VOICE
P.O. Box 834
Mokena, IL 60448
(815) 469-4929
1-800-469-2248
fax (815) 469-6807
VOICE POLICY STATEMENT WITH RESPECT TO PARENTS/GUARDIAN
____________________________________________(Parents/Guardian Name)
1. VOICE will assign to each family, as needed and as available, an advocate who will
act on behalf of parent(s)/guardian(s) (the parent(s)) and their child(ren) with regard to
educational matters. With the exception of recurrent or insurmountable problems with
the assigned advocate, all contacts by the parent(s) with VOICE regarding their
child(ren)’s education will be with and through this advocate;
2. VOICE will provide a free initial consultation, not to exceed two hours, to the
parent(s). After the initial consultation, with the exception of legal services, VOICE will
assign an advocate to work with the family and provide all reasonable and necessary
advocacy services to the parent(s) in accordance with the attached sliding-scale fee
schedule. The parent(s) will submit IRS Form 1040, 1040 A, pay stubs or other proof of
family gross income to VOICE as an attachment to this Parent Statement, and the
parent(s) will pay VOICE, up front, the fee for 10 hours of advocacy services. In the
event that VOICE ultimately provides less than 10 hours of advocacy services for the
parent(s), VOICE will provide the appropriate refund to the parent(s).
3. The parent(s) will make their best effort to educate themselves with regard to special
education and disability issues. This includes attending the VOICE 30-hour advocacy
training, other training classes, including VOICE meetings to become knowledgable on
asserting rights.
4. The parent(s) will provide copies of their child(ren)’s records and documents to the
advocate, in a timely manner, so that the advocate can perform file review and other
tasks, such as research, to the best of their abilities to serve the family. The parents will
meet with the advocate to discuss expectations prior to any face-to-face meetings with the
school;
5. With the exception of the initial consultation, advocacy by VOICE will not begin until
a) this policy statement is signed by the parent(s) and returned to the VOICE President
(by mail or fax # (815) 469-6807)); b) the parent(s) has/have provided the assigned
advocate any relevant student records; c) and the parents have provided VOICE with
proof of family gross income; and d) the parents have provided VOICE with payment of
the up-front fee for 10 hours of advocacy services.
6. VOICE will provide a billing statement to the parent(s) that includes documentation of
all hours spent advocating for the parent(s). The parent(s) shall pay VOICE no later than
30 days after his/her/their receipt of the billing statement. Payment by the parent(s)
shall be in the form of a personal check made out to “VOICE” and mailed to VOICE,
P.O. Box 834, Mokena, IL 60448. Payment is due and owing within 30 days of receipt
the bill. If a payment plan is required in order to pay the off the debt, interest of 10%
per- annum will be added to the bill for the unpaid balance. If collection proceedings are
needed to collect the unpaid balance, then the person responsible for payment will be also
liable for attorney’s fees and costs in order to collect the outstanding debt.
7. VOICE may, for any reason, terminate its services at any time. The parent(s) will be
given a two week prior written notice by the VOICE President in any such event.
I HAVE READ THE ABOVE POLICY STATEMENT AND UNDERSTAND IT AND I
CERTIFY THAT THE ATTACHED INFORMATION REGARDING MY (OUR) GROSS
INCOME FOR 2005 IS TRUE AND ACCURATE.
SIGNED:
_________________________________ ____________________________
PARENT/GUARDIAN DATE
ATTACHMENT
VOICE 2007 FEE SCHEDULE
FAMILY GROSS INCOME (PER YEAR) VOICE FEE ($/HOUR)
under $20,000 $30
$20,000-$35,000 $40
$35,000-$50,000 $50
$50,000-$75,000 $60
$75,000-$125,000 $70
$125,000-$175,000 $80
over $175,000 $95
For emergencies= less than 2 weeks to prepare from the time
the records are provided - add-on $115
Note: At the discretion of the VOICE President, VOICE may reimburse parent(s)
$10/hour for services provided to VOICE by parent(s), not to exceed the number of hours
of advocacy provided to parent(s) by VOICE