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April 3, 2024 | Issue 124 (View newsletter as webpage) Para leer este boletín en Español, haga clic aquí

Important News

Biden Administration Finalizes Rule to Make Enrolling in Medicaid and CHIP Easier for Millions of Children and Families

On March 27, the Biden administration announced a final rule that improves how millions of Americans, including children, apply for and renew coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Basic Health Program (BHP). The rule standardizes enrollment and renewal processes nationwide and applies consumer protections from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to Medicaid and CHIP enrollees, like banning lifetime limits and waiting periods.

Read the full announcement here.

Resources

Free Healthcare Enrollment Assistance Offered

New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund provides free ACA education, outreach, and assistance services to New Jersey residents to help them understand and apply for affordable health care coverage options through New Jersey’s health insurance marketplace, GetCoveredNJ, as well as NJFamilyCare.

They offer free one-on-one health care enrollment assistance, in English and Spanish.

To learn more, visit their website here.

SURVEY: Do You Know the Developmental

Disability Agencies Available to You?

In recognition of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in March, the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Ombudsman’s Office for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their Families have launched a survey to assess individuals with disabilities and their families’ awareness and satisfaction with several organizations. These government agencies are committed to providing services, education, and advocacy for the developmental disability community. Your participation in this survey will help the participating agencies and organizations identify areas for improvement, so they can all do better to meet the needs of this community.

This survey is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese, and Gujarati. See below for the links to the specific language.

English- Survey Here
Spanish- Survey Here
Portuguese- Survey Here
Korean- Survey Here
Chinese- Survey Here
Gujarati- Survey Here

The survey will be available until April 15th, 2024.

Partners in Education

Transition Mini-Conference: Building a Future of Possibilities

10:00AM - 3:00PM ET

Saturday, April 6

East Brunswick Public Library

Civic Center Dr.

East Brunswick, NJ 08816

In Person

This FREE conference is for youth and their parents/caregivers on the topics of transition to adult life, adult services, self-advocacy, assistive technology, and more.

Do you understand your youth's transition plan?
Does your youth need to build their self-advocacy skills?
Are you a youth preparing to transition from school to adult life?

Join us in person to learn strategies and resources from SPAN!

To learn more and register, click here.

Upcoming Events

SPAN offers a variety of learning opportunities for families and the professionals who work with them.

Highlighted Event This Week

Understanding the State's Bill of Rights for Deaf Students

The New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Special Education is offering a virtual presentation to explain the state’s bill of rights for deaf students.

This session will describe the components of the communication plan that is required in the Individualized Education Program or 504 Plan of all students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Additionally, the New Jersey Regional Deaf Education Centers of Excellence pilot programs will share how assistance can be provided with meeting some requirements of the state’s bill of rights for deaf students.

This roundtable will be held virtually on two different dates, one session in English and the other in Spanish. American Sign Language interpreters will be present.

Thursday, April 11, 2024, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in English. Register here.
Thursday, April 18, 2024, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Spanish. Register here.

Please register TODAY as the deadline is through April 3. Space is limited.

See all of SPAN's upcoming events with details and registration links here

Para recibir la edición en Español de este boletín semanalmente en su correo electrónico

haga clic aquí para suscribirse

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Finding Motivation

Read our latest youth blog post, "Finding Motivation," to discover how motivation affects our actions, pushes us towards our goals, and how to find motivation when needed.

To access the post, click here.