House Subcommittee Passes Health and Education 2009 Funding Bill
On Thursday, June 19, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies considered and passed a funding bill for fiscal year (FY) 2009. Though details of the bill have not been released by the committee, a press statement on the bill indicated that total funding for the FY2009 Labor-HHS-Ed Appropriations bill was set at $153 billion, $7.7 billion above President Bush’s FY2009 request and $7.9 billion above final FY2008 funding levels.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) was a big winner under this bill with a $1.2 billion increase over FY2008. According to Chairman David Obey, the funding will result in more than 1,000 new research grants.
The subcommittee rejected Administration proposed cuts of $240 million to health professions and nursing education and proposed an additional $69 million in funding to train the doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.
Early childhood, K-12, and higher education programs, such as IDEA Part B, Head Start, NCLB Title I, and Pell grants all received modest increases. The federal share of special education funding under IDEA would only increase from 17.2% to 17.5%.
Should you have any questions about the fiscal year 2009 Labor-HHS-Ed appropriations bill, please contact Neil Snyder, ASHA’s Director of Federal Advocacy, at nsnyder@asha.org or 800-498-2071, ext. 5614.
(Posted: 06-28-2008)
ASHA Submits Comments to ED on NCLB Proposed Rules
ASHA submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education in response to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would make changes to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, including requirements for a uniform formula to calculate high school graduation rates, improved parental notification for Supplemental Education Services (SES), and public school choice. The notice appeared in the April 23, 2008, Federal Register, and public comments on the proposal were due by June 23, 2008. The proposed regulations affect students with communication disorders and audiologists and speech-language pathologists who provide services to these students.
ASHA supports the proposed changes in Sec.200.2 of the NPRM that clarify that districts will have the option of using multiple measures in the assessment process. ASHA also supports the proposed changes on supplemental educational service and public school choice in Sec.200.39. Finally, ASHA supports the integration of a growth model option in Sec. 200.20 that incorporates student academic growth in the state’s definition of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). For students with disabilities it is critical for assessments to be conducted in consideration of the baseline ability of a student and of progress made on IEP goals.
For further information, please contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, via e-mail at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 5611.
(Posted: 06-23-2008)
HCS Rehab Compensation Study
Hospital and Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS), publisher of the Hospital, Nursing Home, and Home Care Salary & Benefits Reports, is conducting its 2nd annual national Rehabilitation Compensation Study. This study will cover rehabilitation jobs in Hospitals, Home Health, and Nursing Homes. Last year’s Report had 2,200 total participants reporting on 3,000 therapy employees.
The brief study covers thirteen rehab positions. Data surveyed includes actual salary/hourly rates, bonuses, and per diem rates, as well as benefits granted. Results will be reported separately for hospitals, home health, and nursing homes, showing data by county, state, and region.
Note there is a reduced purchase price for participants.
Completed questionnaires are due to HCS by July 21, 2008. Please email your completed questionnaire to rzabka@hhcsinc.com. If you have any questions, please email or call Rosanne Zabka at (201) 405-0075, ext. 11.
2008 Survey Deadlines:
HOMECARE Salary & Benefits Report: Final deadline August 4; published late October 2008
Hospice Salary & Benefits Report: Final deadline August 4; Published late November 2008
CCRC Salary & Benefits Report: Published late June 2008
Nursing Home Salary & Benefits Report: Published late July 2008
Hospital Salary & Benefits Report: Published late August 2008
(Posted: 06-23-2008)
Senate Finance Members Introduce Competing Medicare Fix Bills
Senate Finance Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) have separately introduced competing Medicare bills to address larger Medicare issues, such as averting significant cuts to the physician fee schedule and extending the therapy cap exceptions process. Both proposals include provisions that would allow speech-language pathologists to bill from a private practice and recognize audiologists as eligible to receive bonus payments under Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI).
Unfortunately, both bills face an uphill battle for passage. It is anticipated that the legislation will be altered as Senate leaders and the White House undertake cuts to off-set the larger cost items in the bill, such as the Medicare fee schedule fix.
Absent congressional action by June 30th, Medicare beneficiaries who have already exceeded the $1,810 combined SLP/PT cap will have to seek services at a hospital outpatient department. CMS has been tracking Medicare beneficiaries’ use of therapy services since January 1, 2008 and will apply the combined cap retroactively to the beginning of the year. Due to consolidated billing rules, skilled nursing facility (SNF) inpatients are not permitted to access additional rehabilitation services through the hospital outpatient department.
For further information, please contact Ingrida Lusis, ASHA’s Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, at ilusis@asha.org or by phone at 202-624-5951. For further information about the therapy caps exceptions process, please visits ASHA’s Web site at www.asha.org/about/legislation-advocacy/federal/cap/ or contact Reimbursement@asha.org.
(Posted: 06-13-2008)
Draft Senate Medicare Legislation Proposed
On Monday, June 2, Senator Max Baucus, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, released information on a draft Medicare proposal that is considered to be a starting point for negotiations with Senate Republicans and the White House. Included in the proposal is language to recognize a speech-language pathologist’s ability to bill from a private practice and a provision permitting audiologists to participate in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI). The proposed bill also would extend the therapy cap exceptions process through 2009, avert a 10 percent reduction in Medicare Part B reimbursement rates, and provide for a half percent update to the Medicare fee schedule in 2009.
In releasing the proposal, Senator Baucus indicated that he intends to have a final bill for the Senate to consider early next week, June 9. Congress is on a tight deadline and must pass Medicare legislation by June 30, in order to avert drastic cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule and extend the therapy cap exceptions process. The proposal must still gain support from Republicans in order to ensure passage. Senate leaders and the White House appear to still be at odds over the total cost of the legislation and what cuts would have to be undertaken to off-set the larger cost items, such as the Medicare fee schedule fix.
ASHA is pleased that SLP supplier status and audiology recognition under PQRI are part of the Senate Finance proposal. Supplier status provision was also included in the House of Representative’s bill that passed last summer. We will continue to work with the Senate and House to ensure that all provisions impacting speech-language pathologists and audiologists remain in the final measure. For further information, please contact Ingrida Lusis, ASHA’s Director of Federal and Political Advocacy, via e-mail at ilusis@asha.org or by phone at 202-624-5951.
(Posted: 06-04-2008)
ED Announces Teacher-to-Teacher 2008 Summer Workshops
Building on the success of previous years’ teacher workshops, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will again host a series of workshops for teachers and principals in the summer of 2008. The teacher workshops offer educators a free opportunity to participate in high-quality professional development designed to provide classroom support, technical assistance, and increased collaboration needed to ensure academic success for all students. Teachers from public, private, and charter schools may register. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Prominent teachers, principals, and district officials provide training sessions and share research-based practices they have successfully applied in their classrooms and schools. Reading, math, science, and history will be the content focus as well as using data, differentiating instruction, Doing What Works, and technology to support student achievement. The 2008 Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshops are scheduled to be held in 12 cities throughout the U.S beginning June 18th. The complete schedule can be found at https://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/Schedule.asp.
Included in these workshops are many sessions that address topics related to special education, such as:
· Constructive Chaos
· Inclusion: How Do We Modify and Meet Standards?
· Maximizing Instructional Time Through Positive Behavior Strategies
· One Size Does Not Fit All: Standards-Based Differentiation
· Responding to Student Needs NOT Behaviors
· Response to Intervention: Key Elements of School Wide Implementation
· Thinking Outside the Box: An Inclusion Model
The Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative was designed by teachers for teachers in order to provide technical support, professional development opportunities and recognition for teachers of all content areas and grade levels. For more information on the 2008 workshops or to register visit https://www.t2tweb.us/Workshops/About.asp or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA’s Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 5611.
(Posted: 05-29-2008)
ED Releases IDEA Part B Supplemental Proposed Rules
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to supplement the final IDEA Part B (Grants to states) regulations that were originally published in the August 14, 2006, Federal Register. Public comments on these proposed regulations are due to ED on or before July 28, 2008.
Issues addressed in the NPRM include:
· parental revocation of consent after consenting to the initial provision of services;
· state or local educational agency’s (LEA’s) obligation to make positive efforts to employ qualified individuals with disabilities;
· representation of parents by non-attorneys in due process hearings; and
· state monitoring, technical assistance, and enforcement of the Part B program and the allocation of funds, under sections 611 and 619 of the Act, to LEAs that are not serving any children with disabilities.
ASHA is reviewing the proposed regulations to determine its impact on the professions of speech-language pathology and audiology and utilizing a member advisory group to submit comments on issues of concern to speech-language pathologists and audiologists. For more information on the proposed regulations, please visit the Federal Register at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-10522.pdf or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA’s Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, at cclarke@asha.org or by phone at 800-498-2071, ext. 5611
(Posted: 05-29-2008)
2009 Defense Bill Requests Center of Excellence for Auditory Disorders
ASHA is pleased to commend and support a provision in H.R. 5658, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, that would establish a Center of Excellence in the prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, treatment, and rehabilitation of hearing loss and auditory system injuries. A Center of Excellence for auditory disorders will ensure highest quality of audiologic care, improve access to care, and create an advocacy network for American service members with hearing loss and balance disorders. The legislation is now being considering by the Senate.
In report language accompanying the legislation, the House Committee on Armed Services stated that Department of Defense needs to focus and accelerate its efforts to address the hearing needs of services members due to the vast operational, health and quality of life issues associated with exposure to high noise levels and blasts. The committee cited a study that found that of the military personnel associated with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom that had been exposed to blasts, more than 50 percent had significant hearing loss, 49 percent reported tinnitus, 3 percent experienced tympanic membrane perforation, 26 percent indicated ear pain and 15 percent complained of dizziness.
ASHA will work with the Senate to ensure that this provision is included in the final legislation that will be sent to the President. For additional information, contact Ingrida Lusis, Director of Federal and Political Advocacy at ilusis@asha.org or by phone at (202) 624-5951.
(Posted: 05-28-2008)
Better Hearing & Speech Month Resolutions Introduced in Congress
At ASHA’s urging, both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have introduced legislation supporting the goals and recognition of Better Hearing and Speech Month. House Concurrent Resolution (H.Con.Res.) 352 was introduced by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), co-chair of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus, and Senate Concurrent Resolution (S.Con.Res.) 83 was introduced by Senator Hilary R. Clinton (D-NY).
Both resolutions recognize the importance of speech and hearing services for all age groups in the United States, including those who have experienced hearing loss, speech-language disorders, and traumatic brain injury.
The resolutions also urge increased coordination of community-based, comprehensive care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, athletes, and accident victims who have experienced hearing and speech deficiencies as a result of traumatic brain injury. They commend the forty-six states that have implemented routine newborn hearing screening before leaving the hospital under state-wide programs for early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI).
The resolutions have been referred to committees of jurisdiction for further consideration before being voted on the by the House and Senate. ASHA members are encouraged to contact their members of Congress and request hat they co-sponsor these resolutions. For more information, please contact Neil Snyder, ASHA’s Director of Federal Advocacy, at nsnyder@asha.org. For more information about Better Hearing and Speech Month, please check out ASHA’s Web site at http://www.asha.org/bhsm/.
(Posted: 05-28-2008)
Dept. of Public Health and Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Launch Collaborative Screening Initiative
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (MCDHH) today announced the launch of a collaborative initiative designed to enhance services for deaf and hard of hearing children and their families.
The agencies will work together to improve support, intervention and services for families and their newly-diagnosed infants and children with hearing loss. DPH and MCDHH will focus on educating staff at both agencies about the range of services available; expanding access to services; and strengthening communication and collaboration between the two agencies. The state expects that the initiative will result in an expedited process for early intervention referrals and expanded opportunities for staff to better serve children and families.
DPH Commissioner John Auerbach said, “Each year, we are identifying over 200 infants with hearing loss in Massachusetts. Our goal is to ensure that infants, children and their families receive coordinated services that are comprehensive, culturally appropriate and family centered. By working closely with the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, we at the Department of Public Health believe we can accomplish this for all infants and young children with hearing loss in the Commonwealth.”
MCDHH Commissioner Heidi Reed added, “Our goal is to offer families the most comprehensive, unbiased and culturally sensitive information available to support their newborn who is deaf or hard of hearing. Decisions about communication approaches and medical treatment involve critically important choices, and this partnership with the Department of Public Health will strengthen families’ capacity to make informed choices.”
To ensure the optimal development of children with hearing loss, the Commonwealth passed a universal newborn hearing screening law in 1998, and all babies receive a hearing screening prior to discharge from a birth facility. In Massachusetts, one of every four infants who do not pass a hearing screening will be diagnosed with hearing loss.
The Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program helps families access services. When babies with hearing loss are identified early, intervention can have a dramatic, positive impact on speech, language and overall development. Families with infants and young children with hearing loss receive services through the statewide DPH Early Intervention Program, an integrated, developmental service available to all families with children with permanent hearing loss between birth and three years of age.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health serves all the people in the Commonwealth and promotes healthy people, healthy families, healthy communities and healthy environments through compassionate care, education and prevention.
The Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provides statewide services to over 500,000 deaf, hard of hearing and late-deafened adults and children. Since its establishment in 1986, MCDHH has worked in collaboration with numerous other state agencies to ensure effective communication and enhance quality of services, and to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals have access to information, services, education and opportunities equal to those of people who hear and which enable each deaf and hard of hearing individual to live productively and independently.
(Posted: 05-16-2008)
Children's Book Introduces Hearing Loss
As a professional dedicated to Improving the lives of children with hearing loss, you know that technology is just one piece of the puzzle. Modern technology is making it possible for many children to enter typical classrooms at early ages. One result of this migration is that educators are facing the prospect of teaching and working with students who formerly were in special
programs. This means there is a need for materials to help teachers and children with typical hearing understand hearing loss and the ways it usually affects kids.
Parents often come up short when looking for materials to share with their children’s schools. Stories are a natural way to engage children in discussion, but there are few that depict children with hearing loss who understand others by listening with their hearing aids or cochlear implant and who communicate by
talking. To help fill this void, The Mainstream Center at Clarke School for the Deaf / Center for Oral Education has published "Friends, Like You," an early education kit designed to teach hearing children, on a basic level, about hearing loss and ways that can help them communicate successfully with a
classmate, friend or family member who is deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Our kit includes a 32-page, full-color children’s book, an educator’s guide and a children’s activity book. Additional sets of 30 activity books are available. Please consider sharing our materials with the families you serve by making
copies available in your waiting rooms or for families to take home after an appointment. We are more than happy to send you order forms to have on hand to share with families.
To view sample pages and download an order form, visit:
