When to Contact Your State P&A / CAP

Employment | Client Assistance Program (CAP) | Criminal Justice | Education | People Living in Residential Facilities | Community Living

CONTACT YOUR STATE P&A/CAP

Choose your State Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Native American Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Marianas Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Employment / Work

You can call a P&A about employment when -

• You want to know what help is available to get or keep a job.   
   
• You want to know what will happen to your benefits if you go to work. Benefits may include-
  • Social Security
  • Medicaid
  • TANF
  • Medicare
  • Housing
  • Food Stamps
  • Transportation
     
• You have transportation problems getting to and from work.
   
• You believe you were not hired or given a different job because of your disability.
   
• You were not given the help you needed to do your job.
   
• You think people at your job are bothering you or not treating you fairly because of your disability. [back to top]

CAP (Client Assistance Program)

You can call the Client Assistance Program for help when –

• You need help getting services from VR (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services).
   
• You have been told you cannot get help from VR to go to school or get a job.
   
• No VR plan has been developed because you and your counselor disagree about your education or job goal or other help you need.
   
• VR services have been denied or delayed.
   
• VR is not helping you find a job.
   
• Your VR counselor will not return your calls.
   
• You got a new VR counselor and she/he wants to change your plan to get a job. [back to top]

Criminal Justice

If someone you know with a disability is in jail call the P&A in your state or territory to find out

• What their rights are.
• How to get their medication to them
• What to do if you believe the person may be in danger of harming himself/herself

If someone you know with a disability is in prison call the P&A in your state or territory to find out

• What their rights are
• How they can get mental health services
• What they can do before getting out of prison to have their benefits, such as Social Security, restored

Also call your P&A if

• You receive a letter from Social Security stating that you are losing your benefits because you are a “fugitive felon” [back to top]

Special Education

Call your state P&A if your child receives special services or help and is having problems in one of the following areas :

• To learn about your child’s special education rights and related services such as assistive technology
   
• Assistive technology is equipment or services that help your child participate in and complete school assignments and activities
   
• Your child has not been evaluated for services even though you requested an evaluation
   
• The school is not following the requirements of the child’s IEP (Individual Education Program)
   
• The school has not held an IEP meeting within the last 12 months to review your child’s IEP
   
• Your child’s needs have changed and you have asked for another IEP meeting, but the school has not followed through
   
• Your child is getting suspended or expelled because of behavior related to his disability or other special needs
   
• You believe that the placement or services your child is receiving are not meeting her needs
   
• You believe that the placement or services recommended by the school are not going to meet your child’s needs
   
• Your child has been placed in an alternative school or juvenile justice facility and is not receiving the special education services she needs
   
• The school has not provided the equipment such as computers or communication devices that have been recommended to assist your child in completing assignments

People Living in Residential Facilities
(Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Schools, or other Treatment Centers)

Call your state P&A if you or someone you know is living in a residential facility and has a problem in one or more of the following areas:

• You believe staff is illegally taking your money 

• You are being physically harmed
   
• Someone made you have sex when you did not want to
   
• Someone touched your body in a way that made you feel uncomfortable
   
• You have been verbally or emotionally bothered
   
• You are being given medication that you don’t want to take
   
• You want a discharge plan
   
• Staff is not following your treatment or discharge plan
   
• Your discharge plan says that you are ready for discharge, put you are still in the hospital
   
• You are not receiving adequate food, clothing or health care
   
• You don’t feel safe

Community Living

Call your state P&A if you have a disability and are having problems in one or more of the following areas :

• Moving out of a nursing home 

• Getting your medications paid for 

• Getting the health care services you need
   
• Renting a place to live
   
• Being evicted or having problems where you live because of your disability
   
• Being discharged from a hospital into a nursing home and you don’t believe this is right place for you
   
• Getting transportation to get to go places
   
• Your Social Security or other benefits have been stopped
   
• You need a wheelchair, TTY, mobility cane or other aids to help you be independent  
   
• You were denied the right to vote because of your disability
   
• You want to know what your voting rights are
   
• Following an accident or illness you have problems with memory, thinking, behavior, keeping a job, following directions, getting along with others or doing things the way you use to
  
• You are not allowed into a store, restaurant or other community setting because you have a service animal or for other reasons related to your disability