Hawaii HCBS Conference: A National Perspective for Local Aging and Disability Professionals

The Hawaii Executive Office on Aging has partnered with the NASUAD to host the 2013 Hawaii HCBS Conference.  Participants will include federal, state, and local policymakers and those who administer, manage and deliver waiver and other HCBS programs. Presentations and workshops will be provided by leaders from the U.S. Health and Human Services Administration; 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 2-5, 2013

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

Click here to register.

Click here to learn more.

November Edition of the Medicaid Expansion Tracker Now Available

The State Medicaid Expansion Tracker is a NASUAD publication that focuses on actions and activities around the  implementation of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) optional Medicaid expansion. 

In June 2012, the Supreme Court found all of the ACA to be constitutional, except the application of the Medicaid expansion as a mandate.  To remedy this aspect of the law while leaving the rest intact, the Court essentially made state participation in the expansion optional by limiting the penalty for non-compliance to a loss of federal funding associated with the expansion only, rather than all of the state's Medicaid funding. 

With coverage of this new adult population now optional, state officials have spent the intervening months weighing participation in the expansion, with varying results.  To monitor state trends and progress around this issue, NASUAD has drawn from a variety of sources to compile the State Medicaid Expansion Tracker.  We expect to update this analysis regularly, as 2014 approaches.

Click here to access the latest version of the Medicaid Expansion Tracker.

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.

Federal Guidance Clarifies that Those Who Purchase Coverage During Open Enrollment Will Not be Subject to Penalties 

On October 28, 2013, the federal government issued guidance related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This most recent guidance clarifies the dates by which individuals can purchase coverage through the marketplace and avoid being subject to the penalty for not maintaining minimal essential coverage.

Prior to the release of this guidance, an individual could purchase insurance through the marketplace during the latter part of open enrollment (between February 16 and March 31, 2014) and still be liable for a penalty because of when their coverage would take effect. This guidance ensures that anyone purchasing their insurance coverage at any time during the open enrollment period meets the coverage requirements for 2014, and therefore allows them to avoid the tax penalty.

Click here to view the CMS Shared Responsibility Provision Q&A.

CMS Disability-Competent Care Webinar Series

The Disability-Competent Care Model is a resource for providers, health plans, and healthcare organizations to enhance capacity to integrate care for adults with disabilities.  This webinar series is sponsored by the CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office.

Title: Managing Transitions

When: Tuesday, November 5, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. ET

 Topics that will be covered:

• Defining transitions
• Presenting the Transitional Care Model
• Understanding the need for managing non-medical transitions
• Exploring special considerations for managing transitions of adults with disabilities

Title: Flexible Long Term Services and Supports

When: Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Topics that will be covered:

• Understanding the disconnect between medical care and long-term services and supports
• Cordinating all health care services and supports
• Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the disability-competent interdisciplinary care team
• Understanding and supporting participant choices for community-based living
• Promising practices in Long Term Supports and Services/Durable Medical Equipment allocation
• Supporting employment and community participation

Click here to register for the webinars.  

CMS, the Administration on Community Living, and the Indian Health Service, jointly developed a new website, American Indian/Alaskan Native Road map to Long Term Services and Supports. This new resource offers a step-by-step planning process for addressing Long Term Services and Supports needs in tribal communities.  Each step helps planners and health professionals think broadly and strategically about participant needs, resources for services, and opportunities for collaboration.

National Health Security Strategy Stakeholder Meetings

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is holding stakeholder meetings about the development and implementation of the 2014 National Health Security Strategy (NHSS). The meetings will be held on November 7, 2013, 1:00-2:30 p.m. ET, and November 12, 2013, 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET. The meetings will be open to the public and available via webinar. 

Email NHSS@hhs.gov for more information on the meetings.

Getting Ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace Toolkit

The "Getting Ready for the Health Insurance Marketplace" Toolkit, provided by the HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, will be available online until December 10, 2013.

The toolkit is designed to help behavioral health organizations prepare for open enrollment. It explains how the health care law helps people with mental and substance use disorders, outlines how to use the Health Insurance Marketplace, and provides a wealth of communications ideas and materials focused on getting the word out to uninsured individuals.

Senate HELP Committee Approves OAA Reauthorization Bill

During its October 30 Executive Session, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) unanimously advanced the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 1562) by voice vote and without amendment.  The bill's next procedural steps include consideration by the full Senate.  However, this timeline, as well as the impact of any intermediate discussions, is not yet known.

As expected, Sen. Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, offered an  amendment during the hearing to eliminate the Hold Harmless provision in the Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III Funding Formula.  Though seven Senators voted in Burr's favor, 14 voted against, effectively defeating the amendment.   Senators Hagan (D-NC) and Franken (D-MN) joined five Committee Republicans in support of the amendment, while Senators Hatch (R-UT), Roberts (R-KS), Murkowski (R-AK), and Kirk (R-IL) voted with a majority of Democrats in opposition.

Prior to the vote, several Committee members weighed in on the proposed change, many of whom expressed a desire to examine the issue further.  To that end, HELP Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) pledged to form a bipartisan HELP Committee working group to explore lawmakers' concerns, likely in advance of the full Senate's consideration of the bill.  The composition and purview of the potential working group has yet to be announced.

NASUAD was pleased to see S. 1562 advance out of Committee.  This significant achievement would not have been possible without the skillful leadership of Chairman Harkin, Ranking Member Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Sen. Sanders (I-VT), Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging.  In addition to sponsoring S. 1562, their offices spearheaded the bipartisan efforts that led to the bill's development. 

While the Committee's approval was critical in allowing S. 1562 to move forward and the reauthorization process to continue, the introduction of funding formula discussions into the negotiations is expected to complicate the bill's movement through the Senate.  As this process unfolds, NASUAD will remain committed to a bipartisan reauthorization that protects and strengthens the OAA.  We look forward to continued engagement with stakeholders and policymakers in furtherance of this goal.

For More Information:

• To view a recording of the Executive Session, please follow this link.
• Sen. Harkin's statement on the HELP Committee's Executive Session is available here.
• The statement from Sen. Sanders is available here.
• Sen. Burr also issued a statement, available here.
• NASUAD's letter of support for S. 1562, is available here.

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. 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 will be held on November 6, 2013, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Got an Hour? Give it Back Campaign

NASUAD, a partner in the Aging Network Volunteer Collaborative presented two webinars in October introducing the Got an Hour? Give it Back Campaign to draw new volunteers into the aging network. The Campaign's website (GiveitBacktoSeniors.org) includes a search tool for individuals to find local volunteer opportunities with seniors in their neighborhoods. The search tool works in connection with the website VolunteerMatch.org. 

To assist with the launch of the campaign, the Volunteer Collaborative encourages  all local programs to post their volunteer opportunities on VolunteerMatch.org. This will help ensure that interested volunteers can find a variety of conveniently-located opportunities that can be one-time special events, such as Thanksgiving meal delivery or on-going projects - any way your agency can use some assistance.

For more information, and for recordings of the webinars,visit giveitbacktoseniors.org.

PowerUP! Technical Assistance Training

PowerUP! Technical Assistance Training

The Aging Network's Volunteer Collaborative, including NASUAD as a partner, invites you to join one of our 10 PowerUP! technical assistance trainings throughout the country beginning in January 2014, to learn how to extend your agency's services through older adult volunteers. PowerUP! enables you to create new and enhanced volunteer roles that increase your organization's capacity, and to get more done through engaging teams of older adult volunteers.

Through its 10 regional PowerUP! Training Institutes, the Volunteer Collaborative seeks to work with leaders in the Aging Network who are ready to participate in and become a sustaining force in the PowerUP! Movement. The training shows you how to form self-directed teams of volunteers and to integrate PowerUP! concepts throughout your organization's programs, staff, and volunteers. Components of the training include:

• An explanation of PowerUP!
• Why your organization should invest in a new volunteer engagement strategy 
• An explanation of how the PowerUP! Training Institute works 

Click here to register for an informational webinar on Wednesday, November 6, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET.

To participate in one of the PowerUP! Training Institutes, interested participants must submit a Letter of Interest by November 29, 2013, and n4a will respond with next steps.

Contact Patricia Reid, preid@n4a.org with questions. 

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America is sponsoring the 11th annual National Memory Screening Day on November 19, 2013. Community sites will offer free, confidential screenings and educational materials about memory problems, caregiving, and successful aging.

Click here for more information on how to participate in National Memory Screening Day.

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.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

New Plain-Language Guides for Financial Caregivers

Working to empower older Americans to make sound financial decisions and be economically secure, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently released four easy-to-understand booklets to help financial caregivers.  The Managing Someone Else's Money guides are for agents under powers of attorney, court-appointed guardians, trustees, and government fiduciaries (Social Security representative payees and Veterans Affairs fiduciaries.)

The guides help financial caregivers in three ways:

• By walking the caregiver through his or her duties.
• By telling caregivers how to watch out for scams and financial exploitation, and what to do if their loved one is a victim.
• By providing the caregiver with resources, including where to turn for help.

Additional resources for older Americans and their families are available here.

Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio to Host a Two-Day Seminar for AAA Leaders

On November 14 & 15, 2013, the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio will be hosting a two-day seminar for Area Agencies on Aging leaders entitled, "Moving from Area Plans, Advocacy and Allocations to Strategic Planning, Positioning and Pricing." In this interactive seminar, participants will learn practical ways to begin shifting AAA culture, position their agency to compete, adapt to the new pay-for-performance marketplace and develop a business model. The seminar will provide attendees with tools to create a strategic plan and develop pricing and performance management programs that work.  

This seminar is intended for AAA leaders responsible for readying their organization to shift from the fee-for-service to the pay-for-performance model of health and long-term care delivery. It is highly recommend that both Finance and Program staff attend this seminar together. 

Location: Miami University Voice of America Campus, 7847 VOA Park Drive, West Chester, OH 45069   

Diverse Elders Coalition Webinar: Why Obamacare Matters to Diverse Older People

The Diverse Elders Coalition, comprised of five national organizations advocating for policies and programs that improve aging for diverse older people, will host a webinar on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, to discuss the ACA's impact on diverse older adults. 

This webinar will highlight both national and state-specific examples on what is being done to ensure that older people know about the changes that are taking place under the ACA and how it affects them. Speakers include: Dr. Yanira Cruz, President and CEO of the National Hispanic Council on Aging; and Michael Adams, Executive Director of Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders.

Click here to register for the webinar. 

HCBS-TA.org Provides Technical Assistance for HCBS Waivers and State Plan Amendments

Sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, HCBS-TA.org provides technical assistance on a variety of topics to state agencies pursuing 1915(c), 1915(i) and 1915(j) Home and Community Based Services waivers and state plan amendments. 

The website also provides free resources such as: 

• Individual Budgeting Methods which reflects work done with various states to redesign systems to make better use of available funds now and for the future; 
• Organized Health Care Delivery Systems (OHCDS) includes information and Q&A related to the use of an OHCDS option in home and community based waiver services.
• Authority Comparison Table allows quick comparisons of numerous aspects of 1915(c), 1915(i), 1915(j) and 1115 authorities.

Visit HCBS-TA.org for more information.

NASI Releases New Fact Sheets on Cost-of-Living Adjustment

The Social Security Administration announced this week that beneficiaries will see a 1.5% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) beginning in their January 2014 checks.

• The COLA for 2014 will be 1.5% - slightly below last year's COLA of 1.7%, and below the average of 2.7% since 1990.
• The increase will become effective with December 2013 benefits, payable in January 2014.
• The COLA calculation is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Earnings subject to Social Security taxes will be capped at $117,000 in 2014, compared to $113,700 in 2013. About 6 percent of workers have earnings above the cap.

In response, the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) developed two fact sheets which discuss the potential effects of using different measures of inflation to calculate the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA):

• Should Social Security's Cost-of-Living Adjustment Be Changed?
• How Would Shifting to a Chained CPI Affect the Federal Budget?

Fact Sheet on Federal Minimum Wage and Overtime Protections for Home Care Workers

NELP explains the two major changes made to the companionship regulations. First, the definition of exempt "companionship services" has been narrowed to cover primarily "fellowship and protection." Second, all home care aides employed by third-party agencies (i.e., a home care agency or a state intermediary) are covered by the new rules, which include extending federal minimum wage and overtime protections to this workforce.

Click here for more information on the final rules: history, summary, anticipated impact and additional resources.

NSCLC Webinar on the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

On November 6, 2013, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET, the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) will host a webinar entitled,  The Affordable Care Act: What it Means for Seniors. The webinar will cover:

• What is expansion Medicaid and who is eligible
• What are the healthcare exchanges and who is eligible
• How are seniors impacted by these programs, including a discussion of the transition from these programs when an individual turns 65 or obtains Medicare
• Other changes under the ACA impacting Medicare

The presentation is most relevant to people in states that have chosen to expand access to Medicaid, though all may participate. 

Apply to Become an RWJF Health Policy Fellow
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows program provides a comprehensive fellowship experience at the nexus of health science, policy and politics in Washington, D.C. It is an opportunity for exceptional midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health and health care policy promoting the health of the nation.  Fellows participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, health care and health policy. The application deadline is November 13, 2013.

Click here for more information on the purpose, funding, key dates and eligibility for this fellowship.

National Family Caregivers Month 2013

November is National Family Caregivers Month.   This year's theme is "Family Caregivers - Now More Than Ever!"  The media toolkit is now available for download.  The toolkit includes:

• National Family Caregivers Month background information
• 2013 Posters: Download for free!
• Sample Proclamation