Georgia HB 768: ABLE

“A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Title 30 of the O.C.G.A., relating to disabled persons, so as to provide for the establishment of a qualified ABLE program in this state to enable the contribution of funds to tax-exempt accounts to pay for the qualified expenses of eligible individuals with disabilities; to amend Code Section 48-7-27 of the O.C.G.A., relating to computation of taxable net income; to amend Code Section 50-13-2 of the O.C.G.A., relating to the definitions for purposes of the Georgia Administrative Procedure Act, so as to exclude the Georgia ABLE Program Corporation from the meaning of “agency”; to provide for related matters; to provide for an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.”

Justice Department Reaches Extension Agreement to Improve Georgia’s Development Disability and Mental Health System

The extension agreement builds upon a 2010 settlement agreement resolving a lawsuit brought by the department under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision. The case involves Georgia’s provision of community services for individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. Under the agreement, Georgia will help people with developmental disabilities move from its state hospitals to integrated settings, consistent with their needs and preferences; will identify and address each individual’s needs in the community prior to discharge; and will monitor services and track outcomes for people after their discharge. For individuals who have moved from the state hospitals to the community, Georgia will monitor their health and wellbeing to ensure that emerging needs are met in a timely fashion. The extension agreement also calls for creation of at least 675 new Medicaid home- and community-based waiver slots as alternatives to placement in a facility.

Georgia Career Pathways – E3 (Explore, Engage, Employ) (2016)

“Georgia’s Career Pathways to Work: Explore, Engage and Employ (E3) initiative. Funded through a $4.7 million grant —stretched over five years — E3 is broken down into three components, and they follow the path of the student or young person as they prepare for a career. The first “Explore” phase encourages students and youth to begin exploring the world of work and possible career goals, learning about soft skills and how benefits work. The next phase, “Engage,” takes it a step further, allowing students to begin to participate in the world of work. In this phase, they’ll learn self-advocacy and the kind of skills that are required for different jobs. And the last phase, “Employ,” is broken down into two different phases in its own right. The first will focus on pre-employment services, preparing students to submit resumes and applications. The second looks at on-the-job accommodations, continuing education and the possibility of career advancement.”

Justice Department Sues Georgia for Unnecessarily Segregating Students with Disabilities

The Lawsuit is the First Challenge to a State-Run School System for Segregating Students with Disabilities The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia alleging that its treatment and segregation of students with disabilities in the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support (GNETS) Program violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Georgia VR Section 511 of the WIOA and Subminimum Wage

“On July 27, 2016, the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, reached out to Section 14(c) Certificate Holders regarding a new requirement under Section 511 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency (GVRA) is the Designated State unit that “is primarily concerned with vocational rehabilitation or vocational and other rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities and that is responsible for the administration of the vocational rehabilitation program of the State.

In the letter from Wage and Hour Division, employers (Certificate Holders) were encouraged to contact GVRA and make appropriate referrals. Under WIOA, before a Certificate Holder can pay a youth 24 years old and younger subminimum wage, the youth must provide documentation from GVRA that three WIOA-required steps were completed. The steps include the provision of transition services and/or pre-employment transition services, determination of ineligibility for Vocational Rehabilitation services, or a determination of eligibility, an Individual Plan for Employment and working toward an employment outcome, and finally, provision of career counseling. Also under WIOA, before a Certificate Holder can pay any individual with a disability subminimum wage, the individual must provide documentation from GVRA that he or she received career counseling and information and referral every six months for the first year of employment and annually thereafter.”

 

Georgia: “Medicaid waiver renewal approved for Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities”

“The Georgia Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Community Health (DCH) are pleased to announce that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved renewal of the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) through March 31, 2021. This approval follows collaborative work by the departments over a two-year period involving a complex residential cost study, service rate adjustments, and a one-year needs analysis for all waiver participants served in community residential settings. New rates for community residential, community living support, and respite services will go into effect March 1, 2017.

The COMP waiver currently serves nearly 8,000 Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the heart of the renewal request is Georgia’s desire to strengthen the provider network and support the delivery of high-quality and accountable care to vulnerable citizens. The renewal includes the following important improvements for waiver participants. It incorporates a tiered reimbursement rate for service providers that correlates to the level of residential services provided; expands respite services; restructures the rate for in-home community living support; and expands community living support to allow shared services among participants who wish to live independently as housemates but require supervision and some assistance.”

Georgia Medicaid Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) Renewal Implementation FAQs

“On February 23, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved renewal of the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) through March 31, 2021. The renewal reflects collaborative work by the Georgia Departments of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Community Health (DCH) over a two-year period involving an in-depth review of services requirements, a complex rate study, and a one-year needs analysis of all waiver participants served in community residential settings.”

Georgia Medicaid HCBS Transition Plan

“Georgia begins process to address new regulations issued by CMS for Home and Community Based Services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued regulations that define the settings in which it is permissible for states to pay for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), otherwise known as waiver services. The purpose of these new regulations is to ensure that individuals receive Medicaid HCBS in settings that are integrated and that support full access to the greater community. This includes opportunities to seek employment and work in competitive and integrated settings, engage in community life, control personal resources, and receive services in the community to the same degree as individuals who do not receive HCBS.”

Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency Strategic Plan (2024 to 2027)

This page has the most recent Strategic Plan for Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency.

Excerpt from 2018 Strategic Plan: “While the Agency’s mission of employment and independence for Georgian with Disabilities remains the same, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which was signed into law in July 2014, brought changes to the way GVRA serves clients with disabilities. WIOA’s implementing regulations went into effect on October 18, 2016. GVRA has been updating policies and procedures to adhere to the changes and improvements in services to individuals with disabilities. One major tenant in the Act relates to services to students with disabilities (age 14 to 22) where GVRA will provide pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to groups of students in secondary education and identified as being served on an IEP or 504 and who are therefore potentially eligible to receive pre-ETS. Another major focus of the Act is to serve eligible youth with disabilities age 14 to 24 who are not in school or training and provide them with services that will lead to competitive employment.“

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