504 Democratic Club: Questionnaires (Candidate for State Assembly Joan Millman's response)

Candidate Name: Joan Millman

Campaign Address: 489 Court Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11231

Contact Person: Sam Cooper

Phone: 718-344-2306

Email: samcooper1@gmail.com

Assembly District: 52

Please describe any experience with disability you have had in your life or career.

I have been a longtime advocate for people with disabilities. Prior to becoming the Assemblywoman in 1997, as a Democratic District Leader, I organized a campaign to institute a special bus route, the B51, for people in downtown Brooklyn traveling over the Manhattan Bridge to downtown Manhattan. Because our bus system is really the only disability friendly mode of mass transportation, it was very important that people had access to downtown Manhattan, where many residents work. This was also especially important since I organized this campaign in the 1980's, when there was no disability access to subways in Downtown Brooklyn. As the Assemblywoman, I have continued this tradition of activism, advocating always for accessibility for persons with disabilities and continually aiding constituents to receive the specific help and care they need and deserve.
Is your campaign headquarters accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are an incumbent, is your district office accessible to persons with disabilities? If you are in private practice, is your office accessible to persons with disabilities? If not, what have you done to ensure access?

Both my district office and campaign headquarters are accessible to persons with disabilities.
How will you incorporate people with disabilities into your campaign?

Persons with disabilities gathered signatures for me to get on the Democratic line on the ballot as well I ran persons with disabilities for Democratic County committee in my district.
Are you willing to hire and use flex-time and job-sharing if necessary?

Currently I have two employees who job share.
Seventy (70%) percent of people with disabilities of working age are unemployed at any given time, no matter how well or poorly the economy is doing. How will you use your office to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities?

I continually assist my constituents with disabilities by helping them navigate the transportation system, education system, and the multiple agencies that often serve as barriers to find employment. I also work closely with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to publicize employment opportunities and work to expand opportunities through continued economic development.
What will you do to reverse the negative impact of recent decisions in Federal Courts which are undercutting the powers of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 to protect the civil rights of people with disabilities in New York State? How would you change the laws of New York State to protect the rights of its citizens with disabilities?

I was proud to sponsor A2159 which passed the Assembly this past legislative session. This bill would restore the rights of state employees to sue New York State for damages due to violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This includes failure to accommodate state employees with disabilities and failure to provide access for the disabled public to governmental services, programs and activities.
Currently, over 130,000 people reside in nursing homes and other care facilities in New York State. In 1999, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) found in L.C. v Olmstead that individuals with disabilities have a right to live in the most integrated setting. What will you do to encourage Olmstead implementation in New York?

I am in support of A 10940, which facilitates New York State's application to the Federal Government for a Nursing Facilities Transition and Diversion (NHTD) Medicaid waiver. This bill, if passed into law will make the NHTD waiver a reality, allowing the state to provide Medicaid funded home and community based services to individuals who would otherwise require nursing home care. I also support and voted for A10726, which authorizes savings from NHTD waiver program to be reinvested in housing subsidies for low income participants. These bils, if they become law, will honor the rights of individuals with disabilities to live in the most integrated setting, as decided by the United States Supreme Court in L.C. v Olmstead
We are in the midst of a housing crisis. Accessible, affordable housing is in short supply. People with disabilities are being priced out of the market. What would you do to develop a housing policy that would lead to the development and maintenance of accessible, affordable and integrated housing stock?

In recent years my district has been flooded with market rate housing that is not affordable. I have always been a strong advocate for the development of truly affordable housing in my district. I have fought to save Mitchell Lama and other subsidized housing developments in my district, and I continually advocate for the creation of 50-30-20 integrated housing in new projects, especially those receiving public subsidizes. WE need to offer more incentives for owners to stay in the subsidized housing programs, and create better incentives for developers to include integrated housing in new construction. I also sponsored A7868 which would require the Department of Housing & Community Renewal to create a registry for all accessible housing in New York State as well as information about the cost of each unit. I also support instituting grants to create housing for individuals with AIDS.
Timothy's Law was designed to end health insurance discrimination by enacting parity in coverage for people with biologically-based psychiatric disabilities. To address cost concerns raised by small businesses, the agreement directs the state Superintendent of Insurance to develop a methodology that would hold businesses with 50 or fewer employees harmless from any increase in insurance premiums that result from this measure. It also requires the state Insurance Department and the Office of Mental Health to conduct a two year study to determine the effectiveness and impact of mental health parity legislation in New York and other states. What would you do to help small business?

Yes. I firmly believe that there should be parity in coverage and I am co-sponsor of the proposed Timothy's Law. For too long, people needing help for emotional and behavioral problems have been denied proper care because insurance companies either won't cover these services or only pay for limited visits.
Under Kendra's Law, a state-funded Medicaid grants program has been established to provide medications for eligible individuals with a psychiatric disability upon release or discharge from institutions. This will help eliminate some of the problems associated with the Medicaid coverage gap. Do you support Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility legislation which would eliminate the standard 45 days without coverage, and thus without access to treatment?

Yes.
By passing the Help America Vote Act of 2002 the U.S. Congress has tried to ensure that people with disabilities will, by 2006, be able to cast an independent, private ballot for the first time. What will you do to ensure successful implementation HAVA?

It is imperative that New York State updates our outdated voting machines, especially with the federal funding that is currently available.
What is your position on expanding DRIE (Disabled Rent Increase Exemption) to be the same as SCRIE (Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption) to low-income, eligible persons with disabilities under the age of 62 on the same basis and income level (currently the SCRIE's income cap is $25,000, while DRIE's is $17,000)?

Yes, I believe we should increase the income cap for those DRIE to $25,000.
Do you support the extension of Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage (EPIC) to low-income persons with disabilities regardless of age? What would you do to ensure this?

Yes.
What would you do to expand accessible transportation options for people with disabilities in NYS?

We must make al efforts to upgrade as many subway stations as possible, so that people with disabilities are not restricted to traveling on buses or to only using certain subway stations that are already accessible. It is also imperative that we make more taxis accessible for wheelchair access. Nine percent of the new taxi medallions are suppose to be wheelchair accessible. The reality, however, is vastly different. I will fight to ensure that we increase the number of vehicles that are wheelchair accessible. I believe we need to improve the Access-A-Ride transportation system. Access-A-Ride vehicles are rarely on time and prove to be a burden for many riders instead of giving them the help they need.

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