This is the new date of the hearing that was postponed by weather last fall.

Hearing Scheduled for March 25th Advocates Share Talking Points

Advocates for efforts to End Homelessness in New Jersey have prepared sample talking points with strategies that should be considered in the statewide plan to end homelessness.

The talking points are offered to all who plan to testify at the Interagency Council on the Homeless hearing that will be held on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 at from 1 – 4 PM at the NJ State Museum Auditorium. Additional information regarding the public hearing will be sent out in the beginning of March.

The strategies include:
1. Adopt Housing First as a State Policy
2. Create a Rapid Re-Housing rate for boards of social services
3. Support Local Efforts to Create Centralized and/or Coordinated Assessment Systems
4. Set a priority for homelessness with the State Public Housing Agency (PHA) and encourage the same from local PHAs
5. Assist local Continuums of Care (CoC) in retooling transitional housing

The talking points also make recommendations that would address impediments to the delivery of services
 Ensure that all agencies receiving state contracts for service funding are required to serve the most difficult to house homeless and focus their resources on solutions that work, while encouraging well-designed innovations for continuous improvement Encourage all state agencies that receive funding to assist the homeless, including DHS and DCA, to coordinate funding for housing and homeless services.
 Require participation of local Boards of Social Services in Continuum of Care (CoC) homeless planning activities Coordinate with local CoCs and ensure that all grants for state funding for homeless activities require local CoC approval

Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard Constable and Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Jennifer Velez will hold an Interagency Council on Homelessness public hearing on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 to hear from the public about how the State can best address the needs of homeless New Jerseyans.

The public hearing will be held from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the at the NJ State Museum Auditorium at 205 West State Street, Trenton.

The Council is particularly interested in hearing views on two topics: Best practices in homeless services delivery and Impediments to the delivery of homeless services.

Individuals planning to speak will be limited to 3 minutes and will be expected to focus on one or both of those topics. Written remarks may be submitted via: email at or mail to Homeless Council Public Testimony, NJ Department of Human Services, Office of the Commissioner, PO Box 700, Trenton, NJ 08625-0700.

If you are in need of an accommodation, please contact Jennifer Crowley at the NJ Department of Human Services at (609) 292-6090 no later than Wednesday, December 11, 2013.

Please note that the public hearing is an opportunity to provide your comments, only. It is not interactive.

Important new Notice regarding Fair Hearing rights of people seeking help

Attached is a new notice (DFD Instruction No. 12-08-02, dated August 7, 2012) from the State Department of Human Services regarding the right of people seeking help from the Board of Social Services to obtain a fair hearing if they are denied assistance.   (People already receiving help who are terminated or have their benefits reduced or otherwise changed have the same rights.)

THIS NOTICE IS VERY IMPORTANT.   Although it does not explicitly refer to denials of emergency shelter or other types of “emergency assistance,”  the rights involved are the same, except that the time limits are much shorter.  (For instance, the hearing should be held within 3 days.)  Also, even though the Notice makes clear that fair hearing requests can be made directly to the Board, people should still call the state Fair Hearing office (known as BARA)  at 1-800-792-9773 in order to make sure that the request is actually processed in a timely fashion.

 I have highlighted some of the key provisions below.  (These paragraphs are directly from the Notice.)

N.J.A.C. 10:90-9.3(a) and 10:87-8.1(b) state that it is the right of every applicant for, or recipient of, Work First New Jersey (WFNJ) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits adversely affected by an action of a county or municipal agency to be afforded a fair hearing. N.J.A.C. 10:90-9.3(b) defines county or municipal agency actions which adversely affect an applicant or recipient as any action, inaction, refusal of action, or unduly delayed action with respect to program eligibility, including denial, termination or suspension of benefits, adjustment in the level of benefits or work requirements, or designation of a protective payee.

 A WFNJ/SNAP applicant is entitled to a fair hearing even if no written eligibility decision has been issued on his/her case by the CWA/MWA. Applications which have not been processed within the 30 day standard constitute an adverse action due to inaction; therefore, BARA will accept requests for fair hearings for those cases in which no eligibility determination has been rendered for applications pending greater than 30 days.

 Fair Hearing Requests

Any clear expression (oral or written) by an applicant or recipient (or his/her representative) to the effect that the individual wants the opportunity to present his/her case to a higher authority constitutes a request for a fair hearing in accordance with N.J.A.C. 10:90-9.9(c) and 10:87-8.3.

 A request for a fair hearing may be addressed to either the CWA/MWA or DFD. No special form of statement or manner of expression is required so long as the request identifies the nature of the complaint and the relief sought.

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           Timeframe for Forwarding Fair Hearing Requests to BARA

BARA is to be informed either by telephone or by fax on the same day in which an oral or written request for a hearing is received. CWAs/MWAs must establish a system to ensure that every written request for a hearing received by the agency is stamped with the date of receipt and forwarded to BARA within one business day.

Food stamps - SNAP

Here is a link to the Department of Human Services NJ SNAP (food stamps) program with Spanish links. Click here
http://www.nj.gov/humanservices/dfd/programs/njsnap/

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ENCOURAGES RESIDENTS TO GET REGULAR VISION SCREENINGS

TRENTON - Working to preserve residents’ eyesight with proactive services, the Department of Human Services’ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI) is encouraging New Jerseyans to get regular vision screenings to save their sight, as part of National Save Your Vision Month.
Last year, through targeted outreach such as mobile eye examination units, on-site screening and special outreach programs for people with diabetes, the CBVI provided vision screenings for over 42,000 people, of whom 8,300 were referred for necessary follow-up.
It is estimated that 118,000 New Jerseyans over the age 40 are blind or visually impaired. Loss of sight impacts quality of life, medical costs, work productivity and various other economic factors totaling about $51.4 billion a year, nationally.
“Regular vision screenings are essential to maintaining eye health,” said DHS Commissioner Jennifer Velez. “Taking the time for an eye screening can reduce the risk of vision loss and help detect systemic and chronic diseases like diabetes. Our eyes are as important as our cholesterol levels, heart health and bone density.”
March is recognized as National Save Your Vision Month. Research has shown that 50 percent of cases of blindness or severe vision loss could have been prevented by early detection of disorders and the appropriate follow-up care. Studies also have found that over 33 percent of people with Diabetes did not know that they had it until a regular eye screening identified a change to blood vessels in the retina.
“For over 30 years, the Commission has been providing statewide eye screenings in an effort to promote eye health, especially among residents who may be underinsured or uninsured,” said Vito DeSantis, Executive Director at CBVI. “Eye exams are a vital part of protecting eyesight and quality of life.”
CBVI performs eye screenings in nearly every county at least once a month. A mobile unit also can be dispatched to your community by contacting the Commission at: (973) 648-7400 or Toll Free (877) 685-8878.

From Jennifer Valdez, Commissioner of the NJ Dept. of Human Services

Dear Stakeholder:

It has been a busy start to the New Year. Fiscal year 2013 budget discussions are well underway; in fact last week, I testified on the status of the comprehensive Medicaid waiver.

I hope you all received my post-budget address email, which outlined the Governor’s proposed restructuring of state government and this department’s role. To summarize:

·         On July 1, programs and services for seniors will move from the Department of Health to DHS to form the new Division of Aging Services, which will be led by Kathy Mason, with Nancy Day continuing on that leadership team. Jeanette Page-Hawkins will continue to manage the Division of Family Development, along with her Deputy Director, Natasha Johnson.  Both divisions will report to the Department’s newly appointed Deputy Commissioner, Lowell Arye, former policy advisor to the Governor and expert in the fields of aging, disability and anti-poverty issues.

·         Another significant part of the Governor’s plan is to integrate all programs, services and supports that serve children into the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Over the upcoming fiscal year, all children – including children now served by the Divisions of Developmental Disabilities and Mental Health and Addiction Services – will transition to DCF.

·         And, Graduate Medical Education and the Hospital Relief Subsidy Fund, currently managed by DHS’ Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services will transition to the (newly-renamed) Department of Health, which is also responsible for the distribution of Charity Care funding.

It’s important to note that funding for Olmstead and community services for both DD and mental health consumers has been increased. In addition, the Governor boosted funding for the community services waiting list. Programs and services among the Department’s other divisions were kept whole.

On a final note, March is a big month for service designations. It’s National Brain Injury Awareness Month, Professional Social Workers’ Month, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and Save Your Vision Month. We expect this month’s department activities to include proclamations, letters to the editor and a few press releases. We’ll be sure to forward them to you as the month progresses.

Regards,

Jennifer Velez

Commissioner