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Frequently Asked Questions

Before an eminent emergency occurs

What should a person with a disability do before a natural disaster occurs within their state?

Contact and register with the local emergency agency such as the Red Cross. This way the emergency agency will know to check in on you if evacuation orders are given.

What preparations should be made in order an evacuation order is given?

Make sure you have a plan and know where you are going. Book a room early. Make sure the hotel or motel is accessible. If you have a service animal you want to make sure they accept them. (Federal government guidelines dictate that service animals cannot be separated from the owner. They must take the service animal with you during an evacuation.) You can always cancel. Make sure you have enough gas in the car and money. Credit cards or checks may not be accepted in another state or if the computers are down. Make sure your prescriptions are filled and you have all your medications with you (even those you take on an as needed basis). Make sure to take all the medications in the original bottle so you have the name, the dosage as well as the prescription number. Make sure all your medical records are in a folder and ready to go. In addition, make sure to have all your assistive technology ready to go with you (e.g., battery chargers, extra batteries, mounts, switches etc). Charge all equipment (power chair, communication device, etc.). Know where the local special needs shelters might be and the phone numbers of emergency professionals.

How do I find out want are the rules for evacuation for a person with disabilities?

The website http://www.hhs.gov/od/tips.html provides instructions for evacuations. These are helpful in preparing for an evacuation.

What do you do after the emergency occurs?

Contact FEMA or the Red Cross for financial assistance towards rent and temporary housing.

How do I find out where the special needs shelters are located?

Each state public health center has a listing of all the special needs shelters. Make sure you know where they are in case you need to use them.

What kind of services might be available in these shelters?

Most shelters have equipment for emergency needs (e.g., wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, etc.) but do not count on it. Also the equipment belongs to the people in the shelter and you will not be able to take with you once you leave.

How can I get equipment if they do not have any?

Contact the local Independent Living Centers, Assistive Technology centers, United Cerebral Palsy Association, Families Helping Families, Office of social services, etc. For a complete list of resources are available on http://www.ilru.org. These are all available as short term solutions.

If I have lost my equipment and need to replace it how do I go about it?

Medicaid is replacing equipment with an expedited prior authorization process. They will process a request made by the manufacturer without an evaluation or a doctor’s prescription.

Medicare will also replacing durable medical equipment lost during the hurricane. If you do not have access to your durable equipment dealers you can contact 1-800-Medicare for information regarding suppliers serving their current location. Alternatively, if you have access to the Internet, they go to the following medicare.gov website to obtain a directory listing suppliers by geography, proximity and name:
http://www.medicare.gov/supplier/home.asp

I do not have Medicaid or Medicare can I register for it?

Medicaid and Medicare have relaxed their rules for enrollment for people with disabilities. The following websites give information on how to go about registering for the benefits in each of these states.

• Medicare: 1-800-633-4227

Medicaid:

• Alabama: contact the Alabama Medicaid Agency or call them at 1-800-362-1504.
• Arkansas: Medicaid providers should feel confident regarding reimbursement of services to displaced Medicaid recipients from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Please note that providers will be paid based on out-of-state coverage policies established by Medicaid programs in those states.
  Louisiana: contact the Bureau of Health Services Financing at Louisiana Medicaid, or call 1-888-342-6207.
• Mississippi: for Medicaid Eligibility Verification--If a patient presents Mississippi Medicaid in your clinic/facility, you may verify Medicaid eligibility by calling 1 (800) 884-3222. Providers can verify eligibility by using “dummy” provider number 08486836.
• Texas
• Social Security Administration: Call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or contact any open Social Security office.

Getting equipment from Medicaid and Medicare will take some time what do I do in the meantime?

Several local organizations are helping people who need durable medical equipment. Local Technology Act agencies in each of the states are providing assistive technology equipment. The following agencies can be contacted:

• Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network
• Texas Technology Access Program
• Mississippi/ Project Start: http://techaccess.edb.utexas.edu Or T.K. Martin Center
• Alabama Statewide Technology Access and Response (Star program)

Complete listing can be obtained from http://www.resna.org/taproject/at/statecontacts.html#al

Other resources include the state independent living centers. Complete listing can be obtained from: http://www.ilusa.com/links/ilcenters.htm

Other organizations such as USSAAC also provide specialized durable medical equipment such as communication devices

Questions regarding special education students

If my child with a disability is displaced to a location in a different school district, what kind of services does the school district have to provide?

The school system needs to provide comparable services as mentioned on the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It is therefore very important to have a copy of the current IEP.

But what if the IEP was destroyed or I don’t have records of the IEP ?

Each state has website where IEP 's are usually recorded. You might be able to look on the webpage for the state department of education. In Louisiana this is http://www.louisianaschools.org and in Mississippi it is http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/Katrina/faq/index.html. There is phone number that you can call in Mississippi to find the records of your child. In Louisiana there are 2 forms that you can fill out online to get the records of your child.

In the meantime, the parent may choose to opt for early intervening services. This means that services should be provided based upon parental report. The parent will need to certify that certain services were provided to the child at the old school district and comparable services should be started at the new school system. This ruling comes under the McKinney Vento Act which says that any child who has a temporary dwelling (e.g., displaced by a hurricane or a disaster) will receive school services without the need for appropriate documentation such as vaccination papers, address verification, etc.

What if my child was in the process of being evaluated for special education services and an IEP had not been completed?

The school system to which the school is transferred can choose to start the evaluation process, however, it must be completed within 60 days. It is very important to let the school system know the tests conducted by the child’s previous school system just in case these tests cannot be repeated within a certain time span.

Who is responsible to obtain the records if they are lost?
The school system who is receiving the child is responsible for getting the papers for the child however, it might take a while to accomplish this therefore it might be important to pursue the process yourself.

How long does the school system have to implement the services on the IEP ?

The school system has up to 5 days to attempt to implement the services on the IEP or to provide comparable services.

What if my child was enrolled in a private school?

If the child is eligible for special education services the school system has to provide the child with services according to the child’s IEP .

What is the Federal Government doing to help with this process?

The federal government of education has asked for $1.9 billion to be distributed to the school systems who have at least taken in 10 students who were displaced due to the storms and an additional $488 million to be distributed to private schools who have taken in students who have been displaced. How much of this money will go to children with special needs is not known

What if the parents are separated from the child?

In this situation, the school system has to assign a surrogate parent for the child. It is not known whether school systems will be compensated for hiring a surrogate parent or to train surrogate parents.

What if the school system that my child has transitioned to does not have appropriate transportation services?

If the parent has to transport the child to the school then the parent can claim monetary compensation for these services.

What if my child’s Assistive Technology was lost during the storm?

The school system has to provide comparable technology as mentioned on the IEP . It is also recommended to contact other agencies such as the Tech act agencies, Families Helping Families, USSAAC, etc. if the receiving school system does not have the same device. These agencies may be able to obtain loaner or replacement devices while the receiving school system works on obtaining the same device.

What about 504 plan services? Does the receiving school system have to follow these as well?

Yes. The same services need to be provided by the receiving school system as specified by the 504 plan.

Employment opportunities

I was a special education teacher and was displaced by the hurricanes. Can I find a job in a different school system?

Yes, other school systems are overwhelmed with special needs students and are hiring teachers and related services personnel. You can fill out the application on the Department of education website for all teacher positions.

I am a related services professional, how can I find employment?

Most parishes are in need for related services professionals. Local OT, PT and SLP organizations are also finding positions for people who have been affected by the hurricanes. Check on their websites for more information. USSAAC website had information about different job positions that are available nationally.