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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Georgia Cares resouces
available to residents
Special to the Journal
After receiving state
wide complaints from
Medicare beneficiaries about
Medicare Advantage plans,
Georgia Cares, according
to a release, is encourag
ing Georgians to use cau
tion, make informed health
care decisions, and use the
resources of Georgia Cares.
Beneficiaries, according to
the release, are complain
ing that insurance agents
are not making them fully
aware of MA benefits and
are not informing them that
enrollment may require
changing doctors, specialists
or hospitals.
They are also being
enrolled without consent,
the release reads. Medicare
does not go door-to-door
and insurance agents can
not solicit business without
making an appointment, so
Georgia Cares is encourag
Georgia institutes new work program
Special to the Journal
Georgia, according to a
release, remains a national
welfare-to-work model as
it continues to steer more
people off government assis
tance toward work. The
state’s Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families program,
which provides assistance
to poor families, recently
instituted the Work Support
Program to help working
families once they leave
TANF with ongoing employ
ment intervention support
services.
“Most of our TANF cli
ents have limited work
experience and are high
school graduates,” said
Mary Dean Harvey, direc
tor of the Division of Family
and Children Services. “We
feel very confident that our
comprehensive programs
will not only help individu
als find work but will help
them keep jobs long term
and assist in numerous ways
in their economic advance
ment as individuals and
families.”
Program working to prevent child abuse
Special to the Journal
The Department of Human
Resources, Promoting Safe
and Stable Families pro
gram, designed, according to
a release, to prevent child
abuse and alleviate crises
that lead children to foster
care, is doing just that, the
release reads.
The statewide initiative
served nearly 24,000 fami
lies and children last year
and 89 percent of the fami
lies that used PSSF’s ser
vices had no reports of child
abuse or neglect.
“The greater the stress on
these families the greater
the risk of child abuse,” said
Ann Pope, program direc
tor for PSSF. “Our goal is
to build on the strength of
the family and be proactive
in identifying family stress
es and difficulties and work
with parents before a crisis
occurs,” she said.
The $7-million-a-year fed
eral program, administered
by the Division of Family
and Children Services,
was recently reauthorized
through 2011 and includes a
new component that focuses
on families with children 0-6
years old.
Families with children in
this age group will be able to
take advantage of compre
hensive child development
and health assessment ser
vices to ensure that more
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ing beneficiaries to request
all information be sent to
them in writing to review
before making a final deci
sion to enroll in a MA or
other healthcare plan.
Two very important things
to consider are: Does your
doctor accept the MA plan?
What are you currently pay
ing for healthcare versus
what you will be paying in a
MA plan?
“Although legitimate
Medicare Advantage plans
can be of benefit to some,
there is the potential for
fraud. We encourage benefi
ciaries to be cautious when
approached about changing
or enrolling into healthcare
plans,” said Maria Greene,
Director of Division of Aging
Services.
The Georgia Cares, which
is administered through
the Georgia Department
of Human Resources/DAS,
provides community educa
In an expansion of servic
es to families, the program
now provides Work Support
Payments, Transitional
Support Services, and Job
Coaches Services. Work sup
port payments assist those
who are leaving TANF
into the world of employ
ment by giving them cash
supplements for 12 months
through a two-tiered process
- S2OO per month for the
first six months and SIOO
per month for the second six
months. The work support
payments can be used for
childcare expenses including
daycare fees, transportation
costs to and from daycare
and snacks for their children
while at day or after care.
Transitional Support
Services are available for a
period of six months begin
ning with the first month of
ineligibility of cash benefits,
or the month in which a
family’s case closes due to
employment. Transitional
services include incidentals
like vehicle maintenance and
related expenses, however,
reimbursement is limited to
families get of on a good
start.
The DHR program, in
place since 1997, is unique,
Pope said, in that it provides
funds to nonprofit organiza
tions that offer a wide-range
community-based family
support services which help
community organizations
establish and operate inte
grated, preventive family
preservation programs.
Services include home
based education, parenting
classes, connecting families
to community resources, sub
stance abuse treatment, life
skills training that increase
parental competence, family
counseling, and services to
relative caregivers such as
grandparents.
PSSF works with 175
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sum
tion, counseling and refer
rals relating to Medicare and
Medicaid, prescription assis
tance and healthcare error,
fraud and abuse.
If beneficiaries choose to
enroll in a MA plan, they
should, Greene said, be
aware that they have the
same rights and protec
tions offered by Medicare;
will receive the same ser
vices as Original Medicare;
may receive extra benefits
in addition to what Original
Medicare covers (this may
include dental, hearing and
vision care); will still pay
the Medicare Part B premi
um, but directly to the MA
plan; are responsible for any
premium the MA plan may
charge; and may be respon
sible for other costs associat
ed with receiving healthcare
services.
To report a MA complaint,
call Georgia Cares at 1-800-
669-8387.
SI,OOO per period of par
ticipation. Transitional ser
vices may also include finan
cial assistance for emission
inspections, driver’s license
fees, and transportation
reimbursement for employ
ment or training.
Job coaches ’will be avail
able to provide counsel to
working individuals and
families members at least
once a week. Job coach
es will also work with cli
ents to develop a job reten
tion/career advancement
plan, and assist in every
day life and problem-solving
skills. Job coaches will also
monitor post employment
activities and collaborate
with employers to explore
advancement opportunities
for the worker.
Georgia’s TANF pro
gram was awarded a High
Performance Bonus Award
of $4 million in 2005 for
boosting employment among
welfare recipients. Currently
there are 3,000 adults partic
ipating in the state’s TANF
program.
community organizations
throughout the state, provid
ing a network of more than
100 programs for families.
Since 2003 the number of
families served has gone from
just over 19,000 to nearly
24,000, representing a 19
percent increase. To learn
more about the Promoting
Safe and Stable Families
program visit www.pssfnet.
com.
Subscribe today!
Call 987-1823
LOCAL/STATE
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Contributed
From left: Representing the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Cynthia Busbee,
and President/CEO of Education First, Julie Pennybacker, accept a $2,500 check
from Mid South Federal Credit Union Assistant Branch Manager, Tim Becham.
Mid South donates to Education First
Special to the Journal
Mid South Federal Credit
Union Assistant Branch
Manager, Tim Becham, pre
sented a $2,500 check to the
President/CEO of Education
First, Julie Pennybacker
July 18.
The donation, accord
State encouraging seniors get vaccinated
Special to the Journal
In observance of National
Immunization Awareness
Month in August, the
Georgia Department of
Human Resources Division
of Aging Services is encour
aging older adults to protect
themselves from the flu this
year by getting vaccinated
with the flu vaccine.
The flu season usually
runs from late fall into
March. On average, the flu
is responsible for more than
200,000 hospitalizations
and 36,000 deaths each year
in the United States. Adults
aged 50 and older are among
those who are encouraged
to get flu shots, starting in
October and November.
In addition, adults aged
65 and older are encour
aged to see their health
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Elizabeth Gallaher McDermid
Assistant Branch Manager
ing to a release, went
toward sponsoring the New
Teacher Luncheon held at
Westside High School July
24. Education First is a
local non-profit organiza
tion that, according to the
release, looks for ways to
strengthen public schools
in Macon and Bibb County
care provider about getting
a one-time revaccination
against pneumococcal dis
ease, if they received their
first dose prior to age 65.
“We are taking the
opportunity during the
celebration of National
Immunization Awareness
Month to remind our older
adult population to consult
their healthcare providers
later this year about their
immunization needs.” said
Maria Greene, Director of
DAS. “Our Aging Network
and other partners assist
older individuals, at-risk
adults, persons with dis
abilities, their families,
and caregivers to achieve
safe, healthy, independent
and self-reliant lives.”
For more information on
adult immunizations, visit
TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007 +
through the assembly and
implementation of strategic
partnerships with business,
foundations, and communi
ty religious organizations.
The New Teachers
Luncheon welcomed more
than 300 new teachers to
Bibb County.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/key
facts.htm and http://health.
s t at e.ga. us/pro grams/
immunization/adultimm.
asp. For additional infor
mation on services for older
and at-risk adults, visit
www.aging.dhr.georgia.gov
or call toll-free at 1-866-55-
Aging (1-866-552-4464).
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