Month: July 2015

Schmidt urges phone carriers to offer call-blocking technology to consumers

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today urged the five major phone companies to offer call-blocking technology to their customers.

In a letter to the chief executives of AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and Century Link, Schmidt, along with 44 other state attorneys general, stated a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule clarification allows telecommunications service providers to offer customers the ability to block unwanted calls, and verifies that federal law does not prohibit offering the services.

In the letter, the attorneys general stated, “Every year, our offices are flooded with consumer complaints pleading for a solution to stop intrusive robocalls. Your companies are now poised to offer your customers the help they need. We urge you to act without delay.”

Schmidt said phone carriers had previously claimed they could not offer such services. At a July 2013 Congressional committee hearing, representatives from the U.S. Telecom Association and CTIA testified that legal barriers prevent carriers from implementing advanced call-blocking technology to reduce the number of unwanted telemarketing calls.

“The FCC in its rule has made it clear that phone companies can assist us in our ongoing efforts to reduce unwanted and unsolicited calls to consumers,” Schmidt said. ”I’m hopeful the phone companies will work quickly to implement this technology to give consumers the power to decide which calls they want to accept.”

A copy of the attorneys general letter is available at http://1.usa.gov/1HPfdrb .

Kansas consumers can learn more about the Do Not Call list or file a complaint by visiting the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org.

Federal investigation of Kansas Medicaid waiting lists ongoing

U.S. Department of Justice declines comment on probe involving services for Kansans with disabilities

by Andy Marso, KHI News Service

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that the department is still investigating complaints about Medicaid waiting lists for disability services in Kansas.

The services are daily living supports in home and community-based settings that people with disabilities would normally receive Medicaid coverage for if they were in assisted living facilities.

In 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which partners with states to administer Medicaid, referred complaints about long waits for the services in Kansas to the Justice Department, the legal arm of the federal government.

The department launched an investigation into whether the waiting lists violated the civil rights of Kansans with disabilities.

George Hornedo, a press assistant with the Justice Department, confirmed Tuesday that the agency still is investigating but declined to give further details.

“The department declines to comment due to this being an ongoing investigation,” Hornedo said via email.

The grounds for the legal probe center on a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found institutionalizing people with disabilities who could remain in their homes and communities with reasonable support amounted to unconstitutional segregation.

There are separate waiting lists for Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities and Kansans with physical disabilities.

Kari Bruffett, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, told members of the National Council on Disability earlier this month that the physical disability list was outdated and the state is close to eliminating it by culling those who no longer want services and getting services to those who do.

But advocates for Kansans with disabilities say they’re worried that the list is dwindling because bureaucratic hurdles are causing some to drop off and Kansans who could be served in their communities may be ending up in nursing homes.

Rocky Nichols, executive director of the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, said he was pleased to hear the Justice Department is still looking into complaints.

“This is good news, because there are issues in Kansas that need to be addressed,” Nichols said. “We are glad that DOJ is maintaining an active and ongoing investigation into this important area.”

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

– See more at http://www.khi.org/news/article/federal-investigation-of-kansas-medicaid-waiting-lists-ongoing#sthash.7bUOH0UJ.dpuf

Van Halen to play concert in Bonner Springs tonight

Van Halen is scheduled to play at concert at 7:30 p.m. tonight, July 22, at the Cricket Wireless Amphitheater at 130th and State Avenue in Bonner Springs.

Van Halen is appearing with the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

General admission lawn tickets start at $27.50. For more ticket information, see http://cricketwirelessamp.com/.