planned" implementation, not a peep of it on the website at DES either, I called and the person that answered at AZEIP could not tell me either, but offered to put me into a voicemail because everyone was in a meeting, I didn't get a chance to leave one because I had another call come in. So for now we wait. I have not had any written correspondence as of late either, so I have no idea if we would potentially have to pay for any services if we recieve them this month, I would hope not since we never got a statement detailing what our costs would be, if they try to charge without having sent one I can tell you they will definetly have another fight on their hands!

Another rant: I am sick and tired of hearing that the state is out of money, and they cannot afford things, I'm not hearing that when talking about immigration, they seemed to have found lots of extra dollars somewhere since they intend to spend them either enforcing this new unpopular bill or fighting lawsuits in regards to them, no problem, I haven't heard anyone say that they will drop it if they cannot fund the implementation of it.

They need to fund their existing commitments first before they start spending money that they supposedly don't have.

Please remember this on election day and VOTE THEM OUT!!!!!

March of Dimes March for Babies Walk: This Saturday April 17

I'm sorry I didn't post this earlier, but the March of Dimes walk March for Babies is tommorow at 8 AM in Wesley Bolin Plaza, the link to more info is below.


http://www.marchofdimes.com/arizona/

Public Comment Needed

Alas, again the state is asking for public comment on their application for federal funds in 2010. This also includes comments for their Family Cost Participation Program proposal. I have not had a chance to read through it as of yet, once I do, I will have some comments!

The info is posted on the AZEIP website here is the link:

https://www.azdes.gov/main.aspx?menu=98&id=5354

Is it Me or Does Jan Brewer Have Something Against Children?

Maybe, maybe not, but it looks like it sometimes! Look at all the cuts she has pushed, they for the most part negatively impact children one way or another, whether it be attempting to illegally cut services for disabled children, cuts to Child Protective Services, cuts to KidsCare, or childcare cuts, it appears that way, I thought maybe it was just me.

Then I read another article yesterday.

Apparently, she has signed a bill that allows someone with a permit to carry a concealed weapon into a park. A PARK! When you hear the word park, what images come into your mind? CHILDREN PLAYING! I sure it is a weird coincedence. Why would anyone need or want to carry a gun to a park? Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-gun, in fact at one time I used to hold a concealed permit myself (I let it lapse, another story for another day), but I for the life of me never ever would have thought of bringing it with me to a PARK! What for? What need could one possibly have for a gun at a place where there are most likely children playing or at least present somewhere? Why on earth would you want to be able to bring a firearm anywhere near a child?

Then there is the question about after dark, but don't parks close, especially with all of these budget cuts going down? There are not too many legitmate reasons for going to a park after dark that I can think of, maybe it is just me and my rant for the day.

The Hearing....

I had my due process hearing yesterday by phone, it was sort of anti-climatic. The judge just went through the paperwork and made sure everyone had a copy of everything and had read everything, he also went over the main points that we wanted to address to make sure he had them right, and asked if we had additional comments.

The state rep repeatedly stated that they felt that they could not "guarantee" that my son's services would stay in place after June 2010, and that they didn't want to write a letter, one because they were sure lots of other parents would like to have letters, and they didn't feel they could provide me with the assurances that I needed.

Funny, I don't recall asking for a guarantee of any kind, I never used that word, and well, lets face it, all I am really asking for is for the state to follow federal laws and guidelines, it is odd that they cannot guarantee they are going to follow laws and rules. Just because they cannot predict the Legislature, who by the way would get sued again if they passed anything that prevented laws and rules from being followed.

I wish I could have pointed that out at the time, it of course didn't occur to me until after the fact.

I did tell the judge that I felt I was entitled to written communication no matter what the content, and that is what I really have been asking for.

I also reiterated that I did not expect the judge to direct the Legislature, but I did feel that the Judge should be able to read the rules, laws and regulations, evaluate what the state has done thus far, and determine if the state is in compliance with those rules and regulations, and if they are not, order them to become compliant and let them figure out how to do it.

The state mentioned that they feel no civil rights were violated because services didn't stop, I wish I had thought faster on my feet and commented to them that is for the judge to decide, not them.

It also occured to me that I should have brought up the fact my son is on AHCCCS because of SSI and recieves federal dollars regarless of what the legislature does.

The judge stated that he will take everything into consideration, and write a ruling that will be mailed out, and at that time we have the right to appeal.

So to sum it up, try to make sure you have everything you want to say submitted in writing ahead of time, if you forget anything they will at least have the documentation, or write you what you want to say and say it.

Raising Special Kids Event-March 27th

There is going to be a HUGE event for Raising Special Kids, we went last year and had a lot of fun! Details are below:

Special Day for Special Kids
Sponsored by
Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Club
Phoenix El Puente Rotary
Scottsdale Unified School District Learning Classes
Raising Special Kids

Saturday, March 27, 2010
10am – 2 pm
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale

Register on the day of the event
Questions? Contact Dan McAuliffe 480-315-5216
or Al Chaves (En Espanol) 480-221-7259

Directions:
McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park is located at
the southeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Indian
Bend Road, 1.7 miles west of the 101 Loop, exit
Indian Bend. Our address is 7301 E. Indian Bend
Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

Direciones:
McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park esta localizado
en la esquina sur este de Scottsdale Road y Indian
Bend Road, 1.7 milas al oeste de la autopista 101
Loop, salida Indian Bend Rd. La Direcion es 7301 E.
Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85250

Cost Participation Has Been Delayed

I recieved a statement earlier today that the family cost program will be delayed for another 60 days, the full statement can be found at this link, just scroll down to the messages:


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArizonaEarlyInterventionParents_Caregivers/

There is also a link on the right hand bar of this blog, scroll down, the listing of posts is to the right.

I am happy about this, and not too surprised that there is a delay, these things never really go off as planned on time, even for profit technologically advanced companies couldn't do this type of overhaul in the timeframe allowed, which is fine by me. Maybe we can get so lucky as to have it delayed to the point where the economy recovers enough to where this wouldn't be an issue (wishful thinking I know)

This is a good reprieve, though I think we should use this time wisely, and keep moving forward with complaints, calls, flyers and speaking out every chance we get. I read a statement earlier that DDD really wants our input as to how the program should work and how it will be implemented, my input is that this "program" of theirs should not be implemented at all. Lets get out there.

I've been out of town, so I haven't had too much of a chance to come up with flyers that I can post as of yet, still working on it though. Let me know of any input or feedback.

Door to Door Idea...

I recently received a flier on my door from one of my neighbors asking for help to protest a development near my house, then a thought occurred to me...

Why not develop fliers for my neighbors about my son and what is going on with the state and ask them for help? Why not go a step further and knock on some doors with my flier and discuss what our legislators are doing to families? Why not post it at our mailbox, and why not look into posting it at community centers, and places of worship?

I am currently working on a flier, I would love input if anyone has it as to what types of things we can do. I would love to organize some groups and designate a day where we go out to reach our neighbors and friends door to door to get help, in these days and times not only do we need to connect and support, but we need to learn how to reach out.

Email me at the link to the above right, or write a comment for me to post.

Family Cost Participation Letter

I just spoke with the hotline, apparently, in addition to your income statement form, you are able to submit a statement if you have a hardship in detail. There is no policy or procedure in place as to what hardships are taken into consideration or how they are "judged". After they review what you submit, they will send you a statement detailing what they expect you to pay based on their calculations.

If you stil disagree, you can submit a written request for an "informal review", if you disagree with that, you can then request a "formal review", and I guess they make a decision after that, no info on what happens if you disagree with the formal review or what happens if you continue to recieve services during this appeal process.

Still working on it.

Keep contacting your legislators, and here is the contact link to info for the Federal Office for Special Education Programs if you would like to complain there too:

http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/state-contact-list.html

Proposed Budget

I was just reading over the new proposed budget for next year, I for the life of me cannot understand how anyone would think that these cuts were in the best interest for the health and welfare for the majority of the citizens in Arizona. The legislature is clearly NOT acting in our best interest at ALL.

I wish we could have a recall election for Governor Brewer, I believe she has gone off of the deep end with this one, but wait, WE DIDN'T EVEN ELECT HER AS GOVERNOR, WE ELECTED SOMEONE ELSE WHO WOULD NOT HAVE MADE THESE CHOICES OR DECISIONS, PERIOD!

It is frustrating, it really is, do they not hear us????

Due Process Hearing Update

I recieved a "Pre-Hearing Order" in the mail. I called the court to see if the State's request to dismiss was denied, and the person on the phone told me that although there were no notes, we can assume the judge is going to schedule a hearing.

I must admit it has been a draining, and somewhat indimidating process, especially since I am not an attorney, and the Attorney General's office is representing the State, it hardly seems fair, but thankfully we have a very understanding judge. I have had to do quite a bit of research in preparing for this, I'm not sure what is going to work and what is not, so I'm waiting to post that info until I'm sure of what works to avoid any confusion. Luckily I have a husband that has experience with preparing legal documents, so we have been able to use the same format the State is using, there is a series of free templates of legal forms at Microsoft that have been very helpful, the links are below.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC060869891033.aspx?CategoryID=CT102566891033


http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT102566891033.aspx

Hope everyone had happy holidays, and lets hope for a great 2010!