Categories
Financial Help
Here you’ll find resources specifically focused on how to find funding for medical, technological and daily-life necessities.
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American Association of Retired Persons Grandparent Foundation Information Center
This Site Features: Español Forums Publications
This section of the AARP website provides articles and information for grandparents who play an active role in their grandchildren's lives. The website offers extensive information on finding government aid programs, legal advice, tips on grandparenthood, and caregiving. There are a variety of resources including "Grandparenting a Child with Special Needs."
Where to Start:
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Under More Information, select the GrandCare Support link. Click on Search Form, and fill in your information. This will direct you to programs in your area that specifically apply to your needs as a grandparent. -
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
This Site Features: Medical Research Reports Publications
This helpful U.S. government website explains all things Medicare/aid. Here you'll find questions and answers about health plans, providers etc. There are also research articles, statistics and tips on applying for various services and programs.
Where to Start:
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Begin by selecting the service you want to know about from the top menu bar. If you're not sure what to look for, take a glance at the Top 10 Links section on the right. -
Disability Insurance Forums
This Site Features: Forums
This is a place to pose questions and read conversations related to disability insurance. It's a good source for tips on evaluating providers and what to expect from insurance companies
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DisabilityInfo.gov
This Site Features: Medical Research Reports Publications
Managed by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), this website is dedicated to providing in-depth online access to disability-related information. Here you'll find details on benefits, laws, services, education, and other tools for helping individuals who are living with a disability.
Where to Start:
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On the left is a list of subjects to browse. Click on Benefits to find information about available financial assistance. Here you'll be able to find information on Social Security Cash Benefit Programs and other Benefit Programs and get fact sheets, tips on applying for benefits and take a short online screening test to learn about which benefits apply to your situation. -
Disabled Children's Relief Fund
Disabled Children's Relief Fund (DCRF), a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, provides disabled children with assistance to obtain wheelchairs, orthopedic braces, walkers, lifts, hearing aids, eyeglasses, medical equipment, physical therapy, and surgery. DCRF focuses special attention on helping children throughout the U.S. that do not have adequate health insurance, especially the physically challenged.
Where to Start:
Select Services on the top toolbar to download an application. Grant applications may be used for modest awards for assistive devices, rehabilitative services, arts and humanities projects, or for efforts to bolster compliance with existing laws for the benefit of children with disabilities. Applications may be submitted by families (parent or guardian) for an individual child, or by a non-profit organization for a small group of children.
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GovBenefits.gov
This Site Features: Español
Created through a partnership of federal agencies, this website is an excellent tool for finding and accessing the government programs designed to help you. The website offers the option to search for benefits according to category, location, or federal agency.
Where to Start:
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Select Benefits at the top and decide how you would like to search for available benefits from the options under the tab. A good way to start is by selecting Take Questionnaire to help you decide which benefits to look for. -
Gridiron Heroes
Gridiron Heroes Spinal Cord Injury Foundation was formed in 2003 with a specific mission: To provide immediate, as well as, long term resources and support to individuals sustaining catastrophic spinal cord injury through activities associated with high school football.
Where to Start:
Start by reading Player Profiles to get a sense of the Gridiron Heroes Foundation. If you, a family member or friend would benefit from this program, select Get Help for more information.
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HealthInsurance.com
This website offers a simple tool which enables you to find and compare health plans. With online premium quotes, this is a good place to start researching your insurance options, whether you're looking for plans for the long term, short term, or are in transition from one plan to another.
Where to Start:
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At the very bottom of the home page is a set of links. Click Insurance Basics/FAQ's. This page gives an overview of basic plans, a glossary of terms, answers to common questions and some insight about the website and its services. -
HEATH Resource Center
This Site Features: Publications
Sponsored by the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development, this website has excellent resources geared designed to help individuals with disabilities decide on and prepare for post-secondary education. The Modules tab on the home page features detailed articles, information and advice about making decisions and overall preparation for entering college with a disability. There are also modules for parents whose children are making this transition. In addition, there are announcements about educational grants as well as informational teleconferences that can be attended online.
Where to Start:
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If a transition to college is on the horizon, then looking through the Modules, found at the top of the home page, is a great place to begin researching the available options. -
HelpHOPELive
HelpHOPELive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps patients and families facing transplantation or catastrophic injury afford uninsured medically related expenses through grass-roots fundraising. They provide the consultation needed to raise funds to bridge the gap between what health insurance will pay and what is actually needed to heal, live and thrive.
Where to Start:
Start by selecting Catastrophic Injury to see what financial services may be available to you.
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Medicare Rights Center
This Site Features: Español Publications
This is a nonprofit consumer service organization comprised of 40 staff members and more than 200 volunteers dedicated to helping people with Medicare access their benefits and rights to the fullest. The website provides detailed information and resources on what benefits you're entitled to and how to find them.
Where to Start:
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From the left-hand menu select Medicare Answers. This page offers topics such as Medicare Advice for Caregivers and Help Paying for Medicare Costs. If you don't find answers to your questions here, you can click Medicare Interactive Counselor and email your specific query. -
Medicare.gov
This website describes the services provided by Medicare, which offers insurance for people over the age of 65 or individuals under 65 with certain disabilities. On the home page, you'll find useful healthcare tools, such as links that offer comparisons of hospitals, nursing homes and home health care agencies.
Where to Start:
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From the menu on the left, select the Am I Eligible? tab and answer the questions that follow to determine your eligibility. There are also detailed instructions on how to apply. -
National Caregivers Library
This Site Features: Publications
FamilyCare America, Inc. created this as a free online source of articles, forms, checklists and links directed toward helping educate and support caregivers in all situations. The Checklists and Forms section provides particularly useful aids in making informed decisions about housing, money and health issues that apply to all caregivers.
Where to Start:
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Select Caregiving Basics from the "Caregiver Resources" menu on the left. On this page the Getting Organized section provides helpful forms and worksheets for keeping track of important documents and records. -
National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information
This Site Features: Publications
Developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this website offers extensive information and resources on long-term-care options. There is basic information about services, cost and planning as well as advice on employing long-term care for your loved one. These pages are also full of useful articles and tools, such as the Long-Term Care Savings Calculator.
Where to Start:
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Begin with Understanding Long-Term Care in the middle of the page and work your way through the Planning and Paying sections. This is a good way to cover your bases and get informed on long-term care. -
Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation
The Obie Harrington-Howes Foundation is “dedicated to maintaining and improving quality of life by providing financial aid to individuals with spinal cord injuries” for Connecticut residents only. A 501© (3) organization, it was originally established by members of the Darien (CT) community in response to Obie’s spinal-cord injury in a swimming accident on July 4, 1997, which left him paralyzed.
The Foundation helps regional residents with spinal cord injuries and disease cover non-reimbursable medical expenses. Many people living with spinal-cord injuries reach a point where insurance is exhausted and state or federal funds are no longer available. They help bridge the gap between that point and the next level of independence.
Where to Start:
If you currently live in CT, start by scrolling through the main toolbar to find more information on the program and to see if you apply.
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Partnership for Prescription Assistance
This Site Features: Español
For individuals who don't have prescription drug coverage or the means to pay full price for necessary medication, this website offers solutions. The PPA provides resources and access to more than 475 public and private programs designed to help you find affordable medication. The PPA is sponsored by several American pharmaceutical companies and the American Academy of Family Physicians, Easter Seals and the Urban League.
Where to Start:
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Selecting Prescription Assistance Programs from the top menu bar leads you to a page of useful resources including a free or low-cost-clinic finder and lists of patient assistance programs. -
Shriners Hospital Pediatric Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Programs
Shriners Hospitals for Children is a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and teaching programs. Children up to the age of 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive all care in a family-centered environment with no financial obligation to patients or families. Three locations specialize in pediatric spinal cord injury medicine and rehabilitation; they are located in Sacramento, Ca, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA. Transportation is also provided at no cost.
Where to Start:
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Select Hospitals by Specialty, and scroll down to Spinal Cord Injury. Select the regional hospital closest to you, and then click Apply for Care. Applications are available in English, Spanish and French on the website, by mail, phone, and email. -
Social Security Administration
This Site Features: Español Publications
This website covers Social Security issues specific to disabled individuals. Here you can get information on applying for benefits and finding employment. There are also extensive lists of links to pages that answer questions about how Social Security works and how it applies to your situation.
Where to Start:
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Select the Benefits Planner tab on the left. Then, chose the situation that best fits you, such as, When you become disabled. This will lead you to a page specifically geared toward acquiring the related benefits. -
Special Needs Answers
The purpose of this site, sponsored by the Academy of Special Needs Planners, is to provide a general overview of strategies parents and others can use to plan for their own futures and for those of family members with special needs.
Where to Start:
Click on the Resources tab on the top tool bar and then select State Resource Center. Under State Information, click on your state to find attorneys in your area.
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ThreeSixtyFive Foundation
It is the mission of the ThreeSixtyFive Foundation to provide, through financial and non-financial means, assistance to physically challenged individuals in returning to an active lifestyle during the first year of their recovery.
Where to Start:
Start by selecting About the Foundation to learn more about the resources the organziation offers.
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Travis Roy Foundation
The Travis Roy Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the life of individuals with spinal cord injuries and their families by providing adaptive equipment and to finding a cure through increased funding of research, resulting in self-reliance and the ability to be as independent as possible.
Where to Start:
Start by scrolling through the main toolbar to find more information on the program and to see if you apply.
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Wounded Warrior Project
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) began when several veterans and friends, moved by stories of the first wounded service members returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq, took action to help others in need. What started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members has grown into a complete rehabilitative effort to assist warriors as they recover and transition back to civilian life.
Where to Start:
If you are a veteran injured after 9/11/01, select Programs. Here you can learn about WWPO’s programs, which are uniquely structured and designed to nurture the mind and body, and encourage economic empowerment and engagement. Under each of these program areas, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) offers a variety of programs to meet a range of needs.
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