The New
Jersey Department of Human Services works in partnership with families,
consumers, advocacy groups, service providers and state and municipal
officials throughout the state to ensure that the rights of people
with disabilities are protected and that they and their families
have access to quality programs and services that meet their needs.
Services include, but are not limited to, the provision of health
care for people with special needs, community living, employment-related
and day programs, community-based mental health and in-patient care
for both children and adults with emotional and behavioral problems,
and assistive technological devices for people who are blind or
deaf. Services for people with disabilities are accessed through
the following divisions, offices and programs:
The Catastrophic
Illness in Children Relief Fund provides eligible families
with financial assistance to help them cover medical expenses that
were previously incurred because their child became catastrophically
ill or injured. Covered expenses include, but are not limited to,
special ambulatory care, acute or specialized in- or out-patient
hospital care, medical equipment, medically-related home modifications,
home health care and medical transportation.
The
Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired coordinates
and provides preventive, rehabilitative and assistive services to
people who are blind or visually impaired or at risk of becoming
so. Services include, but are not limited to, eye health screenings
and assessments for adults and children, educational and vocational
rehabilitation, annual sleep-away camping for children who are blind
or visually impaired, and referrals to other services, as required.
The
Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the State’s
central information and referral service for people who are deaf
and hard of hearing. This division helps people obtain devices and
services required to help them better communicate and participate
in daily life, such as text telephones (TTYs) and sign language
interpreters.
The
Division of Developmental Disabilities coordinates and provides
services for people with autism, mental retardation, cerebral palsy,
spina bifida and traumatic brain injuries. Services include counseling,
respite care for family members, and referral services to other
community-based resources needed. This Division also operates seven
developmental centers, where people with developmental disabilities
receive round-the-clock care and it licenses privately operated
group homes, supervised apartments, supported living programs and
skill development and family care homes in communities throughout
the State.
The
Division of Disability Services provides information and
referral services to people with disabilities and their families,
who are seeking help locating appropriate resources in their communities.
The Division also is responsible for overseeing various Medicaid
home-and community-based waiver programs that are designed to help
people with disabilities live as independently as possible.
Health Care for People with Disabilities
is provided by the Division of Medical
Assistance and Health Services, through its New Jersey Care
2000+ program. The program helps to enroll Medicaid-eligible aged,
blind or disabled residents in Health
Maintenance Organizations (HMOs)
through which their medical care can be coordinated and managed.
Referral and information also can be obtained by calling the Division
of Disability Services at 1-888-285-3036.
The
Division of Mental Health Services coordinates and provides
community-based supports, like counseling, emergency screening,
case management and residential and day program services and, if
necessary, in-patient care for people with mental illness. Regarding
the latter, this division operates six
psychiatric hospitals in New Jersey.
Good
Neighbors, Community Living for People with Disabilities,
is the Department’s public education program to increase public
awareness about people with disabilities and the kinds of community
living arrangements in which they reside. As part of this effort,
DHS representatives reach out to municipal officials, private organizations
and New Jersey residents to provide information and to answer their
questions, in hopes to achieve broader public acceptance and accommodations
for people with disabilities.
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