Professional Services
Social Security and Claims Filing
Our Social Security and Claims Filing program offers advice and assistance in filing for SSI, SSDi, Medicaid and Medicare. Employees at The Arc of Midland are available for filing appeals of denials including some court appearances. We also help with resolution of overpayments and other issues with the Social Security Administration.
Tax and Claim Filing for Individuals with Disabilities
The Arc of Midland offers assistance for persons with disabilities including Federal and State returns, Property Tax Credit and Home Heating Credit. Contact Pam Murchison, pmurchison@thearcofmidland.org or at 631-4439 for more information.
Representative Payee
The Arc of Midland staff are available to help individuals with developmental disabilities manage their money. Staff can receive and deposit monthly SSI and SSDi payments and pay a consumer's bills.
After I’m Gone
Pooled Trust - Investment provided by Chemical Bank Trust Department. Administration provided by The Arc of Midland. Intended for families who plan to leave smaller amounts of money to provide for amenities without endangering necessary government benefits. May also be used to accommodate unexpected inheritances that threaten to endanger such benefits. A Letter of Intent must be on file with The Arc of Midland.
Letter of Intent - Assistance in writing a document that is both informational and intentional to describe the lifestyle, past, present and future, that families envision for their loved ones with a disability in the years after they are gone.
Personal Facilitation
DISCOVERING DREAMS
A facilitator is one who makes the process easier. Facilitators at The Arc of Midland do the following:
Assist individuals in inviting the people that they want
Focus on topics of the individual's choice
Share information about resources and options available to the person
Encourage group participation
Assure there is a recording of the meeting
Help to establish links to the community
Connect individuals to needed supports from service agencies
The following principles guide the facilitation of personal plans by The Arc of Midland:
We first and foremost support the dreams of individuals, their families, and/or significant others
Person centered planning is biased toward the individual's goals, dreams, and agenda
Person centered planning helps individuals create a life in their homes and community and plan how that will be supported
Facilitation extends "circle thinking" to the person centered planning process
Individuals need to be part of a community; facilitation focuses on life outside the service system
We value and respect individual choices, even when they seem to be self-limiting or controversial
Facilitators and their stores of local knowledge are resources for consumers and their families and staff
Facilitators at The Arc of Midland are available to facilitate Person Centered Plans, Circles of Support, MAPS, Individual Budgets, and more.
Definitions
Person Centered Plan - an annual process in which individual's dreams and goals are discussed and strategies are brainstormed in order to reach those goals.
Circles of Support - a group of people who meet regularly to help a person with a disability realize a dream or reach a life-goal.
MAPS - a process to help an individual get from the present reality to future dreams.
Individual Budgets - a process to help individuals budget their service dollars, allowing them to choose how their money is spent.
For more information or to request a facilitator, contact Pam at (989)631-4439 or pmurchison@thearcofmidland.org
Satisfaction Assessments
Satisfaction Assessments are short surveys that are conducted twice a year with every individual who receives services. The assessment is administered by a third uninvolved party who spends time with the individual to discover whether he or she is truly happy with their services and what changes, if any, need to be made.
Pooled Trust
The Pooled Trust is an investment provided by Chemical Bank Trust Department. The Arc of Midland provides administration. It is intended for families who plan to leave smaller amounts of money to provide for amenities without endangering necessary government benefits. It may also be used to accommodate unexpected inheritances that threaten to endanger such benefits. A Letter of Intent must be on file with The Arc of Midland.
Letter of Intent
The Arc of Midland provides assistance in writing a document that is both informational and intentional to describe the lifestyle, past, present, and future, that families envision for their loved ones with a disability in the years after they are gone.