HCBS Conference Plenary Videos

Check out the two plenary session videos below from this year's Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference. Not able to make it to the conference, or want to share these great speeches with your colleagues? Here is your opportunity!

Click here to see Kathy Greenlee, Administrator, Administration for Community Living, and Assistant Secretary, Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, speaking about our Networks' opportunity for advocacy.

Click here to see Dr. Laura Mosqueda, Director of Family Medicine, University of California, Irvine speaking about dementia, memory, and abuse in later life.

NASUAD Partners with Hawaii Executive Office on Aging To Host 2013 Hawaii HCBS Conference

The Hawaii Executive Office on Aging has partnered with the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) to bring a national level home and community based services conference to Hawaii. Our participants will include federal, state, and local policymakers and those who administer, manage, and deliver waiver and other HCBS programs. Presenters will include leaders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities; the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging; the National Council of Independent Living and many others on national trends and innovations in aging and disability programs. 

When: December 3-5, 2013  

Where: Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort and Spa, Honolulu, Hawaii 

November 16th is National I&R Services Day

In late 2011, the U.S. Senate passed S.RES.241 designating November 16, 2011 as the first "National Information and Referral (I&R) Services Day." The celebration of National I&R Day continues each year on November 16, to help highlight the importance of the I&R field. People in search of critical services such as financial assistance, food, shelter, child care, jobs, or mental health support often do not know where to begin to get help, or they get overwhelmed trying to find what they need. I&R departments across the country make this information available to the public with one simple phone call, text message, or website search. 

The Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) has created a National I&R Day logo and compiled a press release for individual I&R organizations to use to help get the word out about I&R Day. Please help spread the word, and celebrate the great work of your state and local I&R departments.

Click here to access the National I&R Day logo and press release that can be modified to your organization.

National Work Incentives Seminar Event (WISE): Support Services for People with Disabilities

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is holding a webinar on free support services for people who have a disability and are ready to work. The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET. 

If you are a Social Security disability beneficiary and want to make more money through work, Social Security's Ticket to Work program can provide the support you need to transition to financial independence.

Click here to register online at  or call 1-866-968-7842 (V) or 1-866-833-2967 (TTY).

OAA Reauthorization Bill Scheduled for October 30 Mark Up

Earlier this month, Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),  Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, introduced a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) through 2018.  The measure, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 1562), is the result of bipartisan negotiations on the part of the Committee and Subcommittee leadership. 

The legislation, though more modest in scope than previous attempts to reauthorize the Act, represents a truly bipartisan effort to modernize the OAA.  The bill  maintains several NASUAD-member priorities, while addressing the concerns we had with earlier versions of the package.

NASUAD has formally endorsed the bill, and we encourage those who are able weigh in with their Members of Congress or release statements of support to do so, particularly those states or organizations with ties to the Senate HELP Committee.

The full HELP Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, October 30 to mark up the legislation. It is our understanding that S. 1562 is likely to be the final attempt to reauthorize the OAA in the current Congress, making the HELP Committee's approval extremely critical. NASUAD supports a continuation of the reauthorization process.  Therefore, we encourage members of the HELP Committee to support the bill in its current form, which would afford the full Senate the opportunity to consider and debate S. 1562.

The text of the bill, as well as a one-page summary, is available here.

NASUAD's Letter of Support for S. 1562 is available here.

The Senate HELP Committee's Agenda for October 30^th is available here.

Deal Reached to End Shutdown, Raise Debt Ceiling

Hours before the U.S. was set to reach its borrowing limit, Congress cleared a measure to reopen the federal government and lift the debt ceiling.  President Obama signed the legislation (HR 2775) into law early Thursday morning.

The bipartisan deal funds the government through January 15 at the current FY13 post-sequestration spending level of $986 billion and suspends the debt limit until February 7. In addition, the measure clarifies that federal workers, including those who were furloughed during the 16-day shutdown, will receive back pay, and that states will be reimbursed for the costs they incurred operating programs normally paid for by the federal government. 

The budget agreement does not alter the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) or sequestration.  While not part of the legislative text, the House and Senate also agreed to create a conference committee that would craft a broad budget agreement by December 13.  The committee is charged with establishing FY14 discretionary funding levels, which could potentially address sequestration.  Notably, the date on which the current continuing resolution (CR) expires, January 15, 2014, is also the date on which OMB is required to enforce the BCA's discretionary spending caps and sequestration for FY14.

Congressional leadership in both chambers announced members of the budget conference committee late Wednesday.  Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will co-chair the conference with her House counterpart, Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.).  The two issued a joint statement expressing their shared intention of working towards a bipartisan deal on deficit reduction and FY14 spending. 

In addition to Murray, Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Mark Warner (Va.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Chris Coons (Del.), Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.), Tim Kaine (Va.), and Angus King (I-Maine) will serve as conferees.  Senate Republicans appointed Sens. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Pat Toomey (Pa.), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), and Roger Wicker (Miss.).

Along with Ryan, House Republicans named three Budget Committee members: Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Tom Price of (R-Ga.), and Diane Black (R-Tenn.). Democrats in the lower chamber named James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Assistant Democratic Leader; Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ranking Member on the Budget Committee; and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee.

Medicaid HCBS Discussion Forum 

The recent federal Commission on Long-Term Care called for building a system that promotes "services for persons with functional limitations in the least restrictive setting appropriate to their needs."  A major step toward accomplishing this goal would be to reform Medicaid to put coverage for HCBS on par with coverage for nursing homes. Please join the AARP Public Policy Institute for a discussion of policy options and lessons learned in the states. 

This event will be held at the Senate Russell Office Building, Room 325, Washington, DC.   Continental breakfast will be available at 9:00 a.m.    

Click here to read more about the forum and to register.

The AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Advocacy Association, in partnership with the Community Access National Network (CANN) Great Lakes ADA Center, and HealthHIV is hosting an educational webinar on Wednesday, November 6th, 2013 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET. The webinar, themed "Impact of the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid Expansion & Insurance Exchanges on HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Services," will be open to all HIV/AIDS and Virtal Hepatitis stakeholders nationwide. The webinar is being held online in the Great Lakes ADA Center's virtual conference room. 

Click here to register for the webinar.

Registration for ASA's Aging in America 60th Anniversary Conference Open

The Aging in America Conference will take place in San Diego on March 11-15, 2014.  Attendees who register for the 2014 Aging in America Conference before November 15, 2013 will be entered to win a roundtrip ticket for Southwest Airlines. Learn from the experts and gain new insights from this community of 3,000 engaged professionals at the largest multidisciplinary conference on aging in the nation.

Click here for more information and to register.

Affordable Care Act - Frequently Asked Marketplace Questions

The Kaiser Family Foundation recently partnered with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms in answering several frequently asked questions about the Affordable Care Act. The focus of the nearly 200 questions is on the Health Insurance Marketplace, and they are organized into several categories:

• Health Insurance Marketplace, Enrollment Periods, Plans and Premiums
• Individual Responsibility To Have Health Coverage
• Minimum Essential Coverage
• Help Paying Private Health Insurance Premiums
• Cost-Sharing Reductions
• Non-traditional Households
• Immigrants
• Early Retirees
• People with Variable Incomes
• Medicare

Click here for the full list of frequently asked questions.

Webinar Series on Senior Transportation

The National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST) is offering a series of webinars which will provide participants with ideas and practical suggestions on how to secure local match dollars for federal grants. The four webinars entitled, Don't Gamble on Senior Transportation Funding: Winning Local Match for Federal Grants, will offer expert presenters, resources, and brief practical homework assignments designed to impact participants' agencies directly. Throughout the webinars, participants will develop a working document that can be used as a planning tool for future local match funding solutions. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to discussions solutions with fellow participants through an online course forum.

The webinar date are October 16, October 30, November 13, November 25, and each one will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET. 

Click here for more information on the webinars.

Click here to register for individual webinars.

New Resource to Help Older Survivors of Abuse in Rural Areas

The newest publication from the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), is a resource booklet entitled Rural Domestic and Sexual Abuse Program Advocates: Making a Difference in the Lives of Older Survivors of Abuse. This resource aims to provide rural domestic and sexual abuse service providers with a variety of tools, strategies, and resources to effectively respond to the unique challenges of abuse in later life cases. 

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) and IlluminAge are hosting a webinar on October 29, 2013 that will serve as a refresher on what is happening with the Affordable Care Act, and how it is impacting the aging and disability networks. Discover the latest on the Medicaid expansion, care coordination for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and how the Health Insurance Marketplace works.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Storytelling Contest for LGBT Older Adults

With the goal of collecting stories of LGBT older adults who have spent their lives building their own families and communities, Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) is holding a storytelling contest from October 10 to November 6, 2013.  

What does "community" mean to you? How do you stay connected to the people who matter most to you? By answering these questions, SAGE aims to draw on the unique life experiences of LGBT elders in order to diversify the public narratives on aging, long-term care and LGBT rights. Visit SAGE Story, an online story booth for digital submissions, and share your story! Submission deadline is November 6, 2013 5 p.m. ET.

Click here for more information about this initiative.

NCOA Funding Available for Benefits Enrollment Centers

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) was awarded funding from the Administration on Community Living to house the National Center for Benefits Outreach and Enrollment. As part of this work, NCOA is seeking nonprofit or public agencies to be part of their next cohort of Benefits Enrollment Centers. Successful applicants will receive up to $100,000 for each group over one year to create meaningful change to outreach and enrollment systems  for core benefits that improve the lives of seniors and adults with disabilities. Letters of intent are due October 25, 2013. The deadline for full proposals is Nov. 19, 2013.

Click here to view the full RFP.

Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign that raises awareness about disability employment issues and celebrates the many and varied contributions of America's workers with disabilities. The theme for 2013 is "Because We Are EQUAL to the Task." 

Click here to learn more about the campaign.