During the federal government shutdown, local Social Security offices will remain open to help you apply for benefits or make an appeal, but will reduce services--you won't  be able to get a new or replacement card, or proof of income letter.  But payments to beneficiaries will continue with no change.  Online services will remain open.  To read the Social Security's Agency Shutdown Contingency Plan, brace yourself and click here.  The Bureau of Veterans Affairs has funds to continue programs through late October.  It has produced a two-page Field Guide to Government Shutdown which will be updated as needed. The field guide lists affected programs on one page, those not affected on the other, is easy to make sense of and has phone numbers for further questions.  (ej)  

Approximately 13.8 percent of D.A.P. clients have some sort of private health insurance and 16.8 percent have none at all.  If you fall into one of these categories, you are the likeliest to benefit from new healthcare options.  (The remainder of our clients have Medicare, Medi-CAL or some other public assitance and will not be affected by the new laws).  To review, open enrollment for the new healthcare exchanges began October 1 and remains open until March 31, 2014.  If you enroll before the end of the year, coverage could begin by January 1.  If you have no insurance or need to improve what you have, click healthcare.gov for the federal government site and general information, then click CoveredCA for specific information on plans available in the state.  (sb)

Important: make sure you are viewing a legitimate site.  Kaiser Health warns that fake websites may pop up, mimicking real ones, in attempts to defraud new customers.  Read Kaiser's warning information here.  If you encounter any suspicious websites or if you receive unsolicited calls from someone offering you insurance, don't respond but inform your D.A.P. caseworker!  

It's a familiar ritual: every few months, you get a blood draw, then have your doctor explain the results to you a week or two later.  Hopefully, you're undetectable, stable and all is well.  But labs have become more sophisticated and complex over the years, measuring more useful data.  Some of the readings and acronyms may appear baffling.  But there are plenty of online resources that will help you understand your labs before you go to the doctor.  With routine appointments sometimes as short as 10 or 15 minutes, don't waste time with things you can learn on your own.  Click here and  here for good overviews about reading your labs.  And Google anything on your labs that you don't understand.  (sb) 

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are studying HIV's effects on the brain among older HIV-positive individuals.  They are reaching out to the HIV community in the Palm Springs area who are interested in traveling to San Diego for cognitive and medical tests, and who will agree to organ and tissue donation after death.  (This donation agreement is required to enroll and participate in this study, and for transportation to be provided.  If you are not willing to meet this requirement, UCSD researchers have other studies for which you may be eligible).  The study is known as the California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network (CNTN), part of a larger national research program, the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC).  Together, these researchers use their shared knowledge and resources to develop uniform methods for studying HIV-affected populations with neurological disorders.  Participants will be compensated for their time, and transportation will be provided to and from the research center in San Diego.  Overnight accommodations will be provided as necessary.  If you are interested in learning more, please contact Susanna Concha-Garcia at 619.543.5098 with any questions you have about travel or compensation.  Click here for the UCSD researchers' website.  (sb)    

Larry Kramer's classic 1985 play about the early years of AIDS, The Normal Heart, is playing at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles through November 3.  It stars Tim Cummings as Ned Weeks, a New York writer (based on the playwright) who is spurred to indignant activism by the devastation of the epidemic.  Others in the cast are Bill Brochtrup, Lisa Pelikan, Verton R. Banks and Matt Gottlieb.  Simon Levy directs.  The Normal Heart is a landmark play about our own history and is worth attending if you've not seen it.  Click here for the latest review.  For showtimes, directions and tickets, call 323.663.1525 or visit fountaintheatre.com.  (sb)