Glossary

ACA – Affordable Care Act, Sometimes referred to as “Obamacare”, or “Health Care Reform” The actual law is the PPACA – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act

ADLs – Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), which include bathing, dressing, using the toilet, transferring (to or from bed or chair), caring for incontinence, and eating.

ADS – Adult Day Service

CCRCs – Continuing Care Retirement Communities

CHIP – Children’s Health Insurance Program

Covered Entity – Under HIPAA, any health care provider, health care plan or health care clearing house.

EMTALA – Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act

FMLA – Family & Medical Leave Act 

Generations Program – The first stages of the Allegheny County Child Custody program

HCBS – Home and community based services 

HHS – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

HIPAA – Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

IRS – Internal Revenue Service

Legal Custody – Right to make major decisions on behalf of the child

LTAC – A long term acute care hospital that specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of medically complex patients who require an extended stay in a hospital setting.

Physical Custody – Physical possession & control of the child

PPACA – Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka the Health Care Law Reform Act)

Pro Se – A person in a court action who is acting on their own behalf without a lawyer

Pro Se Motions Program – A program through the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Family Division that assists people without a lawyer to make family law requests through the court system.

SNF – Skilled Nursing Facilities

SSA – Social Security Administration

SSDI – Social Security Disability Insurance

SSI – Supplemental Security Insurance

Unreimbursed Medical Expenses – Out of pocket medical costs such as co-pays or deductible