Tim Marshall

Welcome Back, Members! As we get closer to end-of-year holidays and a sense of coziness takes over, you can trust the Coalition to keep you engaged in important advocacy opportunities and program announcements! In our November General Membership Meeting, we shared: What is the Behavioral Health Legislative Forum? Why Should You Go? The Coalition is proud to co-sponsor the 2024 King County Behavioral Health Legislative Forum, to be held on Monday, 11/20, 4:30-8:30pm at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall! We invite you to join us to learn, network, and address our lawmakers directly at this FREE and IN-PERSON event. Sponsored in part by King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, Washington Recovery Alliance, King County recovery Coalition, we know this is an event by advocates for advocates! As of our meeting, over 550 people have registered, including legislators, community advocates, service providers, program staff and those with lived and current experience of mental health challenges and substance use. You can expect the following: Register FOR FREE at https://kingcounty.gov/forum. King County Veterans Program: A Levy-Funded Asset for Your Clients with Military Experience and their Families! We were lucky enough to be joined by Megan Stanley of King County Veterans Program, a flexible program we consider to be a best-kept secret for low-resource people who are ineligible or can’t wait for federal VA benefits. KCVP provides light case management, financial assistance, shelter and housing support, public benefits application support, legal help, and more for those with military experience and their families. KCVP has a uniquely inclusive definition of veteran, which includes people who may not self-identify as veterans: any person who has served a single day in the military, including those who have received other-than-honorable or dishonorable discharges is eligible for benefits. You do not need to receive VA benefits to access KCVP …

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Thanks for attending a Very Special Public Benefits Training! This brand-new training has been a long time coming! We heard community feedback that there needs to be practical and approachable public information on how unhoused elders or people with disabilities can access long-term care placement. We have been working with knowledgeable program employees and advocates from: Keep reading for information on how to access services available for disabled and elderly community members, how to be placed in a residential long-term care facility, and advocacy tips and tricks for Case Managers and care advocates to ensure their clients’ needs get met. What Is Long-Term Care? How Can Residential Services Help? In Washington, the Aging & Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA) assesses eligibility for residential long-term care and provides ongoing case management. ALTSA provides connection to long-term care in residential settings such as: Services available vary depending on residential care setting: Note that these settings are not nursing homes, as they allow a higher level of independence when doing daily activities such as preparing and eating meals and provide less intensive medical services. These settings may be ideal for someone who is disabled or elderly, wants to maintain some degree of independence, and needs professional support to maintain Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) or Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), such as: To be eligible for services, a person must be low-income, 18 years or older, disabled or blind, and in need of long-term care services. Your application for long-term care depends on your age, income, and disability status. Classic Medicaid applicants are those who are: Tailored Support for Older Adults (TSOA) applicants are those who: If you are eligible for Classic Medicaid or the TSOA program, you can apply: MAGI (Apple) Medicaid applicants are those who are: If you are eligible for MAGI (Apple) …

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Welcome Back, Members! As the days are getting shorter and the weather gets drizzlier, you can be sure that the Coalition can put some pep in your step with one of our General Membership Meetings! This month, we had an energizing mix of community program spotlights, advocacy opportunities, and program updates. On Thursday, October 19th, we covered: Advocacy for Those Who Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Many of us are aware that as the Public Health Emergency Unwinding continues, Medicaid clients continue to lose their health coverage. For more information about this, King County DCHS has a well-written blog available at this link. In short, Medicaid recipients must verify their eligibility in order to continue receiving benefits – without doing so, their coverage will end. DSHS has been mailing renewal letters to Medicaid recipients, allowing 90 days to verify continued eligibility. We know that our unhoused neighbors are less likely to receive notice due to lack of a consistent mailing address, and therefore may lose coverage as a result. Do you know Medicaid recipients who still need to verify eligibility? MAGI Medicaid recipients (people who are 19-64; children; pregnant people who are not disabled) should renew their coverage at www.wahealthplanfinder.org or call the Healthplanfinder Customer Support Center at 1-855-923-4633. Classic Medicaid recipients (people who are 65+, blind, or disabled) should renew at washingtonconnection.org or DSHS at 1-877-501-2233. People who are no longer eligible for Apple Care due to changes in household size, income, or other life changes, may be eligible for another Qualified Health Plan, which may offer assistance to pay premiums. To apply for a Qualified Health Plan, visit wahealthplanfinder.org. Do you know someone who has lost their coverage? Northwest Health Law Advocates wants to hear from you. Email nohla[at]nohla[dot]org or call 206-325-6464 to share your experience. Seattle Voters: Don’t Forget to Vote YES on Prop 1 to …

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Welcome to our FIRST-EVER Training on Food Benefits! You asked for it, and we heard you, providers! We had the pleasure of offering our very first Public Benefits are Key! Training on Food Benefits, led by the expert team from Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance Team: In this very special training, the Benefits Legal Assistance team covered: Do you have questions about your client or comrade’s public benefits? Reach out to Solid Ground’s Ask a Lawyer Program by emailing benefitslegalhelp[at]solid-ground[dot]org (include “ask a lawyer” in the subject line) or calling 206-694-6742. Announcement: EBT Holders can Have Stolen funds Replaced! In recent years, more attention has been brought to the nuisance of EBT card skimming, where a person will alter a store’s point-of-sale card swipers with the intent of copying someone’s EBT card information and draining a EBT card holder’s food benefits. Starting August 23rd, 2023, DSHS has instituted a process for replacing benefits stolen from card skimming! If an EBT cardholder has had funds stolen via card skimming… To report EBT Benefit theft to DSHS… *NOTE that Benefit Theft reimbursement does not apply to Cash benefits (TANF – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). What Types of Food Benefits are Available? For Whom? For many in Washington, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), also called Washington Basic Food or food stamps, is available for low-income households and those who fit citizenship requirements, such as: Washington also offers the FAP (State Food Assistance Program) for certain Washingtonians who are not citizens but meet income requirements for SNAP, such as DACA recipients and others classified as ‘legal immigrants’. *NOTE that those who are undocumented or visiting Washington on a VISA are not eligible for SNAP or FAP benefits. For a full breakdown of those eligible for SNAP or FAP, see the below decision tree. It is also important to note …

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Welcome Back, Members! We hope everyone has been soaking up the last rays of summer! While we did not hold a General Membership Meeting in August, that does not mean we were at the beach! While more placid than most months, our August was spent onboarding new staff, planning new training opportunities for our service providers, gearing up for voter engagement events for our unhoused voters, and preparing for King County and City of Seattle budget advocacy – that’s right, it’s that time again! In our October meeting, we covered: Budget Advocacy 101 with Hali Wallis & Alison Eisinger While we have had the pleasure of getting to know our new Hali Willis, this is likely the first time many of our members have seen her in her latest role of Community Policy Manager with the Coalition! Check out our YouTube video to hear from Hali directly. Many of our members know that the start of fall is synonymous with budget advocacy, and this budget advocacy season we have a lot of work to do! Reminders to our members that: And passing budgets that compensate our vital human services work is especially important this year, as we are doing our best to support unhoused people in the midst of political vitriol across our region. This year, our budget advocacy work will remain steadfast to build on past progress. We ask that no human service contracts are cut. We ask that human service workers are compensated fairly. We ask contracts not lose ground to inflation. Once the Seattle Mayor and King County Executive release their budget proposals at the end of September, our work begins. While Seattle and King County Councils review their respective budgets to make amendments, public comment sessions allow Coalition members and all knowledgeable advocates to inform the …

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Thanks for supporting our K-12 students experiencing homelessness! Welcome back to our annual training on understanding the McKinney-Vento Act and serving K-12 students experiencing homelessness! In this year’s training, we covered a number of topics, including: In our Resource Fair, we heard from so many of our community partners that serve homeless youth, including: For a printable one-pager that highlights services and contact information of many of these organizations, check out our website! For a full recording of our training, check out our YouTube video below! What is the McKinney-Vento Act? Who does it serve? We were lucky enough to receive a presentation by Kayla Blau of BELONG Partners, who has worked as a Homeless Student Liaison in Seattle, Sammie Iverson of Building Changes, who has worked as a Homeless Student Liaison in Tacoma, and Tim Marshall of the Coalition on Homelessness who was a McKinney-Vento student in the Highline School District. The McKinney-Vento Act is a federal law that mandates educational access and resources to youth experiencing homelessness in every school district in the U.S. These resources respond to the unique needs of homeless youth to help them stay in school, attain their academic and social goals, and graduate. The most obvious McKinney-Vento resource in one’s school is the presence of a Homeless Education Liaison, who is responsible for enrolling homeless students in supportive services and making referrals that are necessary for a student to be successful. Homeless Education Liaisons are also a great point of contact for any community provider who is advocating on behalf of a youth experiencing homelessness. For an up-to-date list of Homeless Education Liaisons in Washington, check out the OSPI website. To be eligible for McKinney-Vento services, a student must fit the definition of homelessness as determined by the US Department of Education. By …

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Welcome Back, Members! As we are taking much needed time away to enjoy our summer, know that our monthly General Membership Meetings are still a place for important information exchange to serve our community members experiencing homelessness. In this meeting, we discussed: To review our meeting in full, check out our recording on YouTube. Updates from the Coalition: VSHSL, Voting Resources, and more! This Primary Election, we can’t afford to have low voter turnout – the Veteran’s Seniors, and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) must pass to provide essential services to vulnerable communities in King County, so we need every vote we can get! The VSHSL is a primary source of funding for many essential basic needs and human services in King County. This includes: For more information about the VSHSL, visit their campaign website. Even if you or your clients do not directly benefit from VSHSL, many others do: 185,000 community members have been served since 2017 with the funding authorized from the past levy. We need your help to ensure that this levy once again passes! How Can I Help Get out the Vote? Many of our clients and community members in King County may believe that they are not eligible to vote due to misinformation or past laws that have restricted voter eligibility. In fact, you are eligible to register to vote in Washington if: This means that you CAN vote in WA if you have a felony conviction (even if you are currently under DOC Community Supervision!), if you don’t have a permanent residential address, or if you do not have a WA state ID. Note that the deadline to register for the Primary Election online or via mail is Monday, July 24th. BUT a person can register to vote and cast their ballot at an in-person …

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Context: From 2020 to early this year, eligibility reviews were suspended for people who use public benefits like Apple Health (Medicaid). This temporary policy change allowed stability and access to health care for many people during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. What’s happening now: Starting in early 2023, the “unwinding” of the Public Health Emergency (due to decreased impact of the COVID-19 pandemic) means that eligibility reviews for public benefits are re-starting. Premiums for Apple Health for Kids and Apple Health for Workers with Disabilities are also starting again. Who is affected: Washington state DSHS is already reporting a mass unenrollment of tens of thousands of people from subsidized health care plans. They estimate that up to 300,000 Washingtonians may lose coverage. People without homes, with little or no mail service, and other barriers to receive and respond to re-certification documentation are at great risk of losing coverage. Here is what to do: To avoid losing Apple Health (Medicaid) coverage:1) People should confirm or update mailing addresses and phone number with DSHS, or the Health Care Authority, or their Managed Care Organization (Molina, Community Health Plan of WA, etc.) as soon as possible.2) Once received a letter from DSHS, they must complete the documentation for an eligibility review online, over the phone, or via mail. If people do not submit to an eligibility review by the deadline given by DSHS correspondence (as early as June 2023), they can lose their coverage! NOTE: If people have already missed the renewal deadline, there is a 90-day grace period. Take action as soon as possible to review the covered person’s account, update contact information, and complete eligibility paperwork. If someone does not have ALL the requested information, it’s better to submit a partial or incomplete form than nothing. MAGI Medicaid recipients (people who are 19-64; children; …

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Welcome Back to Public Benefits are Key! Thank you for joining us for Public Benefits are Key! This training covered two complicated systems: Medicaid and Medicare. We hope with this training, you were able to learn new strategies for your clients and community members who deserve access to affordable health care. Check out our slides and recording below to see the full presentation by Hannah Rosenberger, Public Benefits Attorney at Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance program. Have questions about a client’s Medicaid or Medicare coverage? Solid Ground’s Ask a Lawyer Program by emailing benefitslegalhelp[at]solid-ground[dot]org (include “ask a lawyer” in the subject line) or calling 206-694-6742. An Update on the Public Health Emergency Unwinding As most of us are aware, from 2020 to 2023, recipients of public benefits like Medicaid were not subject to eligibility review – this allowed stability for many of our most vulnerable during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Starting in early 2023, an “unwinding” of the Public Health Emergency due to decreased impact by COVID-19 has re-started eligibility reviews and sadly, there has already been mass unenrollment from subsidized health care plans. To avoid losing your Medicaid coverage, you must confirm or update your contact information with DSHS so you can be reached for an eligibility review. If you do not submit to an eligibility review by a certain deadline, you can lose your coverage! For MAGI Medicaid recipients (those who are 19-64, children, pregnant, and not disabled), review your account at wahealthplanfinder.org or call the Healthplanfinder Customer support Center at 1-855-923-4633. For Classic Medicaid recipients (those who are 65+, blind, or disabled), review your account at washingtonconnection.org or call DSHS at 1-877-501-2233. What is Medicaid? There are two main Medicaid programs (sometimes called Apple Health), known as “MAGI Medicaid” (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) and “Classic Medicaid”. “MAGI Medicaid” is a no-cost …

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Welcome Back to Public Benefits are Key! This special training is brought to you by two special guests: Hannah Rosenberger from Solid Ground’s Benefits Legal Assistance program and Huy Nguyen from Benefits Law Center. They joined us to take a deeper dive into state and federal-level disability benefits. For more information on the basics of these programs, check out our ABD/HEN recap blog and our SSI/SSDI recap blog. Review our training recording on YouTube for a full recap and audience Q&A! Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) Program: Subsidy Extensions and New Client Support This housing subsidy program is a major benefit for low-income, ABD-eligible Washingtonians. Hannah emphasized that it is only available while receiving ABD benefits, with some exceptions. Once SSI benefits are approved and ABD benefits end, HEN benefits also end. However, limited rental assistance is available on a temporary basis through Catholic Community Service even after ABD benefits end. Unfortunately, transportation and basic needs benefits cannot continue once SSI benefits commence. Community members have also been curious about extending support to new clients. While there is not enough funding to expand caseloads, Catholic Community Services is working to verify eligibility of clients so they may serve more new clients. For more info, reach out to your HEN Case Manager or the King County HEN Resource Line at 206-328-5755. Aged, Blind, or Disabled (ABD) Benefits: Resource Limits, Application Tips, and Co-Occurring Disorders This cash benefits program is available to low-income, disabled Washingtonians as they are in the process of applying for SSI or SSDI benefits. Hannah shared some exciting updates which have been made to this program’s resource limits! Starting Feb. 1st, 2024, applicants are eligible for ABD if they have up to $12,000 in resources (up from $6,000), and to have the value of one car removed from …

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