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April 25, 2014

NACHSA e-Alert

 

Greetings NACHSA Members!

Federal Update: NACHSA Board members joined the NACo Human Services and Education Steering Committee earlier in the month on a conference call with Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary for the HHS Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and his key staff to learn about the Obama administration's federal budget priorities for FY 2015. Included in the discussion was a presentation on the proposal to re-target TANF Contingency funds to support a 'pathways to jobs' initiative similar to the successful efforts made under the Recovery Act to fund subsidized employment. Also highlighted was the recent action by Congress and enacted into law to temporarily reauthorize the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program at $400 million through FY 2015. The administration is requesting $500 million annually.    

 

The administration is also proposing a new, collaborative initiative with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to address the over-prescribing of psychotropic medications for foster youth. It requests a total of $250 million in mandatory funding over five years to build state capacity in using evidence-based psychosocial interventions as alternatives to psychotropic medications. A related, $500 million Medicaid initiative is being proposed to give performance-based incentives to states to coordinate care and reduce the use of psychotropic drugs for children in foster care identified as high-risk for behavioral health problems. NACHSA joined over 110 national and state organizations in supporting the administration's psychotropic medication initiative by sending a letter to the Senate and House leadership.

In This Issue
Health Reform Resources
Human Services Resources
Human Services Jobs
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Health Reform Resources
ACA Coverage of Former Foster Youth: The State Advocacy and Policy Reform Center (SPARC) has issued a brief entitled, The Affordable Care Act and Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: New Opportunities and Strategies for Action. Effective January 1, 2014 the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires states to provide Medicaid coverage for individuals under age 26 who were in foster care at age 18 and receiving Medicaid. This brief looks at steps states can take to make sure that former foster youth are getting the coverage they are entitled to under the ACA. These include proactive measures such as automatic enrollment for those foster youth aging out, designing Medicaid benefits that respond to the health needs of this population, ensuring former foster youth who aged out of care in other states can cross state lines without becoming uninsured, and exploring strategies to make sure that former foster youth who enter guardianships are also covered.

White House Releases ACA Enrollment Data: Last week, the White House announced that 8 million people signed up for private health insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplaces. Click here to read their press release containing additional ACA statistics. 
Human Services Resources
Monday, April 28 Webinar on the Next Round of the CFSRsThe Children's Bureau will be hosting an online briefing on Monday at 2 pm ET. Featuring JooYeun Chang, the Children's Bureau Associate Commissioner, and other staff from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, the session will discuss the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) statewide data indicators and national standards for the next round of CFSRs. Participation is limited to the first 500 registrants.  Click here to register for the briefing. The proposed plan for CFSR statewide data indicators and national standards was published earlier this week and may be viewed here.

 

CDF Releases the State of America's Children Report: The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) has issued its State of America's Children 2014 Report. Click here to learn more.

 

2011 TANF Participation Rates Released: The TANF work participation rates for FY 2011 have been released and posted by HHS. A state-by-state chart is available. A list of links to other WPR charts may be found here.

 

May is National Foster Care Month: HHS's Children's Bureau has released a number of resources in preparation for National Foster Care Month. Click here to go to their website.

 

Educational Needs of Foster Care Children: The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education, a collaboration of the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Juvenile Law Center, and Education Law Center, has issued a new Question and Answer factsheet on the educational needs of children in foster care, entitled How Can We Ensure Educational Success for Dependent Youth in Congregate Care?

 
Use of Antipsychotic Meds by Foster Youth: Another study documenting the "atypical antipsychotic" drug use among youths with ADHD, comparing age groups, Medicaid eligibility, and presence in foster care are presented in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. The article is available free. The study found that nearly one-third of the ADHD-diagnosed foster care youth ages 2-17 years of age included in the assessment received atypical antipsychotics. 
 
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive!: HHS has launched a new, coordinated federal effort to encourage healthy child development, universal developmental and behavioral screening for children, and support for the families and providers who care for them. The website contains a number of resources, including a Child Welfare Caseworker's Guide to Developmental & Behavioral Screening
 
Home Visiting Programs: Reviewing Evidence of Effectiveness: This three-page HHS brief shows that of 35 home visiting program models reviewed so far, 14 have met HHS criteria for evidence-based early childhood home visiting service program models. This brief also describes the review process and other results.
Human Services Jobs
Solano County, Calif. is seeking applications for Deputy Director of Health & Social Services Employment & Eligibility Programs. Please apply by Monday, May 5, 2014.

The County of San Bernardino, Calif. is hiring for Deputy Director, Program Development. Please Apply by Friday, May 9, 2014.

The County of Fresno, Calif. is seeking applications for a Director of Social Services. Please apply by Friday, May 9, 2014.
Tom Joseph
National Association of County Human Services Administrators