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| Greetings NACHSA Members! |
Earlier this week, the Senate adopted 92-8 the doc fix bill, reforming the way physicians are reimbursed under Medicare. To be signed by President Obama, the bill includes two-year funding extensions for both the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. The legislation also makes permanent the transitional medical assistance (TMA) program which allows low-income families to maintain their Medicaid coverage for up to one year as they transition from welfare to work. It also extends through FY 2017, the state option to use Express Lane Eligibility (ELE). ELE permits states to rely on eligibility findings from another program such as TANF, SNAP or WIC to facilitate enrollment in health coverage.
SSBG Alert: Thanks to those counties who have signed the Social Services Block Grant letter. More signatures are needed. NACHSA has joined the Child Welfare League of America, Generations United, the National Adult Protective Services Association and others to advocate on Capitol Hill to protect SSBG. Given tight federal budgets and past efforts to eliminate it, SSBG may again be a target for cuts later this year.
Now is your opportunity to lend your county's support for this effort by signing on to a letter to Congress. Click here to read and sign the letter. The national letter was signed by over 50 national organizations.
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| Human Services Resources |
HHS Proposes Extension of 90/10 Enrollment Systems Funding: Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to extend access to enhanced federal financial participation for Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems past the current regulatory deadline of December 31, 2015. CMS proposes to revise certain definitions and activities allowable for a 90% federal match which will have the effect of providing additional time and funding to allow states to complete fully modernized systems and support Medicaid eligibility and enrollment, and delivery system needs. This enhanced funding is only available for state projects that adhere to certain standards and conditions which are also being updated by this proposed rule. Public comments are due by June 15, 2015.
The State of Homelessness in America: The National Alliance to End Homelessness has released The State of Homelessness in America: 2015, which details national and state trends in the overall homeless population and subpopulations, including individuals, families and veterans. Nationally, a total of 578,424 people were homeless on a single night in January 2014. This is a rate of 18.3 people per 10,000, which is a 2.3 percent reduction from 2013.
All subgroups of homeless individuals experienced a reduction, including homeless families, veterans, the unsheltered homeless and the chronically homeless.
Food Insecurity Data Released: Feeding America has released its annual Map the Meal Gap report with state, county, and congressional district data on overall and child food insecurity rates. The report also includes data on food cost variation by county and congressional district and the percent of food insecure populations likely eligible for federal nutrition programs. Food insecurity refers to USDA's measure of lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods.
Maternal and Child Health Mobile App: Supported by HHS and created by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, Text4baby is a free mobile health education service for pregnant women and new moms providing them with tips on subjects including breastfeeding, car seat safety, and developmental milestones, among many others. The messages also provide 1-800 numbers and other resources. Learn more here.
HHS Issues More Findings on Overuse of Psychotropics: Many children in foster care are being overmedicated with antipsychotic drugs they may not really need, or the drugs are being given incorrectly, according to a recent report released by HHS. The report found quality-of-care concerns in 67% percent of the cases reviewed. Five states were selected for the study: CA, FL, IL, NY, and TX. They were selected because they represented approximately 39 percent of total Medicaid payments for second-generation antipsychotics in 2011.
Child Welfare Disproportionality Studies Issued: Earlier this month, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) launched a series of papers examining child welfare agencies to learn what structural issues are contributing to the poor outcomes experienced by children, youth and families of color and why they are over-represented in child welfare systems. Based in part on institutional ethnography and complementing implementation science, the Institutional Analysis process seeks to understand the full experience that families have when they encounter public systems. Learn what some counties are doing to address the issue by clicking here. |
| Webinars |
Youth Sex Trafficking: On Monday, April 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET, the federal Family and Youth Services Bureau will host a webinar addressing the needs of youth experiencing homelessness and abuse. According to FYSB, 380,000 homeless and runaway youth are left on their own each week-living unsupervised on the streets, in abandoned buildings, in shelters, transitional housing, with friends or with strangers. This webinar will focus on the intersections of relationship abuse and sex trafficking among runaway and homeless youth. Experts will suggest ways that individuals, organizations and communities can provide effective support to youth experiencing violence and abuse while living in unstable housing situations. A brief presentation on the Family and Youth Service's Bureau's RHY & Relationship Violence Toolkit, including its new section on minor sex trafficking, will be shared. To register, follow this link.
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| Human Services Jobs |
Tehama County, Calif. invites applications for the position of Social Services Director (Contract Position). Please apply by April 16, 2015.
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Tom Joseph
National Association of County Human Services Administrators
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