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| Greetings NACHSA Members! |
NACHSA Dues are Due: Please click here access the 2014 dues form. Thank you!
Federal Update: The House and Senate are in recess until next week. When they return, President Obama will make his State of the Union address before them on Tuesday evening.
There has been little to no progress made on the farm bill, with dairy price support issues still holding up a final agreement. The just-passed FY 2014 omnibus spending bill includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), so funding for the entitlement will continue regardless of the farm bill negotiations.
And, the administration announced this week that its FY 2015 budget will be sent to Capitol Hill one month late. Its package of spending and policy proposals is now expected to be released on March 4.
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NACHSA News
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DUES: NACHSA 2014 Dues are due, please click here to access the invoice. It now includes an updated W-9 form that some counties have needed to process payment. This marks the 10th year that dues have been frozen. Thank you for your support!
NACHSA Awards Process Underway: NACHSA welcomes applications from dues-paying members for awards highlighting innovative county programs; exemplary human services directors, and elected officials demonstrating steadfast support of health and human services programs. Applications are due February 7 to Lindsay Webb (lw@wafed.com). Winners will be notified before NACo's Legislative Conference and awards will be presented at the Human Services and Education Committee meeting on Sunday, March 2. There is no fee for applying and winners need not be present. Click here for the 2014 Awards Applications.
NACHSA to Meet at NACo: All NACHSA members are invited to attend the NACHSA Board meeting to be held at NACo's Legislative Conference at the Washington Hilton on March 1 at 1:30 pm. To learn more about the Conference, click here.
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| Health Reform Resources |
CMS Guidance on Medicaid Presumptive Eligibility: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today released guidance on hospital presumptive eligibility in the form of a Frequently Asked Questions document. That FAQ and other expanding coverage tools may be found here.
Expedited Medicaid Enrollment: Medicaid presumptive eligibility is used in 33 states to allow community health centers, hospitals, and schools to temporarily enroll children and pregnant women in Medicaid based on household income alone. Under the Affordable Care Act, many of those states can now extend expedited Medicaid enrollment to all adults with incomes below 138 percent of federal poverty level. Click here to read the 5-page brief from Health Affairs.
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| Human Services Resources |
Unemployment Insurance and States: Congress continues to be stalemated over extending the now expired federal emergency unemployment insurance benefits. Consequently, the maximum number of weeks of benefits fell to 26 in most states (seven states provide fewer weeks and two provide more). This Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Off the Charts Blog summarizes the unemployment rates and UI benefit length in each state.
TANF and EBT Locations & Requirements: HHS has published additional Q&A's on TANF requirements related to EBT transactions. The updates begin with question #8.
SNAP Primer: Last month, the Congressional Research Service published a primer on benefits and eligibility for SNAP. It may be accessed here.
Foster Care Statistics 2012: HHS has published this brief containing the most recent national statistical estimates for children and youth in foster care from FY 2012 and earlier data from FY 2003 to demonstrate trends over time. (13 pp.)
Foster Children and Use of Medicaid: Studies have found that children in foster care have a higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and health-risk behaviors compared to their peers. This SAMHSA study examines the prevalence of mental and physical illnesses and the use of health care services among children in foster care covered by Medicaid and compares it to other youth.
Youth Access to Mental Health Care: Approximately one in five adolescents has a diagnosable mental health disorder, making these disorders one of the leading causes of disability among this age group. However, studies have found that most children and adolescents with mental health disorders do not seek out or receive the services that they need. This Child Trends brief outlines the issue. (5 pp.)
Chicken or Egg?: As Bob Behn from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government writes, 'Contemporary public executives may not be Philosopher Kings. Nevertheless, they do face a variant of the philosophical question that troubled Plato's student Aristotle: "Which comes first: Resources or Results?" After all, all public executives will find it difficult to produce results without adequate resources. Yet, who will provide them with the necessary resources without some evidence that the executive's organization is capable of producing the promised results?' Read his one-page Performance Leadership Report here.
Trauma Toolkit: Understanding trauma in the lives of youth is essential for those working in child welfare. This one-stop resource was recently released by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. "Trauma-Informed Child Welfare Practice" provides an overview of traumatic stress, how to recognize and understand its effects and how to address it. Trauma is discussed from a number of perspectives and the information may be helpful to a number of individuals and families involved in the child welfare system.
Federal Action Plan on Human Trafficking: Last week, the Obama Administration released the final version of the "Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking." It may be read here.
Webinar -- Education Experiences of Children and Youth in the Child Welfare System: The National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent or At-Risk (NDTAC) is hosting a webinar that will examine the educational experiences of children and youth involved with the child welfare system and highlight the work of systems around the country striving to foster better educational outcomes. Click here to register for this January 29 webinar.
Webinar -- Assets for Independence Grants: This webinar introduces asset building, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), and the Assets for Independence program. It explains how an agency can assess its capacity to operate an AFI project, and reviews considerations for designing a successful project, including target population, allowable uses of funds, match rates, and network projects. Click here to register for the February 18 webinar.
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| Human Services Jobs |
Lassen County, Calif. is accepting applications for a Program Manager position in the Community Social Services Division of the Health and Social Services Department
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Tom Joseph
National Association of County Human Services Administrators
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