For Immediate Release
November 29, 2023
For
More Information:
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Clint
Blaes media@treasurer.ks.gov |
BIPARTISAN COALITION LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO HELP INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL
& DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES ON KANSAS WAITLIST
Kansas
Department for Aging & Disability Services, the Kansas State Treasurer and
the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities will team up to promote Kansas
ABLE Accounts to IDD waitlist
LAWRENCE—Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson, Kansas
Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) Secretary Laura Howard and
Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD) Executive Director Sara
Hart Weir today announced a formal partnership among their agencies to enhance
awareness of the Kansas ABLE Savings Program for those individuals within the
intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) community who are impacted by
the IDD waitlist in Kansas.
Through
the partnership, KDADS, the State Treasurer’s Office and KCDD will spearhead
new educational resources for self-advocates, family members and caregivers; host
a series of webinars for disability stakeholders, including Kansas providers, Community
Developmental Disability Organizations, managed care organizations and
disability organizations. The group will also conduct a Kansas ABLE Roadshow
across the state in 2024. KCDD is supporting these outreach efforts with a
grant to the State Treasurer’s Office.
More
than 5,100 individuals with IDD are currently on the waitlist, waiting
approximately 10 years for services, in Kansas. Working together, the coalition
members recognized that these individuals with IDD as well as their family
members and caregivers, need resources, support and services while they wait
for a Home and Community Based Service (HCBS) waiver.
The
Stephen Beck Jr., Achieving a Better Life
Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 created a savings and spending tool designed
specifically for people with disabilities. Under the ABLE Act, “ABLE accounts”
allow individuals to spend on disability qualified expenses, save, and invest
money while helping them to protect benefits like Medicaid and SSI. The Kansas
ABLE program currently has 1,821 open accounts with a total of $16.9 million in
assets under management.
The
announcement was made today at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University
of Kansas, in recognition of the late Senator Bob Dole’s legacy and service to
families in the IDD community. In addition to the press conference announcing
the partnership, Johnson, Howard and Weir also facilitated a roundtable
discussion with legislators, community organizations and stakeholders in the
IDD community.
Photos
from today’s event are available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lK5meVeBy_UjKGzAD-l_D6aUjtfQczWS?usp=sharing
Video
of the press conference is available at: https://www.facebook.com/kcdd.org/videos/880323160084484
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About KDADS
KDADS
administers services to older adults; administers behavioral health, addiction
and prevention programs; manages the four state hospitals and institutions;
administers the state’s home- and community-based services waiver programs
under KanCare, the state's Medicaid program; and
directs health occupations credentialing. The agency’s mission is to Protect
Kansans. Promote Recovery. Support Self-Sufficiency.
About STO
The Office
of the Kansas State Treasurer ensures safe and efficient operation of state
government through effective banking, investment and cash management. As the
administrator of the Kansas ABLE Savings program, the office serves the
disability community by assisting in removing limits from what people living
with a disability can do. ABLE savings accounts allow Kansans the opportunity
to save for their future without losing their eligibility for certain
assistance programs, like SSI and Medicaid. More information on ABLE accounts
is available at http://kansascash.ks.gov/able_savings.html.
About KCDD
KCDD’s
mission is to empower individuals with I/DD and their families to lead systems
change, build capacity, and advocate for inclusive, integrated, accessible
communities where everyone belongs and thrives. KCDD serves people with
intellectual and developmental disabilities through advocacy, public policy,
and education. You can learn more by visiting www.kcdd.org.