BOARD OF DIRECTORS MICHIGAN PROTECTION & ADVOCACY SERVICE, INC. Virtual Regular Meeting Minutes June 16, 2020 Call Meeting to Order President McCulloch called the meeting to order at 10:03 a.m. Attendance Present: John McCulloch, Mark Stephenson, Selena Schmidt, Paul Palmer, Tom Landry, Mark Wiedelman, Jane Shank Absent: Melody Arabo, Davin Hemmila, Alethea Brinkerhoff, Hansen Clarke, Pam Bellamy Staff: Michelle Roberts, Michele Brand, Mark McWilliams, Kyle Williams, Elham Jahshan, Theresa Diebolt, Sara Koroniotis, Kris Keranen Approval of Agenda President McCulloch asked if there were any corrections to the Agenda. It was requested by Michelle Roberts to add Flexible Spending Account (FSA) changes to new business. Tom Landry MOVED to approve the revised agenda and Paul Palmer seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Stephenson, Palmer, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman      NAYS: None  Motion Carried. Approval of Minutes Tom Landry MOVED to approve the minutes and Mark Stephenson seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE: AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Stephenson, Palmer, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman      NAYS: None  Motion carried. President’s Report President McCulloch had nothing to report. Executive Director and Staff Reports Executive Director, Michelle Roberts, referred to her written report and discussed how the agency has transitioned and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been in contact with NDRN on a weekly basis communicating with P&As across the US as to how they are conducting business during the pandemic. Ms. Roberts went on to explain how the agency is preparing to phase back into the office. A question was asked if she is concerned with our funding, and she stated we do expect to lose our state funding, however we have not heard anything specific to that. She added that we have not heard of any cuts and have been working to get increases in a couple of our federal programs. Nothing has been determined at this time. It was also asked if we received any stimulus funds, and Ms. Roberts referred to Michele Brand to answer that in her report. Michele Brand gave an update on office administration, human resources, information technology, and finance. She brought up the PPP loan and the decision was made to keep paying staff while they telework. We can get tax credits for staff who have minor children and must care for them while teleworking. In creating the budget, Ms. Brand is planning on a loss in federal dollars to see where the agency would be if there is a loss. She went on to state that the past few months have been focused on COVID-19 with policies, PPE purchases, and keeping up with all of it has been very time consuming. She referred to her report and asked for questions and/or comments. Kris Keranen reported on the Education Team referring to her report and mentioned the memos generated by the Department of Education and how some were directed toward special education. She also discussed how her team responded with concerns related to special education instruction and supports. The back to school plan and some affects it will have on children was discussed. Sara Koroniotis reported on the Rep Payee team referring to her report and expressed SSA had issued guidance that no in-person reviews could be conducted during the pandemic. All phone interviews were suspended in April, so the team was very limited in the work they could do. Also, a new Rep Payee Specialist was hired and will start in August. Mark McWilliams reported on the Public Policy and Media Relations team. He stated his team has been working on the rebranding and indicated we are looking at August to roll out our new name, website, and brand. Elham Jahshan reported on the Employment Team referring to her report and gave a brief update on the work her team has been doing including doing some presentations through Zoom. Kyle Williams reported on the Legal team saying they have recently had some great outcomes. He highlighted a few things his team has been working on including medical rationing when there would be limited medical resources and a greater demand for need of those resources. They also had some issues with the state and community-based services specially provided by CMH and have been working litigation regarding that. He asked that the board go into Executive Session to share some details about litigation his team has been working on. Mark Wiedelman MOVED to receive and file the Executive Director’s and staff reports and Selena Schmidt seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE:  AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Stephenson, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman      NAYS: None    Motion carried. Public Comment There was no one present from the public. PAIMI Advisory Council Report PAIMI Advisory Council update was given by Acting Chair, Selena Schmidt, who indicated the Council has not met since February so there was no official report. However, the Council will be meeting to vote on a new Chair and Vice Chair, and she will be stepping down as new members come on board. Michelle shared that applications for new members have been received and those will be reviewed at the next meeting. Committee Reports Budget & Finance Committee – Mr. Mark Stephenson/Ms. Michele Brand Mark Stephenson referred to the financial statements and stated we were 3% under budget without the Rep Payee program, which was 4% under budget. Michele discussed the TBI grant. Tom Landry MOVED to receive and file the Budget & Finance Committee report and Mark Wiedelman seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE:  AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Stephenson, Palmer, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman      NAYS: None                                                            Motion carried. Public Policy Committee – Mr. Mark McWilliams Mr. McWilliams gave an update indicating the committee meeting was postponed at the request of the Chair, Hansen Clarke. In the budget, we have over $500 million of federal money for new spending to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and, according to the revenue conference in May, we have a potential budget shortfall. And for the current budget, we have about $3.2 billion in combined general fund and school aid. He went on to discuss some of the main things that affect the budget including the $2/hour increase for direct care workers, education cuts, and that state employees are furloughed. Mr. McWilliams mentioned the state budget and that we do not know if our funding will be cut. The P&As are not taking any cuts in federal money and we are looking at increases for some of the programs. Mr. McWilliams further discussed the increase of telehealth and increasing pressure on school staffing and impacts on the relationships we have with policy makers. We have established some good relationships. Old Business Old business – none New Business 1. Please mark your calendars with future meeting dates. Tuesday, September 8, 2020 (Zoom) Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (Location TBD) 2. Flexible Spending Account (FSA) changes – Michele Brand gave an update regarding the change that came about due to COVID-19 allowing employees to increase or decrease their current tax-free deductions for their FSA accounts. Paul Palmer MOVED to approve the revision of the FSA and Mark Wiedelman seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE:  AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Stephenson, Palmer, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman   NAYS: None                                                 Motion carried. Executive Session Tom Landry MOVED to go into Executive Session at 11:33 and Mark Wiedelman seconded. ROLL CALL VOTE:  AYES: McCulloch, Shank, Palmer, Landry, Schmidt, Wiedelman  NAYS: None                                                                                          Motion carried. Executive Session ended at 11:59 a.m. Minutes prepared by: Theresa Diebolt, Executive Assistant Minutes approved by: Paul Palmer, Secretary