MADAME DePEG

GAVEL GAMUTb By Jim Redwine

Charles Dickens wrote his novel, A Tale of Two Cities, about the French Revolution (1789-1799). Madame Defarge is a prime mover of the revolution who seeks revenge on the aristocrats for evil done to the poor. She maintains a record of who should be brought down by knitting their names into her needlework. She forgets nothing and patiently bides her time. Then she produces the list for the guillotine. Peg is a prolific and creative knitter.

During our COVID-enforced cabin fever I have often wondered how Peg can be so confident her memory of our past conversations is correct. Then yesterday as the thermometer hovered near single digits and we huddled in front of the fireplace while we talked and Peg knitted, it hit me. As Peg creates her marvelous hats, mittens and scarves she weaves in snippets of my naïve responses to her carefully crafted verbal minefields.

Such innocent-seeming statements from last autumn as, “Jim don’t you think someone should get some firewood ready for this winter?” and my careless response of “Uh huh” get woven into a woolen contract. My protests that I have no recollection of what promises Peg claims I made stand weak and alone when confronted with Peg’s forceful confidence.

It does me no good to complain that if we would just wait until spring such tasks as covering her countless plants or fixing run-on toilets or cleaning closets or doing practically anything but watching a ballgame on TV would not be so urgent. Peg just checks her knitting and says, “On such and such a date, you promised me ….” I am hoisted on her needlework petard with no way to contest her version of some long-ago casual conversation.

On the other hand, I really like the warm hats and mittens Peg knits for me, such as the hat I wore skiing that looks like Osage Chief Bacon Rind’s. Perhaps I should just accept that wives never forget and husbands never win in the battle over what was said by whom when. However, it seems unfair of Peg to wage this age-old war with knitted weapons of documentation. After all, she has studied yarns from Iceland, Scotland, Ireland and Vermont while I occasionally simply write them.

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On Jan. 10, 2022, the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced that the Home- and Community-Based Services Stabilization Grant, as described in our HCBS Enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage Spend Plan. Interested eligible HCBS Medicaid providers have until Feb. 10, 2022, to complete the required grant attestation form.

HCBS providers can visit the Indiana HCBS Enhanced FMAP Spend Plan webpage to obtain more information and access resources including an informational video, FAQ, provider bulletin and attestation form. Topics covered in those resources include general background on the grants, eligible provider groups, process and timing expectations, grant methodology and required provider attestations.

General information 

• Background: As identified in the IN FSSA HCBS Spend Plan, the HCBS Stabilization Grant has been made available by FSSA to support providers and frontline staff affected by the public health emergency.   
• Purpose: The purpose of the grant is both to retroactively address COVID-19-related expenses and challenges and to recognize the important work of frontline staff, including costs related to compensation and benefits, COVID-19 testing, personal protective equipment, and other COVID-19 related expenses, to allow providers to stabilize their operations.    
• Eligibility: Currently active HCBS Medicaid providers who were also active during the COVID-19 public health emergency. This is defined as HCBS Medicaid providers who (1) submitted a claims expenditure in CY2021 and (2) submitted a claims expenditure in CY2019, CY2020, and/or CY2021.  
• Attestation process and timing: Interested qualifying providers must submit a signed attestation form by Feb. 10, 2022, to be considered. FSSA will also establish an early deadline of Jan. 25, 2022, and attestation forms submitted before then will be reviewed and paid out early.  

For more information, please see the informational video and FAQ. Please direct any questions and/or feedback to hcbs.spendplan@fssa.in.gov. 

This year features even more opportunities to
celebrate young voices and youth poetry.

Meet last year’s winner, Jayden Baskin of Pike High School, and hear from him as he reflects on his experience writing poetry.

Eligibility

• Any student currently enrolled in grades 9-12 in the state of Indiana can submit one poem to the competition.
• Poems must be original and written only by the student who is submitting it

Indiana Poetry Out Loud and Poetry Ourselves Timeline

• February 14:  Poetry Ourselves Submission Deadline
• February 17: Poetry Out Loud School Winner Videos Due to State
• March 7-11: Announcement of winners of Poetry Out Loud and Poetry Ourselves
• March 9: Poetry Out Loud State Finals (virtual)
• April 25-27: Poetry Out Loud National Finals 

Check Out Last Year’s Winners