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IS IT TRUE December 16, 2013

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Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics
Mole #3 Nostradamus of Local Politics

IS IT TRUE December 16, 2013

IS IT TRUE we expect that long time State Representative Susan Crouch shall be named as next State Auditor today by Governor Pence?…that we hear that the person that is suggested to replace her could be County Commissioner Marsha Abell?…Ms. Abell may be facing an uphill re-election battle in her own primary against well known political activist Bruce Ungethiem?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that that Vanderburgh County Sheriff Eric Williams may be eyeing a run for the 8th District Congressional seat presently held by Dr. Larry Bucshon?…if Sheriff Williams decides to tackle Congressmen Bucshon one can expect one heck of an in your face political battle?…if Sheriff Williams wants this opportunity there are still those who say the path to the ballot will have to go through a primary against former Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel who has roughly $500,000 remaining in his Weinzapfel for Indiana fund that was raised under the guise of a third term as Mayor of Evansville?

IS IT TRUE we are hearing that the next President of Evansville City Council shall be 5th Ward Councilman John Friend?…we hear that Conor O’Daniel shall be the next Chairman of the Budget Committee?…we also hear that both gentlemen are entertaining the possibility of running for Mayor of Evansville?…that would make three current Democrat members of the City Council who have floated the idea of running for Mayor in 2015 with at least two other people who are privately frothing at the mouth to give a run for the Mayor’s office a shot?

IS IT TRUE we hear that a few union bosses are trying hard to find someone to run against City Council members John Friend, Al Lindsey and Stephanie Riley?…as of today they haven’t found any takers?…the best place for union bosses to search for candidates in Evansville these days may be among Republicans if the unions can break with the solidarity of national politics?…it would not be the first time that union endorsements in Evansville put a Republican into office?

IS IT TRUE we are still wondering why the State Board of Accounts hasn’t provided City Council and the taxpayers of this community a final report on the 2012 budget audit findings?…that the State Board of Accounts deadline to make to report public was November 1, 2013?

IS IT TRUE a novel use for the rapidly deteriorating McCurdy Hotel was suggested over the weekend and we think at least for amusement purposes this could be considered should the McCurdy ever find itself back in City of Evansville hands by legitimate process?…since the McCurdy has been a home to pigeons with its windows open for a number of years and to keep with the theme of toasting public money to appease the animal vote it has been suggested that the McCurdy could be a CAT PARK?…it would be the first multistory CAT PARK in the United States and may even have the ability to draw some tourist to Evansville to see this unique adaptive reuse of the old hotel?…of course we would not want to confuse anyone with the ad hoc CAT HOUSE that is down near Sunset Park that is still in marginal condition even though it was exposed as a drug user’s hang out three years ago?…FELINE FELICITY (Cat bliss) should be the name of the new CAT PARK?

IS IT TRUE in 74 days the balance of $186,000 that Earthcare Energy LLC owes the City of Evansville because the Office of the Mayor put the cart before the horse and handed them a check before giving the City Council notice or so much as taking their pulse?…taking a pulse is the mocking first act of the vetting process?…it will be interesting to see if the Winnecke Administration will have the courage to seek to formally collect that debt as upon examination of the contract with Earthcare Energy LLC, they seem to be in compliance with what was a most poorly crafted document?

Win Your Benefits! How to Get – and Hang ON to – Your SSI and Social Security Disability Payments!


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By Angela Allenangelaallen

IdeAbility, Inc.,
640 S. Hebron Ave., Evansville IN 47714
angela@winyourbenefits.com 

DISABLED CHILDREN and SSI, Part 2 of 2

There’s a small Kindle book about the ten main issues for SSI recipients (also available in Spanish!), called:
“SSI: The Ten Most Important Things You Need to Know.”  That book came out first this year, before Win Your Benefits! (but after leaving the Social Security Administration).
These columns with the City-County Observer are a big “thank you” to the Tri-State (and to CCO!) for your tremendous support of the books!

After eight years with the agency, I saw vivid writing on the wall that things were about to get seriously squeezed for anyone trying to get information (in spite of Commissioner Astrue’s fantastic efforts at making the web site powerful, info-packed and responsive).  So, I left the agency, and wrote and published “Win Your Benefits: How to Win – and Hang ON to – Your SSI and Social Security Disability Payments!”  I’ll be talking with Bob McCormick of KFWB Los Angeles again on December 19 about it (I’m on KFWB roughly once a month).

What will I be talking about?  Winning your benefits!  About SSI and Social Security!  Today’s column concerns SSI.  SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is needs-based.  The computation for how much you can get looks at household income and resources.  If the applicant is a child (probably mom or dad had filed on the child’s behalf), and if parental incomes and/or resources are high, there is no SSI assistance for the disabled child (so the application goes no further – it is denied in the field office due to ineligibility).

The child of high-income parents will need to wait until turning 18 to file because until then (the first month after attaining 18, actually), parental income affects the child’s SSI eligibility.  Something that usually (but not always) has a “watering-down” effect on that is if the disabled child has other siblings in the household (so if the parents are not low-income, and not high-resource, and if there are several children in the family, do consider filing).  My engineer friend Brian should create a slide rule for this.

For worried parents who have concerns about the future for their adult disabled children (long after they themselves have gone), it is a very good idea to talk with an estate or trust attorney.  That individual can help with legally ensuring that any assets remaining are used to provide for the care of their child into that child’s later years.

Resources

Last time we discussed a bit about resources and SSI resource limits.  The individual SSI resource limit is $2000, and this hasn’t changed in nearly three decades.  For a disabled couple, the limit is $3000.  However, for a child, the resource limit is computed a bit differently.  Bear with me: this may make your eyes cross, so please forgive me.

The child’s resource limit of $2000 is added to the parent resource limit (and whether the parents are disabled or not, they have a resource limit allotted to them).  The parent resource limit is figured this way: if there is but one parent in the household, then it is $2000, and if there are two parents in the household, it is $3000.  The child’s resource limit of $2000 is added to whatever the parent resource limit turns out to be and that becomes the total resource limit that is observed.

For example, if it is a two-parent household, then the child’s “household” resource limit is $5000.  If it is a single-parent household, then the child’s “household” resource limit is $4000.

You may un-cross your eyes now! 

Angela’s Very Quick And Basic Back-of-the-Envelope SSI Eligibility Self-Test

If you are eligible for food stamps, then you probably also meet the SSI guidelines for eligibility.  It is not an absolute certainty, but there is a strong likelihood.

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

So, what about being the mom or dad of a child who is disabled, or of a child whose development appears to be delayed (perhaps by a disability)? What if your child has experienced the sudden onset of a disabling condition from an accident? Or, what if the child has had a disabling condition since birth?

In 1990, the laws covering disabled children were changed (“Zebley” cases). Conditions that couldn’t “be seen” or otherwise weren’t plainly evident, started to get some long overdue attention.

Children’s disabilities began to be determined on a “non-adult” scale (as in, not work-related). Before that time (before “Zebley”), children’s disabilities that tended to be physical and keenly evident (profound mental delay or cerebral palsy, for example) formed the bulk of SSI cases. After 1990, conditions that weren’t so easy to see (but probably very visible to any parent) began getting their due. These conditions include attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and others.  There’s much more on these cases in the book, “Win Your Benefits!” – in both the 2013 version as well as “WYB 2.0” for 2014.

Please Note: If your child receives a Social Security payment from a retired, disabled or deceased parent’s work record, this is not SSI (nor is it “disability”).  If your child is disabled and if you are high income or high resource: please remember to apply for SSI for that child upon his or her reaching eighteen (and ideally, the month right after turning eighteen).

(Side note: At that point, if the child has a parent who receives Social Security retirement or disability payments (or if the child has a deceased parent who was covered for Social Security), there is another application that needs to be taken –it is called CDBD/CDBR –disabled adult child (aka “DAC”).  More on that in the book and also at Social Security’s web site.)

And, more on SSI, children and parents next time, in this CCO column.  I also VERY much want to get into a subject that is very near and dear to my heart: the intersection of SSI and Social Security.  In particular, individuals still receiving SSI who were 1973 – 1974 “welfare conversions” – (I consult with law offices who find these cases buried in their files)!  Why is that last subject important?  Because it could mean a great deal of backpay for those individuals for their “DAC / CDBR” claims.

 

Pence plans to appoint new state auditor on Monday

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images-5By Jacie Shoaf
TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence said he plans to announce the state’s new auditor on Monday.

Pence said he plans to offer the position to the chosen candidate Friday afternoon and that there will likely be an interim auditor to help facilitate the transition.

“We have a number of qualified men and women and I have been very grateful for the willingness of those individuals to be considered for that appointment,” Pence said.

The previous auditor, Dwayne Sawyer, announced his resignation last month – effective Sunday – after just three months on the job. He said he needed to take care of “family and personal concerns.”

Pence had appointed Sawyer to the position in August after the elected auditor – Tim Berry – left to become the chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.

Jacie Shoaf is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

Analysis: Pence faces tough obstacle in his highway funding plan

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By Lesley Weidenbener
TheStatehouseFile.comMike Pence

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence wants to boost spending on highways and transportation next year by freeing up some $400 million lawmakers set aside for projects during the 2013 legislative session.

Analysis button in JPGIt’s a key part of the Republican’s legislative agenda – and one place where he can spend substantially more cash without potentially taking it away from something else.

Lawmakers did the hard financial work earlier this year when they opted to save the cash instead of spending it – or giving it away through one of Pence’s proposed tax cuts.

But that doesn’t mean Pence is going to have an easy time spending it.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley – a GOP architect of the budget that include the set-aside for highways – said he’s not ready to give the governor the authority to spend the money just yet.

“I really am pushing back on that,” Kenley said.

Lawmakers set that money aside for some specific projects that aren’t likely to be funded through the state’s normal transportation budget, which combines state and federal money for highway and bridge maintenance and construction across the state.

Specifically, Kenley is talking about making Interstate 70 a six-lane road from the Ohio border west to Illinois and making I-65 a six-lane road from Kentucky almost to Lake Michigan.

He said finishing construction of I-69 is on that list too.

The projects are so expensive that they could drain the state’s regular transportation budget, leaving no money for smaller road and bridge repairs and construction that are needed in other communities.

Still, Kenley said they are crucial for the state’s future.

“Indiana’s economy relies to a great extent on our crossroads position and our transportation infrastructure,” Kenley said. “If Indiana can suck it up and find a way to get (these projects) done, then Indiana would be leaps and bounds ahead of everybody else.”

He doesn’t think the state can pay the entire expense of the highway expansions. In fact, he said Indiana will likely have to use state money to leverage other funding – from private sources or tolling or other options. But he said putting the $400 million that’s already been set aside into the normal transportation funding stream is a mistake.

Pence has been mum about specifically how he wants to spend the money.

In an interview Friday, he said only that, “what we will seek to do in the session is to free up those resources so we can put them to work building more roads in Indiana.”

“If you’re going to say you’re the Crossroads of America, you better have the roads to back it up,” he said.

But the governor acknowledged that – unlike most transportation appropriations – he can’t spend this $400 million for roads without legislative permission.

That means Pence will have to make a convincing case for how he wants to spend the money.

After all, the current budget already allocates $215 million more for state and local road projects annually – dollars that Pence does not need legislative permission to spend.

Kenley said he talked to the governor about his plans for the $400 million but hasn’t seen any specific proposals and isn’t convinced freeing up the money is the right move.

“He’s just talking about taking money and spending it on other road projects on the wait list today,” Kenley said. “The money wasn’t set aside for that ordinary of a purpose.”

But as powerful as Kenley, he’s still just one vote. So it’s up to Pence to make his case to the full General Assembly.

Lesley Weidenbener is executive editor of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

 

ICYMI: The Latest ObamaCare News

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220px-Larry_Bucshon,_official_portrait,_112th_Congress

Bucshon Unsure Whether Poor Areas of ACA Can Be Fixed - “Larry Bucshon is a heart surgeon, a Republican and a congressman. He has had employees who have reached lifetime insurance caps and ended up on Medicaid. He paid about $40,000 a year in medical malpractice insurance, a figure that is much lower than in most states. And he is a vociferous critic of the Affordable Care Act, and has consistently urged its repeal.” (Evansville Courier & Press; 12/8/2013)

Politifact 2013 Lie of the Year: ‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep it’ – “‘If you like your health care plan, you can keep it,’ President Barack Obama said — many times — of his landmark new law. But the promise was impossible to keep. So this fall, as cancellation letters were going out to approximately 4 million Americans, the public realized Obama’s breezy assurances were wrong.” (Politifact; 12/12/13)

ObamaCare: Another Deadline Slips – “Another Obamacare deadline was pushed back on Thursday and now the White House is asking insurers to accept late payments and still give individuals coverage in the interim. The Department of Health and Human Services extended the deadline for individuals who want to be covered on the first of the year to Dec. 31 from Dec. 23. HHS is asking insurers to accept payments through this extended date and give consumers additional time to pay their first month’s premium while still offering coverage starting on Jan. 1.” (Fox News; 12/12/13)

High Deductibles Fuel New Worries of Health-Law Sticker Shock – “As enrollment picks up on the HealthCare.gov website, many people with modest incomes are encountering a troubling element of the federal health law: deductibles so steep they may not be able to afford the portion of medical expenses that insurance doesn’t cover.” (WSJ; 12/8/2013)

ObamaCare Exchanges Have Limited Physician, Hospital Networks – “As hundreds of thousands of Americans shop for health insurance plans on the new online marketplaces, they’re finding that many insurers have limited their choice of physicians and hospitals.” (Cincinnati Inquirer; 12/8/2013)

Harvard Poll: 57% of Millennials Disapprove of ObamaCare – “Perhaps more troubling for Obama, the poll showed 40% of young Americans believe Obamacare will bring worse care, 51% believe it will bring higher costs and 57% said they disapprove of the president’s signature law.” (USA Today; 12/4/2013)

California health Exchange Shares Consumers’ Data Without Permission – “The California health exchange has admitted it has been divulging contact information for tens of thousands of consumers to insurance agents without their permission or knowledge in an effort to hit deadlines for coverage.” (Fox News; 12/7/2013)

Emails: Administration Decided on ObamaCare Delay in August – “Officials in the Obama administration had already decided they needed to delay new health insurance options for small businesses even as officials were testifying before Congress that the program would be ready, according to newly released internal emails.” (National Journal; 12/6/2013)

New ObamaCare Headache: Is Your Enrollment Real? – “Obama administration officials acknowledged today that some of the roughly 126,000 Americans who completed the torturous online enrollment process in October and November might not be officially signed up with their selected issuer, even if the website has told them they are.” (ABC News; 12/2/2013)

 

Christmas Calm

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The holiday season can be so crazy with family, decorations, parties, shopping, and everything else you may feel like decking the halls or rocking the Christmas tree.  This year the challenge is to find the calm.  Look for moments that you can spend with your spouse that don’t involve tinsel or toys, plans or parties.  Need some help?Try one these with your spouse:

  • Build a fire, make some coco and listen to the crackle.
  • Take a quiet drive to look at the lights in a different neighborhood.
  • Bundle up and take a walk in a park (staying close will help you stay warm).
  • Ditch one of your Christmas parties and watch a movie instead.
  • Go out for a fancy dinner instead of making one.

The holidays should be a time that bring you closer together not farther apart or stressed out.  If you want to “find the calm” this year, it might mean you have to sacrifice a tradition or change the “game plan”.  In the end your marriage and your sanity are worth it.  This year make sure your holiday includes at least one silent night.

IS IT TRUE Weekend

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1216_EVLO_EVconnelly1_t160IS IT TRUE that Evansville Fire Chief Charles Connelly was asking City Council to discuss and approve his Merit Ordinance Amendments at last Council meeting?  …that the name of City Council member Stephanie Riley appeared on the ordinances as the sponsor?  …that Ms. Riley told City Council attorney Scott Danks that she never gave anyone permission to put her down as a sponsor of this ordinance?  …at that point City Council Attorney Danks told the  Mayors attorney, Ted Zimmer that this resolution submitted to change city ordiance will not be discussed until the Mayor finds a council member to sponsor it?

IS IT TRUE on December 11, 2013 the Evansville Fire Chief sent an e-mail to all Evansville Fire Department members telling them that his proposed amendments to Merit Ordinance does not have the support of city council at this time?  …he also stated that the Merit Ordinance has been withdrawn from the December 16, 2013 City Council agenda?  …he also stated if Merit Ordinance amendments are presented to council it will be after the support of City Council is comfirmed?
IS IT TRUE we can’t wait to see  the Fire Chiefs new master plan  to clean firefighters  gear.  …we’re stunned to hear Fire Chief Connelly ask City Council for an additional $75,000 to hire someone to clean firefighters gear.  … a $150,000 plus was approved at the last city council budget hearing to clean firefighter gear?  …we didn’t realize that it would cost the taxpayers an  additional $75,000 to hire someone to wash, repair and deliver firefighters gear?  …many people who are working at area laundries would take this job on for half the price Chief Connelly wants to pay?
IS IT TRUE we would like to congratulate 6th Ward City Councilmen  and firefighter Al Lindsey for his spot on assessment of possible hidden costs in Chief Connelly’s gear cleaning proposal.  …its to bad that City Council members, Adams, McGinn, Weaver, Mosby and O’Daniel didn’t heed Mr. Lindsey advice?

EPD ACTIVITY REPORT 12.13.2013

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EPD PATCH 2012

EPD ACTIVITY REPORT 12.13.2013

Bill Gaither Brings Christmas to Ford Center

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Evansville, IN: Bill Gaither returned to Evansville performing for the first time at Ford Center his Christmas Homecoming Tour 2013. Gaither fans of all ages filled the Ford Center and were mesmerized with the Holiday Spirit as Bill Gaither stepped onto the stage.

Gaither, with special guests the Isaacs, The Martins, Angela Primm, Gene McDonald, Charlotte Ritchie, Ke

vin Williams, Matthew Hold and Greg Ritchie entertained and inspired the crowd Friday night. Whether this was your first or one of many Gaither concerts, you were enlightened with the vocal talents and inspiring stories that were told while at Ford Center. Closing the show was the award winning Gaither Vocal Band whose talents left the crowd wanting more after a three plus hour show.

“After working for a number of years trying to bring this iconic show to Ford Center, I am comforted we found a date that worked for Evansville,” stated Ford Center Executive Director Scott Schoenike. Ford Center continues to fill dates with upcoming events to include University Evansville Men’s and Women’s basketball, Evansville IceMen Hockey, Zac Brown Band December 29th Monster Jam January 10th-11th, Harlem Globetrotters January 17th Winter Jam January 30th, and Florida Georgia Line February 14th.

Ford Center is managed by VenuWorks of Evansville, LLC.

Pence, Sebelius to meet on health care expansion proposals

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By Lesley Weidenbener
TheStatehouseFile.comLesley-Stedman-Weidenbener-mug-The-Statehouse-File1-306x400

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mike Pence is scheduling a meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about the state’s request to use its own health care plan in place of a traditional Medicaid expansion.

Sebelius said in a letter received by the state Wednesday that her office is willing to work with the state to make the Healthy Indiana Plan comply with federal rules for expanded coverage. But she made clear that a number of HIP’s rules are not acceptable to federal officials.

Pence had requested the meeting in a letter Nov. 15. In her response, Sebelius did not mention an in-person meeting. But Pence’s staff said the offices are working to set one up for February when Pence will be in Washington D.C. for a National Governors Association event.

I am grateful for the timely response from Secretary Sebelius and for her willingness to meet to discuss this matter further,” Pence said in a statement. “We remain committed to good-faith negotiations with the Obama Administration to determine whether Indiana can use our proven consumer-driven healthcare model to expand healthcare coverage in Indiana.”

The federal Affordable Care Act required states to expand Medicaid so that it served more people with higher incomes. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress couldn’t order the states to make the change.

Since then, Indiana has been trying to convince federal officials to let it use the Healthy Indiana Plan – which requires recipients to share the cost of health coverage – as its Medicaid expansion.

So far, federal authorities have only OK’d a one-year expansion of HIP. Sebelius said in her letter that the state will have to submit a request by June 30 to extend HIP beyond 2014.

But she said the federal law doesn’t allow Indiana to receive full Medicaid reimbursement for the plan because it requires some of the poorest Hoosiers to contribute to the cost of the insurance and puts caps on enrollment.

However, the secretary said new rules would allow the state to use co-pays for Hoosiers who earn more than the federal poverty level, which is $11,490 for a single person.

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