October 4, 2007

Minutes for the Support Team Meeting, Thursday, July 12, 2007, 2:00 to 3:30 p.m., Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation, Starkweather Room. (Prepared by Norma Hohlfeld.)

Attending Members of the Support Team: Shan Sasser, Department for the Blind; Mike Maher, Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services; John TenPas, DHR, Division of Persons with Disabilities; Janet Shoeman, Department of Human Services; Jill Whitten, Department of Human Services; and Norma Hohlfeld, Support Team Coordinator.

Guest: Jennifer Steenblock, Department of Human Services

Absent: Becky Harker, Governor’s Developmental Disabilities Council; Barbara Guy, Department of Education; and Doug Keast, Iowa Workforce Development

  1. Improving Transition Outcomes (ITO) is studying possibility of a Dissemination/Showcase Conference as an end-of-grant activity. Connie Ehlers will talk with the Support Team about this conference, seeking input, assessing possible attendance, etc.

Connie Ehlers talked with the Support Team about the plans for an ITO conference as an end-of-grant activity.

One purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for the Governance Group to hear about the lessons learned from the ITO project and to begin thinking about the ways that those lessons can be used in the future.

Another emphasis could be to bring regional managers and perhaps some staff together to learn about the best practices from the ITO project sites and from other transition initiatives among the Partners.

The Team provided input to Ms Ehlers on ways to encourage regional managers and staff to attend through financial incentives and through dissemination of information to them.

  1. Update on Collaboration Barriers Survey and the Assistive Technology Review

Regions 1 and 10 have asked to participate in both the Collaboration Barriers Survey and the Assistive Technology Review. Doug is considering sending the memo out again to see if we can recruit more participants. Mike Maher thinks the memo is confusing. She volunteered to work on language to show regional partners how they can participate together.

  1. The MOA renewal for FFY 2008—October 1, 2007
  • A new name for the agreement ?

Strengthening Employment Services

for Iowans with Disabilities

An Interagency Memorandum of Agreement

The new name is a response to several requests from other agencies for a way to make it clear what we‘re talking about when we say “…the MOA…”.

The Support Team reviewed and discussed Attachments as prepared to-date and promised to provide prompt review and comment for any new drafts that are prepared by the Coordinator and the subcommittee.

The Coordinator reported that there is a new concern regarding Attachment C, Information Sharing and Confidentiality. The Department of Human Services (DHS) asked to have Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) removed from the list of Safe Data Elements under the heading of Eligibility for Financial Assistance. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is requiring very stringent protection of Social Security information which SSA provides or verifies to DHS.

In addition, DHS has concerns about their ability to release information regarding functional limitations and reasonable accommodations required on a job or in school which appear under the heading, Functional Employment Data. Under the pro vision of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), these two pieces of information could perhaps be considered to be protected health information held by DHS in their roles as a health insurance plan (Medicaid and hawk-i) and a health care provider (facilities). The Coordinator will work with DHS staff so that Attachment C can be rewritten to accommodate these concerns. These items would be treated as “secure data” by DHS.

  1. Other items from Support Team members: as raised at the meeting.

The Team discussed creating a Listserv to enhance sharing of information among agencies on employment/disability issues. We would have to find an agency to serve as manager for such a Listserv. This is an issue for future discussion.

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