Let`s Talk! Family Café Self-Advocacy Initiative How to

March 2015
CDC+ Connection
– Your Monthly Source of Updates and Helpful Information
Let’s Talk!
The 2015 Florida Legislative Session has begun and will
be in session until May 1. Our elected representatives will
be working on a state budget and tackling issues that have
an impact on CDC+ consumers and their families.
The Let’s Talk Legislative Conference Call, hosted by The
Family Café, will be held every Friday at 4 p.m. Eastern
Standard Time. The call will include various speakers to
share ideas and comments regarding the agencies and
programs funded by the state and will be an important
opportunity for you to become informed on what is
happening in Tallahassee and how it might impact you and
your family. The call is open to everyone!
help of the FL SAND (Florida Self-Advocates Network’d).
FL SAND is Florida’s independent self-advocacy network.
At present, it includes 13 Regional Groups. Visit
flsand.org/regional-groups/ to learn more about each
group. The Florida Developmental Disabilities Council has
supported this initiative for several years through projects
that provide training and mentoring on self-advocacy. The
results of these projects are starting to be seen but there
is still a great need to recruit more members for the local
groups.
To attend, call 1-888-670-3525 and key in the conference
code: 2424632211 followed by the # key.
It is important to remember that your participation in selfadvocacy activities will enrich the lives of each individual
who actively participates, and will also benefit individuals
with developmental disabilities around the state. Selfadvocates who are participating are learning and practicing
invaluable skills, like self-determination.
Family Café
If you would like additional information please contact your
local FL Sand office at http://flsand.org/contact/
The Family Café invites you to attend the upcoming 17th
Annual Family Café on June 5-7in Orlando! This three-day
event provides a venue for people with disabilities and their
families to learn about available services, connect with
policy makers and network with each other. It features
dozens of breakout sessions, a full exhibit hall, a series of
keynote speakers, and multiple opportunities to interact
with other families informally.
There is no registration fee for individuals with disabilities
and their family members or caregivers. For more
information, go to www.familycafe.net
Self-Advocacy Initiative
APD is beginning an initiative to promote self-advocacy,
and we are asking for your help. The National Gateway to
Self-Determination Network calls the self-advocacy
movement the “unacknowledged Civil Rights movement”.
When the movement first began in our nation, the chief
focus was the deinstitutionalization of people with
developmental disabilities and to make it possible for them
to live in their community. As you know, the Home and
Community-Based Services waiver facilitates this
alternative in our state. The self-advocacy movement has
grown nationwide and continues to expand its scope of the
issues it addresses for people with developmental
disabilities. There are now local and state groups in all 50
states. You can learn more about self-advocacy at
flsand.org/about-fl-sand/what-is-self-advocacy/.
We are confident that our clients can help the selfadvocacy movement grow in Florida with our help and the
How to Navigate the CDC+ website
The CDC+ website is a valuable resource for accessing
information and documentation meant to help you be
successful in the CDC+ program. We’ve recently made
some minor changes to the location of important links and
information on our main page at apdcares.org/cdcplus.
On the left side of the page you will see a section called
Important Links. The first is the consultant’s link and
contains information and forms related to becoming a
consultant or updating contact information. In addition, this
section is where consultants can access the Consultant
Reporting System to view their consumer’s monthly
statements.
The second link is the Consumer’s Section (previously
called the Participant’s Section). This section contains links
to important documents such as the CDC+ Rule Handbook
and the Appendix to the Participant Notebook, which is in
the process of being replaced with the CDC+ How to
Guide.
The Appendix has important documents to assist you in
every aspect of the program such as finding employees,
managing payroll, balancing your account, submitting
Purchasing Plans, and more. Each item in the appendix
contains a document that can be downloaded to your
computer for your use.
The Fiscal Employer/Agent Forms link is where you can
find employee and agency/vendor new-hire packets as
well as the initial IRS and other forms that are necessary
for enrollment.
The Household Employer Forms section houses links to
important employer information such as workers
compensation and Florida minimum wage. All of this
information is available in both English and Spanish.
The fifth link on our website is the Secure Web-based
Payroll System. In this section, you can find both the
access link and user guides for the Web-based Payroll
System and the Interactive Voice Response Phone
System. There are online submission tips, Frequently
Asked Questions, and a helpful How Do I Read My
Statement? document. Last, this section contains a current
Bi-Weekly Pay Schedule to help you keep track of when to
submit your payrolls.
The Training and Education section is a very important
section that contains our most current training material,
Readiness Review and Refresher, schedules of upcoming
training sessions and support group meetings. You can
access a variety of power-point presentations, training
sheets and Frequently Asked Questions meant to support
you in managing your CDC+ funds while meeting your
long-term care needs.
The last link is the CDC+ Connection section. Here you can
view the current edition as well all past editions of the
CDC+ Connection so that you can be informed.
Consumer Monthly Statements On-line
You do not have to wait to receive your monthly statements
in the mail – you can access your monthly statements on
the Secure Web Payroll System as soon as they are
posted. You will notice on the main menu screen a button
titled Consumer Statement. Clicking this button will direct
you to a menu where you will select the statement
month/year, then view and print your statements online. If
you select a month/year that is blank, the report is not yet
available. If you have not requested a password, please
locate your username letter mailed to you when you first
enrolled and call customer service for your password. If
you are unable to locate your letter, you may request a
duplicate letter be mailed to you and follow the instructions
to obtain your password.
Starting March 2015, CDC+ will be sending out an email
alert to all consultants and consumer/representatives
notifying them that the next Consumer Statement is
available to view. This email will also contain the current
edition of the CDC+ Connection! If you have not provided
CDC+ with your current email address or need to update
your contact information with us, please send in a
Participant Information Update form through your
consultant. This will ensure that you have access to this
important information as quickly as possible.
Provider Eligibility for Federal Income Tax Exemption
On January 3, 2014, the IRS issued Notice 2014-7
addressing the income tax treatment of certain payments
to an individual care provider under a state Home and
Community-Based Services waiver (Medicaid waiver)
program. For more information including Q & A’s please
go to: www.irs.gov/Individuals/Certain-Medicaid-WaiverPayments-May-Be-Excludable-From-Income
The CDC+ program cannot determine based upon a single
set or even combination of criteria such as service code,
relationship to consumer, or live-in status whether or not a
provider is eligible for this exemption. CDC+ staff are not
tax professionals and do not provide tax guidance to
providers about their specific tax filings or exemptions.
Providers need to seek the guidance of their tax
professional to determine whether or not they are eligible
for this exemption.
As your fiscal agent, CDC+ will continue to produce and
distribute the IRS Form W-2 or 1099, and providers can
claim the exemption on their 1040 and be refunded by the
IRS accordingly.
Upcoming Peer Support Group Meeting Dates:
Miami - May 26 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. or attend the Family
Café June 6 session – time TBD.
401 NW 2nd Ave. S811 Chair: Yolanda Herrera,
yolyherrera@bellsouth.net
Ft. Lauderdale – date change: Apr. 10 from 9:30 – 11:30
a.m. 201 W. Broward Blvd., Room 305 (with the Family
Care Council Meeting)
Chair: Gilda Pacheco, Gildapacheco@comcast.net
Fort Pierce and Broward – Apr. 10 from 9:30 – 11:30
a.m.
Via Lync webinar. Chair: Debra Kalidonis
debra51t@aol.com
Melbourne (open to anyone) - May 11 from 6 - 7:30 p.m.
via
Lync
webinar.
Chair:
Theresa
Brown,
brown5232@yahoo.com. Register with Theresa Brown or
Ivonne Gonzalez, Ivonne.Gonzalez@apdcares.org
Largo – TBD. Disability Achievement Center, 12552
Belcher Rd South. Chair: Judy Cole, simamike1@aol.com
Tampa - May 7 from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m.
1313 N. Tampa St., Suite 516 and via Lync webinar.
Chair: Joanne Rydzewski, jdnrydzewski@aol.com
Gainesville - via Lync webinar with Jacksonville office
Chair: Kalisha Eagle, Kalisheagle@yahoo.com
Daytona Beach – via Lync webinar with Jacksonville office
Jacksonville- Mar. 30, May 18 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
3631 Hodges Blvd., Building A, and via Lync webinar.
Chair: Melinda Morrison, melindamo_98@yahoo.com
Orlando (First Wednesday of every month) Apr. 1 from
noon - 2 p.m., 400 W Robinson St, Suite S430. Chair:
Tricia Madden, triciapurple@gmail.com and Annette
Baughn, amr2tone@gmail.com
Tallahassee, Pensacola, and Panama City- Apr. 1 from
6 -7:30 p.m. via Lync webinar.