Monroe County Commissioners to Honor Leaders in the Annexation Remonstration Effort on June 6th
Volunteer recognition ceremony set to begin at 5pm in the Monroe County Courthouse
Beginning at 5pm on Thursday, June 6, Monroe County Commissioners Julie Thomas, Lee Jones, and Penny Githens will honor area residents who spearheaded remonstration efforts in their respective annexation areas. Monroe County residents fought nine simultaneous, involuntary annexation attempts in all. Those who secured remonstration counterparts and collected signatures from fellow property owners within their annexation areas will receive certificates of appreciation during the event.
“These folks spent so much time and energy during the remonstration period to make sure that not only were their own voices heard, but that their neighbors’ voices were also heard,” says Julie Thomas, President of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners.
Thomas and others will also speak briefly during the event. Remarks will include a review of county officials’ efforts to collaborate with the City of Bloomington. County Residents Against Annexation (CRAA) President Margaret Clements will also be on hand to present “Annexation: What We Have Accomplished and What’s Next.”
The event is open to the public and will take place in the Monroe County Courthouse rotunda (lobby level.)
United Way Blue Jean Ball tickets now available
arly Bird tickets are now available for the 2024 United Way Blue Jean Ball. The popular event will be held Thursday, Sept 12th at Wipperwill Hill Farm in Bloomington. Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders will perform, and Great White Smoke BBQ will cater the event. The fun will include a silent auction. Visit www.unitedwaysci.org/bluejeanball for all of the details.
CMS approves FSSA’s Indiana’s PathWays for Aging Program and Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
The Centers for Medicaid & Medicaid Services (CMS) has notified the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration that it has approved the agency’s proposed waivers and amendments for launching the Indiana PathWays for Aging program and continuing to provide home and community-based services to eligible Hoosiers across a number of programs, including PathWays, starting July 1, 2024.
The approved waivers include the following 1915(c) home and community-based services waivers: Community Integration and Habilitation Waiver, the Family Supports Waiver, the Health and Wellness Waiver, the Indiana PathWays for Aging Waiver and the Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver. Additionally, CMS has approved via a 1915(b) waiver the transition to managed care for Indiana’s long-term services and supports program under the Indiana PathWays for Aging program.
The approved waivers can be found HERE. The approval comes after two public comment periods in 2023 and early 2024.
The PathWays Waiver is a new waiver, replacing the Aged and Disabled Waiver for individuals aged 60 and over and will be administered by the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning. The Health and Wellness Waiver is the former Aged and Disabled Waiver. It now serves individuals under age 60 and will be administered by the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS). The Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver is also moving from FSSA’s Division of Aging to DDRS.
The new PathWays Waiver has been approved for five years. The other amended waivers remain on their current CMS-approved timelines.
Some noteworthy changes in the newly approved PathWays, H&W, and TBI home and community-based services waivers include:
- Adjustments to Structured Family Caregiving including clarifying when an eligible individual can receive skilled respite, permitting foster parents to provide Structured Family Caregiving services, and clarifying how individuals are assigned a tier.
- Settings in which individuals can receive home and community-based services was clarified.
- Alignment of expectations, requirements, and service limitations across all waivers.
Secured School Safety Grant application period now open
DHS is accepting applications for the Fiscal Year 2025 Secured School Safety Grant (FY24 SSSG). The application period will close July 1, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. EDT. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted. The Notice of Funding Opportunity for FY25 SSSG includes all the information necessary for a successful grant application for the SSSG program. Before submitting your application:
- Be registered in IntelliGrants.
- Have an active bidder number with the state of Indiana.
- Have an active supplier number with the state of Indiana.
- Sign up for Grant updates.
The period of performance for the FY25 SSSG will be Sept. 1, 2024, through Aug. 31, 2025. Since 2014, Indiana has awarded more than $163 million in SSSG grants to support school security. Last year, 474 schools received more than $29.8 million in awards.
Click here for complete information on the SSSG program and the history of awards distributed.
This Week in Hoosier History
1900 – Frederick Terman, American professor of engineering at Stanford University known as the “father of Silicon Valley”, born in English, Indiana.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson