Individualized Funding (I.F)

Last December I was at my sister’s home for a Christmas get together and a very interesting conversation took place. I started to talk about my history with Community Living BC (CLBC) and a very trying time where my services were cut. The guests were appalled. We discussed Revenue Canada’s belief that the average taxpayer would not accept another raise in their taxes to support “Individualized Funding”. The 10 people in the room all stated that they would be more than happy to have an increase in taxes for persons with disabilities. I was very happy to hear this. I would suggest that the Government put out a survey. I bet most people would not mind their tax money going to persons with disabilities. Why then can we not have “Individualized Funding” as it was initially intended?

DIRECT FUNDING - a simple solution !

I always believed that there is enough money in the system.  We just give it out to the wrong places and in the wrong amounts.

I.F. will give me my freedom so that I can call the shots - where I’m doing it, as well as when and how I’m doing it.

In order to get I.F. I needed to draw up a plan which I did years ago  - a plan of my life.

We all know it is going to happen. The question is WHEN is it going to happen?

In 2005, I phoned the Interim Authority Board (I.A.C.L.B.C.) to see if I could help get it off the ground and whether there was anything I could do. They said they would send a facilitator to my house or to a place of my choice to discuss I.F.

I asked them when the self-advocates would be on the board and they said that MCFD did not know that, or when I.F. was going to happen. They said that there was a meeting that day, March 1, but everything was really vague. As I said, I am a really concrete person. I just want to know when, where and how to access it and who I am to talk to. I like "ACTION".  They still couldn’t answer those questions even though we had been waiting for what seemed forever. The person on the other end of the phone said that if I had not received a letter by  the following week then I was to call back.

I talked to Brian S. and he told me they had a meeting on March 01, 2005 and said, “I will personally call you in four to six weeks and let you know how things are going with I.F.”  He realized that I was the first person to submit an application and knew how frustrating it was. I also asked him who my regional manager was. He said it was Doug F. and he would, in time, help me with the I.F. project if he thought that my case was easy to handle. In my opinion, it is so damned easy it should be done already but that is not the way MCFD thinks. Oh well…..I wait again…..I continue to wait.  I should have heard from Brian S. around April 15 concerning I.F. and I was going to  call him myself if I hadn’t heard.

I was at a meeting on March 11, 2005 and apparently there was not going to be I.F., but I thought we’d see what happened. The federal budget came down and there was some kind of mention of entitlement which meant the same thing to everyone.

The above still applies today unfortunately.

People out there will say they have I.F.  The difference between me and others is that I, along with 79 others who left Pearson to join the community, were promised their services and funding til they die.  I have never actually seen this funding.    The I.F. that “others” know and the I.F. that I almost had and relates to basically does the same thing – it provides the money directly to the pwd (i.e. they get a cheque in the mail or direct deposit and can do what they want, when they want with it.  They are the consumer and can decide on all their needs and who they want to provide them with their care.  What I really would like is to have that funding (without restrictions) that was intended for me when I left Pearson.

CIVIL RIGHTS’ focus is to get 2 statutes, one of which  is “Direct Funding”, made law.  I believe that the sooner this happens, the better.  We have all waited far too long for something that is so simple.  As I stated above, I was the first person to  apply for and almost get I.F.  however it was cancelled by the government.

If there really is enough money in the government, as people will say (and I believe this) then why are services and funding etc being denied or cut?

I have a solution….which a few people have already.  It is Direct Funding otherwise known as Individualized Funding.  In my opinion it’s a very confusing issue as there appears to be different views  as to what it means.

Divide and Conquer

Today I wish to speak about a "single Ministry" .  We all need wheelchairs.  We all need to be "connected" to each other.  None of us wants to be isolated.  Even though there are differentiations such as Health, Developmental, and different disabilities (i.e. Parkinsons, CP, Muscular Dystrophy and the list goes on)  I believe we should all come under one umbrella in one single ministry instead of all being treated differently and divided.  I believe in Divide and Conquer.

Money - no shortage !

Government money = no shortage, just distributed poorly!

Sisters on Soap Box Radio

http://www.coopradio.org/station/archives/4575

Hello again;  I am enjoying updating you all on all sorts of subjects today.  This one is the show that my new found sister Thora Rogers and I, along with my best friend Ed did on January 22, 2014.  You will hear all about how Thora came to find me and our other sisters and how wonderful it has been coming up 2 years since we first met.

When you click on the link, go down the page to January 22, 2014.

Hope you enjoy!

Cathy

Not asking for money !

Good day everyone;

It is interesting to note that with the current proposal that Civil Rights Now has for the government to consider, there is absolutely NO request for money !   Instead, what is being proposed is "better delivery" of that money.  The proposal has two statutes - one being the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act and the other being the Civil Rights of Persons in Community Care Act.  So we are asking for Acts/laws not money.

What a welcoming change !  Don't you think?

See www.civilrightsnow.ca for the complete proposal.  Please share with everyone including your mla per instructions given after the proposal. 

Thank you !

RDSP (Registered Disability Savings Plan)

Good morning everyone;

I thought you might be interested to see what Thora and I sent all the MLA's recently - a proposal with regard to the RDSP......

"I am an advocate for persons with disabilities including myself and I wish to take this opportunity to speak with you about the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP). I believe it is one of the most significant programs for people with disabilities and their families in the past 10 years.

Even though I am not fully able to make use of it myself, I want to help others.  I believe that, as good as it is, there can be significant improvements to this program at the provincial level.

I recently spoke with a financial planner who is an expert on both disability issues and the RDSP and he has come up with a unique idea. He suggested to me that any money contributed by the beneficiary of an RDSP shall not count as income.

Under current Person With Disability (PWD) benefit rules, a person with a disability is only allowed to earn $800 per month before his or her PWD benefits are clawed back.  Allowing people to contribute to their RDSP, over and above the $800 limit and not lose any PWD benefits, would increase their motivation to work where possible. It would:

1. Also increase people with disabilities’ motivation to seek out work that pays them more than $800 per month.
2. Break the cycle of poverty that many people with disabilities find themselves in today,
3. This could be done with no increase in provincial expense. 

I would encourage you to explore this possibility further as a means to assist people with disabilities at no real cost to the provincial government."

To date I have received 4 replies by mail and a few phone call replies.  In all cases, the proposal was received favourably and we have been assured they will be raising it for discussion.