New Classes and Workshops at CRIL! Exciting new, free classes are beginning at CRIL that will help everyone learn new independent living skills or improve the skills you already have! Come join us for ongoing classes in Disability Benefits, Independent Living and Life Skills, Care Provider/Attendant Management, and Housing Search and Credit Improvement. Disability Benefits 101: Learn about eligibility and coverage changes to Medi-Cal and Medicare, SSI, In-Home Supportive Services, and other disability benefits. Thursdays, 2:00 - 3:30 PM. Call Wayland Wong for more information or to register: 510-881-5743 x5943. Independent Living & Life Skills: Learn about setting up your life and home for success! Topics covered include money management & budgeting, bank accounts, online bill pay, personal business management, consumer awareness, self- advocacy, pre-employment skills, resume development, interviewing tips and more. Fridays, 3:30 - 5:00 PM. Call Wayland Wong for more information or to register. Care Provider Training & Support: This is a monthly support group for attendants and home care workers. Learn new skills and tips to improve your homemaking and personal care tasks. See flyer inside this newsletter for more information. Attendant Management: This is a monthly workshop for people with disabilities and seniors who want to improve their success in hiring, managing and firing attendants and home care workers. See flyer inside this newsletter for more information. Housing Search & Credit Repair: Learn how to obtain and improve your credit report, get on subsidized housing lists or find an affordable room to rent. Tuesdays, 2:00 - 3:30 PM. Call Roberto Ostolaza for more information: 510-881-5743 x5935. Blessings & Happy Holidays! INSIDE THIS ISSUE: New Classes at CRIL! 1 Job Club 2 Medi-Cal Managed Care Enrollment 2 Flyer: DANY Flyer: Personal Assistance Workshops Medicare Advantage Enrollment 3 SOS: Season of Sharing 3 DANY Info & Whole Foods Lawsuit 3 BART and Clippercards 4 Community Resources for Independent Living CRIL News 2011-12 BOARD OF DIRECTORS . Dorene Giacopini, President . H. Stephen Kaye, Ph.D. Vice President . Randy Dana, Treasurer/Secretary . Steve Mendelsohn Member-At-Large . Chris Finn . Jeff Rosen . Marsha Burch EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR . Sheri Burns WINTER / SPRING PAGE 2 . Are you unemployed and looking for work? . Are you considering a part-time or full-time job for the first time? . Do you want to know how you can keep your health benefits while you’re beginning to work? . Do you need help with resume writing or interviewing tips? . Do you want to share your experiences and feelings with others who are also job-hunting? Then, join CRIL’s Job Club! The Job Club will meet monthly in CRIL’s Hayward office on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 5:00 PM beginning in January, 2012. Topics of discussion and sharing will include the above topics and more! Call Alejandra Hernandez at 510-881- 5743 x5944 or 925-371-1531for more information or to register. Employment “Job Club” Medi-Cal Managed Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities: New Enrollment Event! CRIL and Senior Services Coalition are teaming up again with California’s Health Care Options to sponsor a Medi-Cal Managed Care Enrollment Event at CRIL’s Livermore branch on December 5th from 12:30—3:30 PM. If you live in Alameda County, have Medi-Cal insurance only, and are a senior or person with a disability you must enroll in a managed care program within a few months of your birthday unless you request a waiver. Come learn about the state’s new managed care program and compare the managed care programs in Alameda County to decide which one is best for you! Get your questions answered by the experts and get help with enrollment. Social Service providers are also welcome to attend! Call Alejandra Hernandez at 510-881-5743 x5944 or 925-371-1531 for more information or to register for this event. This service is generously funded through The San Francisco Foundation and Kaiser’s Diablo Valley Community Benefit Program. A BIG welcome to CRIL’s new Program Director, P. Michael Galvan, Ph.D. ! Need free help with your taxes? If you are low-income and have earned income, you may qualify for Earn It! Keep It! Save It! Tax Preparation Services at CRIL. Call 510-881-5743 for more information and an appointment between January and April. The annual Medicare enrollment period is earlier this year: NOW through December 7, 2011. All Medicare beneficiaries are allowed this one time per year to make changes to their Medicare coverage for the coming year. This includes anyone using traditional Medicare, Medicare Advantage, prescription drug and Medigap supplemental coverage. Changes have been made to the prescription drug plans and other services so it is essential to compare various Medicare providers. Some 2012 changes include: Rx (Part D) costs will change and slightly increase; Part D deductibles will increase to $320; “donut hole” recipients will benefit from higher drug discounts (14%); Part B (medical insurance) premiums will likely increase as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be added this year. For more information or assistance, call the Alameda County HICAP office: 1-800-434-0222 or (510) 839-0393 or visit: http://lashicap.org/hicap_resources.htm or read more about it at: http://www.cahealthadvocates.or/basics/open-enrollments.html. 2011 Medicare Advantage Enrollment ends December 7th PAGE 3 Whole Foods Lawsuit If you used a mobility device while shopping in a Whole Foods store be- tween December 21, 2006 and Sep- tember 15, 2011 and you experienced access barriers, you may be eligible to receive class action settlement funds. Call 1-888-427-9238 or go to www.CAWholeFoodsAccessSettle ment.com by December 15, 2011 to request/submit a claim form. Disability Action Network for Youth (DANY) Disability Action Network for Youth (DANY) meetings take place every 4th Wednesday of the month, 5:00 - 6:30 PM at CRIL’s Hayward office: 439 A Street. For more information on DANY or disability history, please contact Dolores Tejada at 510-881-5743 x5921 or via email at Dolores.Tejada@cril-online.org. Also, see the insert in this newsletter titled “What’s Happening with the Disability Action Network for Youth.” (NOTE: A combined November-December meeting will be on Wednesday, December 7th.) Season of Sharing - Emergency Housing Help Season of Sharing (SOS) may be able to help with a one-time, emergency security deposit, rental assistance, housing-related AT, ramp, or mobility device for low income people with disabilities who qualify and are: 1) moving into a new place; 2) transitioning into inde- pendent housing; or 3) need one-time, emergency rental assistance. For eligibility information or screening, call Roberto Ostolaza, Housing Coordinator, at 510-881-5743 x5943 on SOS Intake Day: the last Wednesday of each month from 10:00 to 11:00 am only. Spread the Word! Alameda County is launching a new website for uninsured residents to find free and low-cost health care resources that they need: www.AChealthcare.org. Check it out! 439 A Street Hayward, CA 94541 Phone: 510-881-5743 Fax: 510-881-1593 E-mail: Info@CRIL-online.org Web: www.CRIL-online.org BART has recently change its fare media from magnetic strip tickets to smartcards. As you may know, the new Clippercard is accepted on BART, ACTransit, MUNI, SamTrans, CalTrain and the Santa Clara VTA systems - one card that can be used to pay on all these bay area transit services! Seniors, youth, and customers with disabilities will continue to enjoy a 62.5% discount on BART using the Clippercard. These cards can be loaded at the ticket vending machines at any station. After December 31, 2011, discounted strip tickets will not be available from retailers so it is important for you to obtain a discounted Clippercard before the end of the year. BART is holding several outreach events at different locations throughout November and December so seniors, youth and customers with disabilities do not have to travel to Oakland to get their cards. And throughout this outreach period, the cards are free. For more information visit www.Clipper.com. Below are some dates/locations for Clippercard events: . Thursday, November 10th, Walnut Creek Senior Center, 9:00 AM—3:00 PM, 1375 Civic Drive . Friday, November 11th, Hayward BART Station, 6:30 AM—6:30 PM, 699 B Street, Hayward . Monday, November 14th, South Hayward BART Station, 6:30 AM —6:30 PM, 28601 Dixon St., Hayward . Wednesday, November 16th, Fremont BART Station, 6:30 AM—6:30 PM, 2000 BART Way, Fremont . Friday, November 18th, San Leandro Senior Center, 10:00—11:30 AM, 13909 E. 14th St., San Leandro For more Clippercard event dates in November and December, visit www.BARTgov. BART and bay area transit Clippercards We’re on Facebook! 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