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UCP Michigan News
UCP Michigan is pleased to announce several fundraising events and ongoing support opportunities!
- New this year is our enrollment in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Simply sign up in-store for a Kroger Plus Shopper's Card, and then register online at krogercommunityrewards.com and designate UCP Michigan (organization number 90828) as your charity of choice. All proceeds will fund UCP Michigan programs and services.
- We also are pleased to be part of Macy's Shop for a Cause event in August. UCP Michigan supporters are invited to give back to their communities and help UCP at the same time by making a $5 donation to UCP, and receiving a Shopping Pass good for 25% off in every Macy's store and online on Saturday, August 27th. Also, enter to win a $500 Macy's gift card. Call our office at 517-203-1200 or email us at ucp@ucpmichigan.org for your Shopping Pass.
- We also will be holding a free community recycling event on August 19 between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. at our office complex. Drive up and drop off old and unwanted cell phones, PDAs, iPods, digital cameras, inkjet cartridges, and laptop computers (we will not be collecting monitors, televisions, or large items). We also will have collection boxes available for organizations and businesses to keep at their location for collection throughout the year.
Please help us in supporting these new fundraising initiatives, and pass the word along to friends and colleagues as well!
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UCP grant helps Reese woman
adapt to new home | |
Getting into and out of her mobile home is easier for Mable Dimmick now that she's had a ramp installed with the help of United Cerebral Palsy's Elsie S. Bellows Fund.
Arthritis in her knees, hips and spine makes it difficult for Dimmick, 74, to climb stairs, and she typically uses a cane or walker to get around her home.
"There are four or five stairs, and it's kind of hard to get up on them at times," she says of her mobile home in the Michigan Thumb community of Reese. "I use the ramp quite a bit. I really appreciate it."
Dimmick said the apartment she lived in near Tuscola had a ramp, but not the mobile home that she moved to in 2010.
Working through the Blue Water Center for Independent Living in Caro, she applied for a grant from the Bellows Fund and received $900 toward the cost of a ramp. State programs picked up the rest of the installation tab.
United Cerebral Palsy established the Bellows Fund in 1995 to provide assistive technology equipment to financially challenged individuals with disabilities. Assistive technology includes ramps, adaptable lifts for vehicles, communications tools, mobility aids and home modifications. The Bellows Fund provides funds to UCP affiliates across the country to purchase such equipment.
"Assistive technology plays a major role in increasing the independence of people with disabilities," says Kathleen Brockel, executive director of UCP Michigan.
UCP Michigan also offers the Assistive Technology Loan Fund, which helps people with disabilities enhance their quality of life by providing low-cost access to assistive technology they might not otherwise be able to afford.
Dimmick, a mother of 10, says there's only one drawback to her new ramp: "The birds seem to think it's their landing pad."
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Health Professionals: Looking for CEUs? |  The Partnership for Health & Disability (PHD) offers online training for health care and public health professionals of all kinds in understanding and treating patients with disabilities.
PHD is supported by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, and the Michigan Department of Community Health. The partnership's goals include reducing health disparities, preventing secondary conditions, and promoting healthy lifestyles among people with disabilities.
The two, one-hour online training sessions can help participants gain a better understanding of the access and wellness issues that affect people with disabilities, and how to mitigate barriers to appropriate care. One course centers on people with developmental disabilities, the other on people with physical and sensory disabilities.
Upon completion of the training, CEUs are available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The courses are free; one CEU for each course will be offered for a $15 fee. To access the training, go to: www.midisabilityhealth.org/healthProfessionals.cfm |
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Upcoming Events | | Free Epilepsy Workshop
for parents, school support staff, and the medical community
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
(sign-in begins at 5:30 p.m.)
Children's Hospital of Michigan
3901 Beaubien Detroit, MI 48201
Topics will include:
what is epilepsy; common misconceptions; how to support students with epilepsy; 504 accommodations
Register by 8/12 with Celena Barnes, Debbie Townley, or Barbara Wright
1-800-552-4821
Debbie@michiganallianceforfamilies.org
Celena@michiganallianceforfamilies.org
Barbara@michiganallianceforfamilies.org
Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Symposium 2011
New technology in neurorehabilitation, motivating children with virtual environments, surgical and pharmacological interventions, and research in pediatric neurological pathologies are the main topics of the Pediatric Neurorehabilitation Symposium 2011. This event is organized by the DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan and the company Hocoma, and will be held September 23rd and 24th at the Detroit Marriott, Livonia, MI. For more information, visit our website
Relatively Speaking Conference
This year's "Relatively Speaking" Conference will take place Friday, October 7, to Sunday, October 9, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza in Grand Rapids. "Relatively Speaking" is a conference for siblings and other family members of children with special needs. Registration is open until August 31, 2011. For more information about "Relatively Speaking", call the Family Phone Line at (800) 359-3722 or view the brochure here
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Participate in a Survey! | |
Your help is needed! A current doctoral candidate at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN, is doing a study focusing on the impact families have on caring for children with cerebral palsy. The study is in need of parents over the age of 18 that are currently the primary caregiver for a least one child between the ages of six and 18 years old, diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The online survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. There will be a drawing for a $50 Wal-mart gift card for those who finish the survey. To access the survey go to: Survey Monkey.
If you have any questions, please contact: Julie Barnes at jabarnes@mail.trevecca.edu. The survey will be open until August 15th. |
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Earn Money For Yourself AND UCP Michigan! | |
 We need your support!
Opinions4Good provides an opportunity for you to support UCP Michigan long-term without ever opening your wallet! Become a member today and over time you can provide UCP Michigan with guaranteed recurring donations AND even earn a little extra cash for yourself! YOU can make a difference. Please take a few minutes and register at www.op4g.com.
What is Op4G? Op4G is a private, member-based online research community - when Op4G clients need market research, members are paid to participate anonomously in these activities while allocating a percentage of earnings to a non-profit. This provides a valuable source of guaranteed recurring funding over time for non-profits like UCP Michigan!
Benefits:
· Members are paid when they participate in market research
· Non-profits receive a new stream of monthly revenue
How to Register:
· Visit www.op4g.com to become a member - IT'S FREE!
· Choose UCP Michigan as your supported non-profit
· Complete the short, private, and secure demographic questionnaire
· You will receive an email from Op4G when paid activities are available to you
A fast, simple, and fun way to support UCP Michigan! |
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Social Security Benefits and Work FAQs | 
Question: I am receiving Social Security disability benefits. Will my benefits be affected if I work and earn money?
Answer: It depends. Social Security has special rules called "work incentives" that help you keep your monthly payments and Medicare coverage while you test your ability to work. For example, you can receive full benefits regardless of how much you earn, as long as you report your work activity and continue to have a disabling impairment during a trial work period.
Question: Is there a time limit on how long I can receive Social Security disability benefits?
Answer: Your disability benefits will continue as long as your medical condition has not improved and your ability to work is limited. Social Security will review your case at regular intervals to make sure you are still disabled under their rules. If you are still disabled when you reach your full retirement age, they will convert your disability benefit to a retirement benefit at the same amount. You can learn more about Social Security disability benefits at the website: www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
Question: Is it true that a person can own a home and still be eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits?
Answer: Yes, even though SSI is a needs-based program, a person who owns the home they live in can be eligible for SSI benefits. People who receive SSI must be age 65 or older, blind, or have a disability and have limited income and resources. But a personal residence is not counted as a resource for SSI purposes.
Question: I understand that you need to have limited resources to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). But what is considered a "resource"?
Answer: Resources are things you own that you can use to support yourself. They include cash, real estate, personal belongings, bank accounts, stocks, and bonds.
To be eligible for SSI a person must have $2,000 or less in countable resources. A married couple must have $3,000 or less in countable resources. If you own resources over the SSI limit, you may be able to get SSI benefits while trying to sell the resources.
Not all of your resources count toward the SSI resource limit. For example:
- The home you live in and the land it's on do not count
- Your personal effects and household goods do not count
- Life insurance policies may not count, depending on their value
- Your car usually does not count
- Burial plots for you and members of your immediate family do not count
- Up to $1,500 in burial funds for you and up to $1,500 in burial funds for your spouse may not count; and
- If you are blind or have a disability, some items may not count if you plan to use them to work or earn extra income.
Have more questions? The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) project is a federally funded initiative to educate and assist individuals with disabilities, and those who support them, to understand the benefits and risks of going back to work, and/or increasing their work income. This project is for people with disabilities who receive either Social Security Disability (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or both. UCP Michigan has trained and certified Community Work Incentives Coordinators that meet individually with people, gathering information to help them understand how to utilize the incentives available in order to build a more secure financial future. Call us at 800.828.2714 for assistance.
Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Project/UCP Michigan- 2011. This publication was made possible by a cooperative agreement with the Social Security Administration. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official views of Social Security. |
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Social Security's Password Services | |
 | | Social Security website |
The following is taken from Michigan_Updates, an email list. If you would like to be on the mailing list to receive future Michigan Updates, send an email to vonda.vantil@ssa.gov and request to be added to the MIUpdates mailing list. It is a new service from Social Security.
Social Security's Password Services for those receiving benefits:
With a password, beneficiaries can check their information and benefits, such as contact information, direct deposit, Medicare and payment information. Beneficiaries can also change their address or telephone number and start, or change, direct deposits.
Establishing a password involves the following steps:
1. Apply for a temporary Password Request Code (PRC)
2. Wait at least 15 days for your PRC letter to come in the mail
3. Go to the Password Services page; and
4. Use your temporary PRC to create a permanent password
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We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. Please forward on to friends, family, and colleagues who may be interested in reading it. We appreciate your support!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Brockel
Executive Director
United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan
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