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“The DUDE Bill”

HB 3268


legislators present founder with law

 

Representative Peter Buckley (Ashland) presents DUDE

President Nathan Jacobi, Ph.D. with the original copy of HB 3268.

Rep. Sal Esquivel (Medford) and Senator Alan Bates, M.D.

were instrumental in getting the new law through the Legislature.

Thanks for all your work!

 

History

 

The organization DUDE began in response to the State of Oregon’s practice of reclassifying individuals with disabilities as less disabled than they were before with no new medical evidence, in order to cut the amount of home care the State was eligible to pay for. Nathan Jacobi, Ph.D. founded DUDE to fight these cuts to service and our biggest success as an organization has been to lobby for passage of what became known as the DUDE bill, HB 3268. DUDE used video to show the effects of reclassifying Oregonians as “perfectly mobile,” or fully able to perform activities of daily living, when there was no change in their medical condition, and began publicizing the results of the cuts to State services. Most Oregonians agree that balancing the State’s budget on the backs of its most vulnerable citizens is cruel and unfair when they see their neighbors or family members eating off the floor because their wheelchair is too big for their kitchen, or suffering even more expensive medical complications due to insufficient health care maintenance. The DUDE bill was intended to protect Oregonians with disabilities from bearing the burden of the State’s faulty economic projections. Check out “Perfectly Mobile,” the five-minute video we mailed to legislators in 2004, on our VIDEO page.

 

Summary

 

framed copy of signed law

 

1.1. The DUDE bill mandates that if the Department of Human Services (DHS) tries to reduce your public or general assistance grant by any amount, they now have to notify you at least 30 days in advance or YOU CAN APPEAL the reduction.

 

1.2. Be careful, however: the DHS can still give you only 10 days notice if they have less than 60 days to reclassify you as less disabled, so we have to remain especially vigilant in the last two months of every year.

 

1.3. You now have the right to a hearing if the DHS lowers your general or public grant or job opportunity/ basic skills program support.

 

1.4. If you appeal denial or reduction of support, you now have the right to an expedited hearing on the contested reduction within 5 days, with a decision 3 days later. No more going to the back of the line when your services are taken away.

 

2.2.a. The DHS must now send you an explanation of the assessment process at least two weeks before your assessment OR YOU CAN APPEAL any reduction! This includes a statement of your rights and directions on how to appeal any reduction or reassessment.

 

2.2.b. YOU now get to set the date, time and place of the assessment interview, NOT THE DHS, so don't let them push you around. You can invite anyone you want to come to the interview now too, so bring a witness.

 

2.4. Starting July 1 2006, the DHS has to adopt rules ("OARs") guiding these procedures for reassessment and standards for communications between case managers and individuals and their caregivers. Help us lobby the State into compliance: call your local DHS office and ask for the eligibility rules for reassessment as outlined under The DUDE Bill, "HB 3268," effective June 1, 2006.

 

Jim Sims, our current President, an attorney at Legal Aid Services, adds,

 

“Although there is a right to a speedy hearing now, it may not leave enough time for your attorney to properly prepare your case. Moreover, you can request payment continuation pending your hearing. This means that there is no reduction in your payment benefits until the judge makes a final decision. So, requesting payment continuation may be a better answer for people who are "in pay status" when the DHS notice of an intended reduction comes down. Requesting payment continuation must be done in writing.”

 news media interviews founder

Read the actual legislation yourself at

 

http://www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measures/hb3200.dir/hb3268.en.html

 

 
or here it is, as enrolled
 
 
73rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2005 Regular Session
 
 
Enrolled
 
House Bill 3268
 
Sponsored by Representative BUCKLEY; Representative ESQUIVEL,
Senators BATES, WESTLUND
 
 
CHAPTER ................
 
 
AN ACT
 
 
Relating to service eligibility; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 411.095.
 
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
 
SECTION 1. ORS 411.095 is amended to read:
411.095. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, when the Department of Human Services changes a benefit standard that results in the reduction, suspension or closure of a grant of general assistance or a grant of public assistance,
the department shall mail a notice of intended action to each recipient affected by the change at least 30 days before the effective date of the action.
(2) If the department has fewer than 60 days before the effective date to implement a proposed change described in subsection (1) of this section, the department shall mail a notice of intended action to each recipient affected by the change as soon as practicable but at least 10  { + working + }
days before the effective date of the action.
(3) When the department conducts a hearing pursuant to ORS 416.310 to 416.340 and 416.510 to 416.830 and 416.990 or when the department proposes to deny, reduce, suspend or terminate a grant of general assistance, a grant of public assistance or a support
service payment used to support participation in the job opportunity and basic skills program, the department shall provide an opportunity for a hearing under ORS chapter 183.
(4) When emergency assistance or the continuation of assistance pending a hearing on the reduction, suspension or termination of public assistance or a support service payment used to support participation in the job opportunity and basic skills program is
denied, and the applicant for or recipient of public assistance or a support service payment requests a hearing on the denial, an expedited hearing on the denial shall be held within five working days after the request. A written decision shall be issued within three working days after the hearing is held.
{ +  (5) For purposes of this section, a reduction or
termination of services resulting from an assessment for service eligibility as defined in section 2 of this 2005 Act is a grant of public assistance. + }
{ - (5) - }   { + (6) + } Adoption of rules, conduct of hearings and issuance of orders and judicial review of rules and orders shall be in accordance with ORS chapter 183.
SECTION 2.  { + (1) As used in this section:
 
Enrolled House Bill 3268 (HB 3268-A)                       Page 1
 
(a) 'Activities of daily living' has the meaning given that term in ORS 410.600.
(b) 'Assessment for service eligibility' means a process of evaluating the functional impairment levels of an individual and an individual's requirements for assistance in performing
activities of daily living.
(2)(a) No fewer than 14 days prior to conducting a reassessment for service eligibility, the Department of Human Services shall mail a notice of the assessment process to the individual to be
assessed. The notice shall include a description and explanation of the assessment process, an explanation of the process for appealing the results of the assessment and a description of the rights described in paragraph (b) of this subsection.
(b) The individual being assessed has the right to set the date, time and place of the assessment at a location that is convenient for the individual and to invite other persons to participate in the  assessment.
(3) If the assessment for service eligibility results in a reduction or termination of services, the individual is entitled to an expedited hearing under ORS 411.095 (4). + }
SECTION 3.  { + Section 2 of this 2005 Act and the amendments to ORS 411.095 by section 1 of this 2005 Act apply to assessments for service eligibility conducted on or after the effective date of this 2005 Act. + }
SECTION 4.  { + No later than July 1, 2006, the Department of Human Services shall adopt rules establishing notification procedures regarding reassessments for service eligibility and standards for communications between an individual being
assessed, and caregivers and family of the individual being assessed, and the case managers who are responsible for implementing the notification procedures. + }
----------
 
Passed by House May 26, 2005
 
...........................................................
Chief Clerk of House
 
...........................................................
Speaker of House
 
Passed by Senate June 14, 2005
 
 
...........................................................
President of Senate
 
 
 
Enrolled House Bill 3268 (HB 3268-A)                       Page 2
 
Received by Governor:
 
......M.,............., 2005
 
Approved:
 
......M.,............., 2005
 
 
...........................................................
Governor
 
Filed in Office of Secretary of State:
 
......M.,............., 2005
 
 
...........................................................
Secretary of State
 
Enrolled House Bill 3268 (HB 3268-A)                       Page 3

 

 

2005 Oregon Legislature Bills and Laws, http://www.leg.state.or.us/bills_laws/