Pushin' On: UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Volume 37 | Number 2

Pushin’ ON VOL 37 | NUM 2 2019 UAB Spinal Cord Injury Model System Digital Newsletter Headline News The University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) provides Pushin’ On twice annually as an informational resource for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). UAB-SCIMS Program Director: Amie B McLain, MD Pushin’ On Editor: Phil Klebine, MA 529 Spain Rehabilitation Center 1717 6th Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35233-7330 Phone: [phone] TDD: 205-934-4642 Fax: [phone] WWW.UAB.EDU/SCI [email protected] /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS /UABSCIMS The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90SI5019). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. ©2019 University of Alabama Board of Trustees. The University of Alabama at Birmingham provides equal opportunity in education and employment. UPDATE: In the last issue, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS) asked readers to support legislation that set permanent standards for manual wheelchair Complex Rehab Technology (CRT). This legislation would allow CRT for manual wheelchairs to be classified the same as power wheelchairs and deem it a medical necessity to individually configure wheelchair systems, adaptive seating systems, alternative positioning systems, and other mobility devices that require evaluation, fitting, configuration, adjustment or programming. In December, the President signed into law a bill that included provisions that permanently protect CRT from the Medicare Competitive Bidding Program and stop Medicare from inappropriately applying Competitively Bid rates to CRT. What does this mean? It means that insurance companies can no longer apply a 1-size- fits-all standard for wheelchair components and accessories. Thanks to all who supported this legislation. Visit access2crt.org to get CRT information, resources and tools. - Phil Klebine, Editor LandAjob is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps those on SSI or SSDI receive up to $13,000 for job-expense reimbursements. If you are looking for work, you can search the database of over 500,000 active job openings across the country. Here is the 3-step process. 1. Find a Job - Do you receive disability benefits and have a job that pays at least $880 a month? Are you unemployed right now but thinking about working in the future? You qualify. 2. Fill Out a Short Form - LandAjob will help you fill out the Individual Work Plan (IWP) the Social Security Administration needs to start your reimbursement payments. 3. Talk to a Counselor - A brief counseling phone call lets LandAjob help you complete your IWP. After that, your IWP to the Ticket to Work people at Social Security. LandAjob, coordinates with Social Security and will notify you when all is done. You then move forward with the reimbursement process. All LandAjob’s services are free as part of a partnership with Social Security’s Ticket-to-Work program. SciTrials.org is a new online community for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to find out about clinical trials that are relevant to them and apply to them.. • Search via location, injury details, therapies and outcomes • Receive email updates on new trials of interest to them • Find answers for the most common questions about trials • Have the clinical information distilled into everyday language • Applying quickly and directly to the trials in the web site SciTrials.org also allows Investigators to register their projects and increase recruitment requests for their respective trials. It is also a source of reliable and easily accessible information for all clinicians in the field of SCI.