Gov. Holcomb and Secretary of State Lawson Announce Primary Election to Move to June 2

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric Holcomb joined Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer and Democratic Party Chair John Zody today to announce an agreement to move the date of this year’s Indiana primary election from May 5 to June 2.

All dates corresponding with the primary election will be moved by 28 days to reflect the new date of the primary. For example, military and overseas ballots are required to mailed 45 days prior to the primary election, so they’ll move 45 days prior to June 2.

“The right of citizens to elect their leaders in a free and open election is one of the cornerstones of America. In order to balance that right with the safety of county employees, poll workers and voters, delaying Indiana’s primary election is the right move as we continue to do all we can to protect Hoosiers’ health,” said Gov. Holcomb.

Gov. Holcomb signed an executive order to suspend Indiana’s election statute and move the dates. The executive order is posted here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm

In addition, Governor Holcomb, Secretary Lawson, Chairman Hupfer and Chairman Zody made the following recommendations to the Indiana Election Commission.

• Suspend absentee by-mail rules to allow all Hoosiers the option to vote by mail in the upcoming primary election.
• Allow county clerks to continually mail ballots from now through 12 days out from the new primary election date.
• Confirm ballots with a May 5, 2020 date will be valid.
• Enable medical professionals to be eligible members of traveling boards to vote nursing home and hospital patients.
• Give family members the ability to deliver absentee ballots. Currently only a member of a voter’s household may take possession of their ballot.

“As Indiana’s Chief Election Officer, it is my top priority to protect our elections, but, above all else, it is my duty to protect the health and safety of Hoosiers,” said Secretary Lawson. “I believe the bi-partisan recommendations we have asked the Indiana Election Commission to take will allow us to provide all Hoosiers the opportunity to vote.

Indiana Election Commission Chairman Paul Okeson has called a meeting of the Indiana Election Commission on Wednesday, March 25 at 10 a.m. to discuss the recommendations. The meeting will be held in the south atrium of the Indiana Statehouse.

Gov. Holcomb and Secretary of State Lawson Announce Primary Election to Move to June 2

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric Holcomb joined Secretary of State Connie Lawson, Republican Party Chair Kyle Hupfer and Democratic Party Chair John Zody today to announce an agreement to move the date of this year’s Indiana primary election from May 5 to June 2.

All dates corresponding with the primary election will be moved by 28 days to reflect the new date of the primary. For example, military and overseas ballots are required to mailed 45 days prior to the primary election, so they’ll move 45 days prior to June 2.

“The right of citizens to elect their leaders in a free and open election is one of the cornerstones of America. In order to balance that right with the safety of county employees, poll workers and voters, delaying Indiana’s primary election is the right move as we continue to do all we can to protect Hoosiers’ health,” said Gov. Holcomb.

Gov. Holcomb signed an executive order to suspend Indiana’s election statute and move the dates. The executive order is posted here: https://www.in.gov/gov/2384.htm

In addition, Governor Holcomb, Secretary Lawson, Chairman Hupfer and Chairman Zody made the following recommendations to the Indiana Election Commission.

• Suspend absentee by-mail rules to allow all Hoosiers the option to vote by mail in the upcoming primary election.
• Allow county clerks to continually mail ballots from now through 12 days out from the new primary election date.
• Confirm ballots with a May 5, 2020 date will be valid.
• Enable medical professionals to be eligible members of traveling boards to vote nursing home and hospital patients.
• Give family members the ability to deliver absentee ballots. Currently only a member of a voter’s household may take possession of their ballot.

“As Indiana’s Chief Election Officer, it is my top priority to protect our elections, but, above all else, it is my duty to protect the health and safety of Hoosiers,” said Secretary Lawson. “I believe the bi-partisan recommendations we have asked the Indiana Election Commission to take will allow us to provide all Hoosiers the opportunity to vote.

Indiana Election Commission Chairman Paul Okeson has called a meeting of the Indiana Election Commission on Wednesday, March 25 at 10 a.m. to discuss the recommendations. The meeting will be held in the south atrium of the Indiana Statehouse.

Indiana Medicaid Allows Telemedicine And Telephone Options For Most Health Care And Mental Health Interactions

(Policy intended to streamline access to health services, protect frontline health care workers and help ensure appropriate utilization of emergency services)

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration announced today that, to help contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Indiana Medicaid will allow interactions between patients and doctors and other health care providers, as well as other Medicaid service deliveries, to occur either over the phone or through the use of telemedicine technologies whenever possible. Effective immediately, most health services – including covered mental health services and Medicaid home- and community-based services – will be reimbursed as if they took place in person. This policy will remain in place – and telemedicine/telephone interactions will be encouraged – for as long as Indiana remains under a declaration of a public health emergency by Governor Eric Holcomb.

“As we continue our work to protect the health of Hoosiers, in-person human interactions must be held to an absolute minimum and, in this extraordinary time, that must include contact between doctors, other health care professionals and patients,” said Jennifer Sullivan, M.D., M.P.H., FSSA Secretary. “We also hope this will help Hoosiers get the care they need faster and more efficiently, while helping reserve our emergency rooms and hospital beds for sick patients who truly need a higher level of care during this public health emergency.”

Telephone and telemedicine visits will be covered for both in- and out-of-state providers and for all covered services, with some exceptions for certain services that require physical interaction. These exceptions include surgical procedures, radiology, laboratory services, anesthesia services, audiological services and chiropractor services. A complete list of exceptions and additional guidance for Indiana Health Coverage Programs-enrolled providers will be published shortly on this page.

Reimbursement will be allowed for covered services for both Traditional (fee-for-service) Medicaid as well as all managed care programs. All services rendered must be within the provider’s applicable licensure and scope of practice. Neither text nor email messages will be reimbursable.

Indiana Medicaid recommends patients call their health care providers to inquire about telephone/telehealth visit options, especially if the patient has an appointment scheduled.

DOR Announces Filing and Payment Extensions

To provide additional support for Hoosiers during the 2020 spring filing season

INDIANAPOLIS – Today, Governor Eric Holcomb announced the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) is extending certain filing and payment deadlines to align with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and support Hoosiers during the COVID-19 health crisis.

“Last night, the IRS announced tax payment extensions for individual and corporate returns. We understand that Hoosiers need that same relief and our teams are swiftly taking steps to make that happen,” commented DOR Commissioner Bob Grennes.

“Since COVID-19 is impacting so many, in addition to the payment extensions announcement by the IRS, we are also extending the associated Indiana tax return filing deadlines.”

Individual tax returns and payments, along with estimated payments originally due by April 15, 2020, are now due on or before July 15, 2020. Returns included are the IT-40, IT-40PNR, IT-40RNR, IT-40ES, ES-40 and SC-40.

Corporate tax returns and payments, along with estimated payments originally due by April 15 or April 20 are now due on or before July 15, 2020. Those originally due on May 15, 2020, are now due on August 17, 2020. Returns included are the IT-20, IT-41, IT-65, IT-20S, FIT-20, URT-1, IT-6, FT-QP and URT-Q.

All other tax return filings and payment due dates remain unchanged.

If Hoosiers need additional time to file, they can request an extension. Instructions for those extensions can be found on DOR’s website. If an individual requests a federal extension, Indiana automatically extends the state deadline and there is no need to file anything additional.

“DOR is working hard to ensure that customers are getting the assistance they need. Our team can still be contacted through phone and email, and we encourage customers to take advantage of those options.”

DOR team members are continuing to provide customer service by phone and email, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., local time. Customers have the following service options:

• Call DOR’s individual customer service line at 317-232-2240.
• Call a specific District Office—contact information can be found on DOR’s website at dor.in.gov/3390.htm.
• Call DOR’s Motor Carrier Services at 317-615-7200.
• Contact a specific DOR business unit using a list of phone numbers and email addresses available at dor.in.gov/3325.htm.
• Email DOR using the online form at dor.in.gov/3392.htm.

Additionally, customers can visit DOR’s website at dor.in.gov/4331.htm to take advantage of online services available.

Any changes to this guidance, additional modifications to normal operations or changes to tax filing and payment deadlines will be posted on DOR’s website, as well as DOR’s social media account

 

INDIANAPOLIS —The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) today reported 23 new positive cases of COVID-19, bringing to 79 the number of Hoosiers diagnosed through ISDH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and private laboratories. Two Hoosiers have died.

The new cases involve residents of Allen (1), Boone (1), Floyd (1), Grant (1), Hamilton (3), Johnson (1), Lake (2), Marion (6), Shelby (1), St. Joseph (3), Tippecanoe (1), Vanderburgh (1) and Vigo (1) counties. The list of counties with cases is included in the ISDH COVID-19 dashboard at https://www.in.gov/coronavirus/, which will be updated daily at 10 a.m. Cases are listed by county of residence. Private lab reporting may be delayed and will be reflected in the map and count when results are received at ISDH.

Additional updates on the state’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak may be provided later today.

In order to maintain the business continuity of the campus and address staff concerns and well-being, on Monday, March 23, 2020 OCU will operate with essential staff and remote work for two weeks. The university plans to resume normal staff operations on Monday, April 6, 2020. During this period, campus offices will be closed to the public.

The university believes this action is warranted in order to sustain the mental well-being of our employees and to support those with childcare concerns during this global pandemic. 

Those staff designated Essential will be expected to come to campus to complete their work, although they may operate on an alternative schedule as assigned by their supervisor.  

Those employees designated as Remote will need to complete their tasks from off-campus, however, they may be required to come to campus for some tasks.  Please utilize video conferencing (Teams or Zoom) for necessary meetings along with telephone and email.  Communication is key, so err on the side of over-communicating during this time.  

Employees that are designated Other will not have daily responsibilities but should be in an on-call mentality should the need arise to assist or take-over essential responsibilities within their department. The campus will remain open for campus personnel and students. Staff should come to campus as their responsibilities require.  

All employees will be paid for the hours they would have normally worked during this time for our organization.  It is our hope that this two-week period will help to relieve some of the worries that our employees are experiencing during this time and assist many who are struggling to find adequate childcare.  The university will continue to monitor the local situation and adjust our response accordingly.

The residence halls and food services remain open to our students who choose to remain on campus.  Our scheduled spring break is March 21-29.  When students return to campus they will be relocated to individual rooms for the remainder of the semester.  The university believes this will aid in social distancing and any need for self-isolation.  Our food service will continue to offer take out for students during the two week Essential/Remote period. During Spring Break week, there will be a brunch and dinner option.  

As a Christian university, we believe in the power of prayer.  We continue to pray for our nation and our world.  Many people are experiencing financial hardships, loneliness, sickness, and death.  In our executive office morning bible reading and prayer, I read from Philippians chapter 2 so “if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ.”  Many people do not know Christ and cannot take comfort from the peace that He brings.  Pray that they will come to know the peace of Christ Jesus during this crisis.