Education and Special Education
Medical-Legal: Benefits and Resources
CCA Webinar: COVID-19 Resources and Information
Medical-Legal – Benefits and Resources
Vaccine Information from North Central Network of Care
Memos and Updates from Jay Sicklick, Director, CCA Medical-Legal Partnership
Resources for Families, October 2020
English – Housing, Utilities, Income Supports, Food Supports, General Support
Spanish – Vivienda, Servicios Públicos, Asistencia Monetaria, Asistencia Alimenaria, Apoyo General
Income Security
Public Assistance – Temporary Family Assistance (Cash Benefits)
- Applications online at connect.ct.gov/access/jsp/access/Home.jsp or call 2-1-1
- In-person interviews for cash assistance temporarily waived
- DSS temporarily suspended 21-month lifetime limit on receipt of TFA
Unemployment Insurance Benefits
- Applications for Unemployment Insurance Benefits online at filectui.com
Stimulus Checks – CARES ACT: How do you get your stimulus check?
- Every American who makes less than $75,000 should have received a one-time payment of $1,200, even if they did not work, did not file taxes or receives disability benefits. An additional $600 payment should be received in January 2021.
- Every family should have received an additional $500 for every “qualifying child.” You may need to enroll your children to get the payment.
- For more information please go to the IRS webpage or call the MLPP (contact info below)
- Link here to get help with filing your taxes or getting your Economic Impact Payment.
Health Insurance
HUSKY
- Op-Ed: Advocacy Efforts to Expand Medicaid for Undocumented Children, Jay Sicklick, Esq; Julia Rosenberg, MD, Marietta Vazquez, MD, Hartford Courant, May 2, 2020
- April 17, 2020 Letter to Josh Geballe, Commissioner, CT Department of Administrative Services regarding Access to Care for Undocumented Children and Families
- April 16, 2020 Letter to Governor Lamont regarding expansion of HUSKY Insurance to Undocumented Families
- Updated Request to Governor Lamont to expand HUSKY Insurance to Undocumented Children, Youth and their Parents/Guardians. April 13, 2020. Signed by 233 physicians and front-line clinicians caring for vulnerable populations throughout Connecticut. As the state anticipates the surge of COVID-19 patients to continue through the next weeks, the need to implement expansion is more acute and emergent than ever.
- April 13, 2020 Email to Paul Mounds, Chief of Staff, regarding Expansion of HUSKY Insurance to Undocumented Children and Families
- Expand HUSKY Eligibility to All Regardless of Documentation Status, Letter from 185 Healthcare Providers to Governor Ned Lamont, April 1, 2020
- Applications for HUSKY, the state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs (HUSKY A & B) online at connect.ct.gov/access/jsp/access/Home.jsp or call 2-1-1.
- DSS has authorized coverage of some telemedicine services for identified health services.
Need for Health Insurance due to Loss of Employment / Meets Income Guidelines
- Contact Access Health CT at 1-855-805-4325 or accesshealthct.com
Utility Protection
Utility Protection for Low-Income Families: Hardship Customers are Protected through May 1
Utility Protections and COVID-19, Orders from the Connecticut Public Utility Commission, Sep 2, 2020
Community Outreach during a Pandemic, National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition, Covid-19: Using New Challenges to Inspire Meaningful Solutions, Patricia King, PECO Energy, Manager, Community Engagement; and Bonnie Roswig, Esq, Director, Disability Rights Project, Center for Children’s Advocacy, July 2020
CCA Video: Covid and Utility Payments, June 2020
Video update: Although COVID-19 protection is over, your utility service cannot be turned off during the Winter Protection period of November 1 – May 1. Utility companies must offer you a plan that you can afford. Everyone receiving assistance such as food stamps, HUSKY, etc, should be in a $50/month payment plan. Call your utility company to get information. Here are the details.
Energy Assistance/Fuel Oil
- The moratorium does not apply to fuel oil, but Operation Fuel is still taking applications and may be reached at 860-243-2346 or by email at info@operationfuel.org
- Energy assistance are funds to help with your arrearages. Energy assistance is taking applications until June 1, 2020. Contact your local Community Action Agency for an application.
Food Security
Food Resources: DCF Memo April 21, 2020
WIC
WIC offices are closed for walk-in, but applications and inquiries are being processed by phone.
Contact information for WIC offices in Connecticut, Department of Public Health
Food Stamps (SNAP)
- Applications online at connect.ct.gov/access/jsp/access/Home.jsp, or call 2-1-1.
- DSS has suspended work requirements and certain time limits for enrollees.
- SNAP Periodic Review Forms at CT.gov
Automatic renewals for 6 months for SNAP enrollees whose normal annual certification was scheduled to end Nov or Dec 2020.
School Meals
Check the websites for school districts to see which school will provide meals or call 2-1-1.
- Hartford Public Schools: hartfordschools.org/understanding-coronavirus
- New Haven Public Schools: nhps.net/food
- Bridgeport Public Schools: bridgeportedu.net
- New Britain Public Schools: csdnbstudents.org/csdnbnewsarchives/coronavirus-meals
- Waterbury Public Schools: waterbury.k12.ct.us
Other Food Resources
- Video: Access to Food During COVID
- 2-1-1- Infoline
- United Way of Connecticut
- Food Share: Food Security in Hartford, Locations and Resources
- New Haven Resources: city of New Haven website on food resources during COVID
- CT CORE mutual aid and community support network. Fill out the form and say what your immediate needs are, such as food, housing, legal assistance, childcare, etc. They will connect you with the supports you need.
Housing Protections
- Temporary CT (COVID) Rental Housing Assistance Program (TRHAP) (Click to see if you qualify)
Acting through the Department of Housing and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, effective October 26, 2020 - Extension of Eviction Moratorium, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended the federal eviction moratorium until 6/30/21, ctlawhelp.org
- How to Access Shelters in Connecticut (211 Info Line)
- Shelter “Diversion” and Possible Funding (211 Info Line)
- Moratorium on rental payments and evictions Legal Rights information (CCA video)
- If you can, you should continue to pay your rent. If not, there are a few steps to take to let your landlord know that you are struggling to pay rent. CT Law Help has more information, or call Statewide Legal Services at 800-453-3320.
Health and Safety
- Keeping your new baby safe during Covid-19, Office of the Child Advocate, May 2020
- Maximize health: eat regularly, sleep enough, exercise, go outdoors for sunlight and vitamin D.
- Wash hands, and children’s hands, with soap, for 20 seconds, when coming in, before eating and also every few hours.
- Get backup medications from the pharmacy if possible for any medical issues.
- If ill, call medical office for advice; do not just show up in the emergency room without calling a doctor, unless it is literally life or death.
Contact
Jay Sicklick, MLP Director and MLP at St. Francis Hospital/Burgdorf: jsicklick@cca-ct.org
Ada Fenick, MD, MLP Medicial Director: ada.fenick@yale.edu
Bonnie Roswig, MLP at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center: broswig@cca-ct.org
Alice Rosenthal, MLP at Yale New Haven Health: arosenthal@cca-ct.org
Kathryn Meyer, MLP at Yale Child Study Center: kmeyer@cca-ct.org
Juvenile Justice
Connecticut
Office of the Child Advocate Report on Conditions of Confinement for Incarcerated Youth, November 2020
National
National Juvenile Justice Network
Resources and Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic, March 23, 2020
Contact
Martha Stone, JD, Executive Director: mstone@cca-ct.org
Homeless Students
COVID-19 Response for Students who are Homeless or with Experience in Foster Care
Barbara Duffield, Marissa Meyers, Jennifer Pokempner, Jillian Sitjar, March 17, 2020
See Food Security above for school distribution locations, 2-1-1, and United Way
Contact
Stacey Violante Cote, JD, MSW, Director, Right Direction: Homeless Youth Advocacy Project: sviolante@cca-ct.org
Child Welfare
Connecticut
COVID-19 Information from the Connecticut Judicial Branch
COVID-19 Information from the Department of Children and Families
Extension of Moratorium on Adolescent Discharge from DCF through Sep 31, 2021, Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes, Feb 2, 2021
Domestic Violence (Intimate Partner Violence) Resources, Alison Karimi, MSW, Intimate Partner Violence Consultant, Department of Children and Families
Foster Family School Decisions, 2020-2021 Memo from Department of Children and Families, Debra Borzellino, Statewide Director of Foster Care, August 28, 2020.
In Person Visitation, How to Minimize the Risk, Department of Children and Families, June 24, 2020
DCF-800, Notice Benefits Terminations Suspended, April 21, 2020
DCF – United Way – Community Providers Collaboration: Warm Line, April 20, 2020
833-258-5011 Resource for families feeling stressed and overwhelmed
DCF Statewide Phone List, including staff cell numbers and names of supervisors, April 15, 2020
Connecticut Juvenile Court Operations for Child Protection Matters
National
Memo from the U.S. Children’s Bureau re: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic to Create More Equitable Approaches to Supporting Families, January 12, 2021
Family Justice Initiative Website: How to provide high quality legal representation to children and parents during the pandemic
National Association of Counsel for Children: COVID-19 Resource Hub and Attorney TIP sheet
Letter from the Children’s Bureau to child welfare legal and judicial community regarding ongoing child welfare legal requirements in cases, March 27, 2020
Parent Tip Sheet for Video Visits, rc-4.com
Contact
Stacy Schleif, JD, Senior Staff Attorney, Child Abuse Project: sschleif@cca-ct.org
Education / Special Education
State Department of Education
State Department of Education Resource Page on COVID-19
Special Education Guidance for Parents Related to School Reopening, CT Parent Advocacy Center (CPAC) and State Department of Education, August 2020
Connecticut School Reopening Plan, State Department of Education, June 29, 2020
Guidance on Student Exiters, SDE, June 5, 2020
From the SDE: official start of summer school on or after July 6. In person learning is an option given students and staffs wear masks and social distancing protocols are in place, among other guidance.
Rules for Operating Summer School, SDE, June 4, 2020
Guidance on Reopening Schools Safely for Summer School, SDE, June 4, 2020
Guidance for Extended School Year, SDE, May 20, 2020
Child Find during Covid-19, Topic Brief, Early Childhood, SDE, May 20, 2020
Covid Emergency Flow Chart, SDE, May 20, 2020
CT Educational Advocacy Group Recommendations to the State Department of Education in Response to Covid-19 Educational Crisis, AFCAMP, Center for Children’s Advocacy, Commission on Women, Children Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance, Connecticut Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Office of the Child Advocate, SEEK CT (Special Education Equity for Kids), Village for Children and Families, May 14, 2020
Continued Education Opportunities and Special Ed (PPT Guidance), SDE Update, April 24, 2020
Announcement of Districts Receiving Laptops in First Round of Device Distribution,Update from Governor’s COVID-19 Learn From Home Task Force, April 17, 2020
Attendance Guidance and Assuring Student Engagement, Comissioner Cardona, State of Connecticut, State Board of Education, April 9, 2020
State Department of Education Learn from Home Taskforce, Nate Quesnel and Paul Freeman, Co-Chairs,
Governor’s Learn from Home Task Force, April 7, 2020
Due Process Activities under IDEA during COVID-19, Bryan Klimkiewicz, Special Education Division Director, Connecticut State Department of Education, April 6, 2020
Letter from the Center for Children’s Advocacy to State Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona regarding recent guidance issued by the State Department of Education and the state’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and its effect on students with special needs, April 1, 2020
State Department of Education: Continued Educational Opportunities and Approved Private Special Education Programs, Brian Klimkiewiz, Special Education Bureau Director, March 31, 2020
CT State Department of Education, Special Education Division: Memorandum regarding Continued Education Opportunities and Special Ed, March 24, 2020
CT State Department of Education, Special Education Division: Memorandum regarding Continued Education
Governor Lamont Executive Orders
State of Connecticut Executive Order 7M, Gov. Ned Lamont, Protection of Public Health and Safety During COVID-19 – Extension of Agency Administrative Deadlines, March 25, 2020
State of Connecticut Executive Order 7L, Governor Ned Lamont, Protection of Public Health and Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic and Response – Extension of School Cancellation, Public Health Measures, March 24, 2020
State of Connecticut Executive Order 7E, Governor Ned Lamont, Protection of Public Health and Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic and Response – Further Suspension or Modification of Statutes, March 21, 2020
Connecticut Educational Advocacy Coalition
Educational Advocacy Coalition Position Letter, July 10, 2020
New Haven Public Schools
NHPS Back-to-School resources update, Oct 2020
Hartford Public Schools
Hartford Public Schools, Distance Learning Plan, March 23, 2020
Information, Chromebook Distribution, Internet Access
National
Q & A Document from Office of Special Education Programs, in Response to Inquiries Concerning Implementation of IDEA Part B in Current COVID-19 Environment, September 28, 2020
US Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Schools While Protecting the Civil Rights of Students, March 16, 2020
US Department of Education Supplemental Fact Sheet, Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities, March 21, 2020
US Department of Education, Q&A on Services for Children with Disabilities, March 2020
Contact
Marisa Halm, JD, Director, TeamChild Youth Justice Project: mhalm@cca-ct.org
Kathryn Meyer, JD, Director, SpeakUp Initiatives: kmeyer@cca-ct.org
Immigration
Immigrant Emergency Resources available during Covid-19
**Indicates support for undocumented community
