12/6 - Winding Down Pandemic Provisions for Public Benefits: After the Party’s Over

 Winding Down Pandemic Provisions for Public Benefits:  After the Party’s Over

December 2022

Tuesday, 12/6
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. 

*Registration Closed*

Registration Fees:

Member: $10     Non-member: $30

Location: Virtual via Zoom Meeting  

The COVID 19 pandemic has produced even more federal laws and changes to public benefits than it has viral variants. The CARES Act, the American Rescue Plan Act and other laws improved a number of public benefits. Get ready: The rules are about to change again. The federally-declared “public health emergency (PHE)”, which has been in place since early 2020, is expected to be lifted on January 11, 2023. The end of the PHE will mark additional rule changes that service providers need to know about. This webinar will provide current updates on pandemic benefit rules and changes to prepare for when the PHE is lifted.

Key issues include:

* The end of guaranteed Medicaid continuation - even for people no longer eligible for Medicaid - and how to prepare individuals for redeterminations of their Medicaid eligibility

* Financial aid to pay for private insurance through the Affordable Care Act, for people not eligible for Medicaid

* Prescription drug pricing reform for Medicare beneficiaries

* The end of increased benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, AKA Food Stamps)

* Emergency assistance to prevent renters and homeowners from losing their homes

* Student loan forgiveness for most borrowers, and particularly for borrowers with disabilities

* The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit

Facilitator: Michael Dalto is a big, old benefits geek. He has delivered presentations on benefits and work incentives to thousands of people with disabilities, family members, and professionals since 1989. He created state certification for Maryland benefits counselors and provided training and technical assistance for the certification. He oversaw benefits counseling for the PROMISE project, a research grant that served youths who receive SSI and their families. He also consulted with the Institute for Community Inclusion of the University of Massachusetts Boston on the SGA Project, a research effort that tested interventions to support vocational rehabilitation consumers in Kentucky and Minnesota to work their way off Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. He has written training materials about benefits and provided technical assistance to Virginia Commonwealth University's National Training and Data Center. He now consults with Cornell University and the National Association of Blind Merchants.