WisconSibs is looking for a few volunteers interested in decorating our display and greeting our guests at this wonderful community event. Contact the WisconSibs office if you are interested.
What: Great Country Pumpkin Party
Where: Country Inn & Suites – Appleton
355 Fox River Drive
When: Thursday, October 22nd
Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm
SibNews_Volume_14-Issue 1-Aug-Sept_2015 is now available to download.
This issue includes:
Individuals with disabilities previously risked health benefits if they saved more than $2,000. Recently, WisconSibs Executive Director, Harriet Redman, and Board Chairman Ed Ruffolo, attended an event in Green Bay celebrating the signing of the Wisconsin ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Act which will allow accounts to be created in Wisconsin. 
The U.S. Congress passed it and President Obama signed the ABLE Act in December 2014. Our thanks to U.S. Congressman Reid Ribble for meeting with WisconSibs families to learn the impact this bill would have on families in WI and throughout the U.S. Each state must now approve in order to set up accounts in each state. The Green Bay event thanked WI Representative John Macco for his leadership in passing the bill in Wisconsin.
Check out this story on greenbaypressgazette.com: http://gbpg.net/1NmeGAF
More about the U.S. Congress account: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/647
From the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Sibling Leadership Network:
Department of Labor Clarifies Leave Protections for Some Siblings Under FMLA
There are over one million aging caregivers caring for adult relatives with disabilities. When aging parents are no longer able to provide care, siblings frequently take over the primary caregiving role. However, there has been a great deal of confusion about their eligibility for leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) during this transition. In general, FMLA does not currently cover siblings. Over the past year the National Council on Aging, Sibling Leadership Network, and other disability partners worked with the Department of Labor to issue new guidance clarifying eligibility for this population of caregivers. Learn more about the new guidance, and check out the fact sheet on FMLA.