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.

National Community for Aging and Disability I&R Trainers

The National I&R Support Center has been providing CIRS-A training for many years, and now with our National CIRS-A Training Coordination Initiative, we are working on identifying trainers and developing training materials to make this process easier, more coordinated and more cost effective nationwide.

The Support Center has set up a listserv on the AIRS Networker entitled "National Community for Aging and Disability I&R Trainers," and invites CIRS-A certified I&R professionals to join. Through this listserv, the Support Center expects to help CIRS-A trainers connect with each other, access and improve current training materials, and compile an online directory of I&R Trainers.

If you are interested in joining this online community, and/or if you are a CIRS-A trainer who would like to be added to the online directory, please email Sara Tribe. The Support Center will conduct a training community welcome call on Tuesday, November 19 at 3:00p p.m. ET, 

To join the call dial: 888-346-3659, 

Passcode: 39660.

Sharon Lewis Named as Principal Deputy Administrator of ACL

Sharon Lewis was recently named Principal Deputy Administrator at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), as well as Secretary Sebelius' Senior Advisor on Disability Policy. Previously, Ms. Lewis led the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD), and she has committed over a decade to working on disability policy at the state and local level. Ms. Lewis has played a key role in ACL's development while serving as the Acting Principal Deputy over the last year. 

Aaron Bishop has been named AIDD's new Acting Commissioner. He brings almost twenty years of experience working with and for individuals with disabilities in both the direct practice and public policy sectors. He served previously as AIDD's Deputy Commissioner.

Supplemental Measure of Poverty Remains Unchanged

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that the nation's poverty rate was 16.0 percent in 2012, unchanged from 2011, according to the supplemental poverty measure.

According to the Census Bureau's annual report, The Research Supplemental Poverty Measure, the nation's 2012 poverty rate slightly different from the official measure of 15.0 percent. Unlike the official poverty rate, the supplemental poverty measure takes into account the impact of different benefits and necessary expenses on the resources available to families, as well as geographic differences in housing costs. This report was released with support from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Click here for more information on the report.

CMS Guidance to States on External Quality Review Organizations in Medicaid MLTSS  

In a recent Informational Bulletin, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the availability of a new technical assistance document entitled,  Application of Existing External Quality Review Protocols to Managed Long Term Services and Supports. This tool is intended to act as a road map for states to use in interpreting and applying existing External Quality Review (EQR) protocols when assessing Medicaid managed long-term services and supports(MLTSS) program compliance. Although the protocols already apply to MLTSS generally, this document offers specific suggestions to make their application to long term services and supports (LTSS) clearer, and provides suggestions, examples and illustrations to enable state agencies to explicitly include LTSS within the scope of their EQR contracts.

Federal law requires state Medicaid agencies that contract with managed care organizations (MCOs) to develop a state quality assessment and improvement strategy consistent with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) standards. It also requires HHS to develop protocols for use by independent, external quality review organizations (EQRO) to evaluate and report on the quality, timeliness of, and access to, care and services provided by Medicaid MCOs and prepaid inpatient health plans (PIHPs). 

Click here for the full CMCS Informational Bulletin.

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.  Sponsored by the CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, the series consists of two webinars. The first webinar, Managing Transitions, was held on November 5, 2013.  

The second webinar, Flexible Long Term Services and Supports, will be held on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. ET.  

Click here to learn more about the webinar and to register.  

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:

• 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.

Click here for additional resources for older Americans and their families are available here.

Click here to access the CFPB blog article.

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 first meeting took place on November 7, 2013, and the second meeting will be held on November 12, 2013, 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET. The meetings are 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 (SAMHSA), 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

Last week, 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, in advance of the full Senate's consideration of the bill.  Though participants have yet to be announced, we expect the funding formula working group will begin official talks soon.  Once it convenes, we will learn more about its composition and purview, as well as potential advocacy opportunities.

NASUAD was pleased to see S. 1562 advance out of Committee, a critical step in allowing the OAA reauthorization process to continue.  We remain committed to a bipartisan reauthorization that protects and strengthens the OAA, and look forward to continued engagement with stakeholders and policymakers in furtherance of this goal.

Senate Hearing on International Disability Treaty

This week, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, Treaty Doc 112-7), an international treaty that sets global standards for the treatment of people with disabilities. 

Endorsed by more than 150 countries, the CRPD is closely based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (PL 101-336) and addresses the equal rights of persons with disabilities.  Parties to the treaty agree to "undertake to ensure and promote the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities without discrimination of any kind on the basis of disability." 

Signed by the US in 2009, a two-thirds Senate majority is required to make US participation official.  Last year, the Senate rejected a resolution to ratify the CRPD, falling just five votes short of the necessary 66.  Since then, CRPD advocates have continued to push for its passage. NASUAD supports the treaty, and we encourage those of you who are able to reach out to your Senators and ask them to ratify the CRPD.

The CRPD treaty is available here.

To read more about CRPD,  visit www.disabilitytreaty.org.

AARP and the Ad Council Unveil New Public Service Announcements

On November 7, AARP and the Ad Council unveiled new Public Service Announcements (PSAs) as part of the Caregiver Assistance Campaign.  The PSAs will be distributed as part of National Family Caregivers Month.

The Campaign objectives are to: 1) assist Baby Boomer women to identify the help they are providing to an older adult as "caregiving"; 2) raise awareness among caregivers that there are resources available to help them and their loved ones; and 3) help connect family caregivers to experts and other caregivers as an additional source for advice, help and support.

Click here to view Multimedia News Release (can download images, videos, etc. from the campaign free of charge).

Click here to read Press Release.

Click here to learn about Thanks Project.

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 is 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.

The Consumer Voice

Members of Consumer Voice Leadership Council have released a report entitled Examining the Misuse of Antipsychotic Drugs, which examines the pervasive problem of antipsychotic medications being wrongly prescribed to nursing home residents. 

This report contains three parts:

Part I analyzes deficiencies given for the misuse of antipsychotic medications in nursing and skilled nursing facilities located in seven states during 2010 and 2011. 

Part II focuses on the perspectives of state surveyors on the nursing home survey (inspection) process in general as well as their perspectives on the citing of the misuse of antipsychotic medications specifically. 

Part III presents recommendations to improve the citing of this issue, serving to better protect the health and safety of residents.

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   

National Community Reinvestment Coalition 

The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and National Neighbors Silver  recently presented Fleeced: Speaking Out Against Senior Financial Abuse, a new documentary film by NCRC and WFYI Public Media at the national premiere in Washington, D.C.  

This documentary, funded with support from Atlantic Philanthropies, presents real stories about the financial abuse of older adults. The film also reveals how older adults are fighting back and becoming powerful advocates for themselves and others to help change the current landscape of economic security for older Americans.  

Click here to visit the film website and the view the film trailer.

Webinar: The Affordable Care Act and What it Means for Seniors

National Senior Citizens Law Center hosted a webinar summarizing how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) brings new opportunities and challenges for seniors, including the expansion of Medicaid in many states and enrollment in health insurance plans through marketplaces or exchanges beginning on January 1, 2014.  The webinar covered Medicaid expansion and eligibility; the Health Insurance Exchanges and eligibility; how seniors are uniquely impacted (or not impacted) by these programs; and other changes under the ACA impacting Medicare.

Click here to view the webinar, including audio. 

Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation.

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 

Click here for more information on the theme, "Family Caregivers - Now More Than Ever!"

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.