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New Edition of State Medicaid Integration Tracker is Available
NASUAD has published the October-November 2013 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. The report is updated each month with information on the following state actions:
- Managed care for people who receive Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports (LTSS)
- State Demonstrations to Integrate Care for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees and other Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Initiatives
- Other LTSS Reform Activities including Balancing Incentive Program, Medicaid State Plan amendments under §1915(i), Community First Choice option under §1915(k), and Medicaid Health Homes
You can download a PDF version of State Medicaid Integration Tracker here. |
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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.
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| Aging Network Volunteer Collaborative |
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Got an Hour? Give it Back Campaign
The Aging Network Volunteer Collaborative hosted two webinars in October introducing the Got an Hour? Give it Back Campaign to draw new volunteers into the aging network.
Please click the links below to listen to the webinars:
The Campaign's website also includes a search tool for individuals to find local volunteer opportunities with seniors in their neighborhoods. The search tool works in connection with 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.
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National I&R Support Center
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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.
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Administration for Community Living
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Webinar on Support for Demonstration Ombudsman Programs Serving Dually Eligible Beneficiaries
Hosted by ACL's Center for Disability and Aging Policy, this webinar will focus on the funding opportunity announcement for the Demonstration Ombudsman Programs Serving Beneficiaries of Financial Alignment Models for Medicare-Medicaid Enrollees. The deadline for this funding opportunity is January 14, 2014, 5:00 p.m. ET.
The webinar will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. ET, and will provide a program overview, eligibility requirements, proposal evaluation criteria, and examples of successfully funded program models.
Click here to register for the webinar.
Click here to view the full ACL grant opportunity posting.
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Second Webinar for State Government Officials on the Final Rule on Domestic Service Workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act
On September 17, 2013, U.S. Department of Labor announced a Final Rule which extends the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage and overtime protections to most of the nation's workers who provide essential home care assistance to elderly people and people with illnesses, injuries or disabilities. The Final Rule will take effect on January 1, 2015. Information about the rule and compliance assistance materials can be found here.
The Department of Labor will hold a second webinar for state government officials on Wednesday, November 20, 2013 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. ET. The webinar, will follow up on issues explained and questions raised in the first webinar for state agencies held on October 29, 2013. Some of the topics to be covered on November 20th include employment relationships and coverage under the FLSA, hours worked, and sleep and travel time issues.
This webinar is for state government officials. DOL's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) will continue working with the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) to develop technical assistance to help states understand the new requirements so that states can proceed with making any necessary adjustments. Therefore State Associations, State Medicaid Directors and program officials, State program officials from agencies serving the elderly and people with disabilities, and State Labor Commissioners, will be invited to join this webinar. In addition, the agency welcomes participation from State legal counsel (program counsel and labor and employment counsel). Participation in the first webinar is not required in order to join the second webinar on November 20.
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Department of Veterans Affairs
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VA Health Care Utilization by Recent Veterans
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) presents a report four times a year containing data on Veterans who have used VA health care and who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), or Operation New Dawn (OND). The latest report contains data from October 1, 2001 to March 31, 2013. This report was delayed because of the need for VA and the Department of Defense to enhance data security. Some of the key findings of the report include:
- Approximately 57 percent (934,264) of all separated OEF/OIF/OND Veterans have used VA health care since October 1, 2001.
- Between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, a total of 569,177 of these Veterans accessed VA health care.
- The frequency and percent of the three most common diagnoses were: musculoskeletal ailments (543,328 or 58.2 percent); mental disorders (508,410 or 54.4 percent); and symptoms, signs, and ill-defined conditions (conditions that do not have an immediately obvious cause or isolated laboratory test abnormalities) (501,271 or 53.7 percent). A Veteran can have more than one diagnosis.
Click here to access more information on the report and past reports.
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Webinar: Helping Consumers Understand Premium Tax Credits, Avoid Re-payment Obligations, and Select Plans
As health insurance marketplaces open in every state, consumers are seeking to understand their eligibility for tax credits and cost-sharing reductions and how to use them as they shop among qualified health plans.
Manatt Health Solutions, with support from the State Health Reform Assistance Network (State Network), has prepared a series of presentations to help states and their advocates address some of the issues most confounding consumers. The webinar, entitled Plan Selection Assistance, will be held on November 22, 2013, 3:00 p.m. ET.
Click here for more information on the webinar series.
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Nov 19th is National Memory Screening Day
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.
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| Center for Health Care Strategies |
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New Issue Brief on Implementing ACOs within a Managed Care Environment
The Center for Health Care Strategies has released a new issue brief, The Balancing Act: Integrating Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations into a Managed Care Environment, to help guide state Medicaid agencies in successfully implementing Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) within a managed care environment.
This issue brief identifies many of the considerations facing states that are seeking to implement ACOs in a managed care context, including 1) essential operational decisions; 2) potential areas for alignment across payer; and 3) delineation of ACO and managed care organization responsibilities to avoid duplication of services.
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Starter Kit for Discussing End-of-Life Care
The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care with their loved ones. Though it is often difficult to talk about how one wants the end of his/her life to be, it is also one of the most important conversations to have with loved ones. While 60 percent of people say that making sure their family is not burdened by tough decisions is "extremely important," 56 percent have not communicated their end-of-life wishes. The Conversation Project has created a starter kit that is intended to help users collect their thoughts, and then have the conversation with loved ones.
Click here to view the starter kit.
Click here to view the Conversation Project website and other important resources, including how to talk to your doctor and shared success stories.
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Issue Brief on State-by-State Estimates of Eligibility Numbers for ACA Premium Tax Credits
Key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) create new Marketplaces for people who purchase insurance directly and provide new premium tax credits to help people with low or moderate incomes afford that coverage. In its new issue brief, State-by-State Estimates of the Number of People Eligible for Premium Tax Credits Under the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) estimates that about 17 million people who are now uninsured or who buy insurance on their own ("nongroup purchasers") will be eligible for premium tax credits in 2014. The issue brief provides national and state estimates for tax credit eligibility of people in these groups. KFF also estimates that about 29 million people nationally could look to Health Insurance Marketplaces to purchase coverage.
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Mathematica Policy Research
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Issue Forum and Webinar on the Ticket to Work Program
The Ticket to Work (TTW) program was developed to encourage the nearly 11 million working-age people on the disability rolls to find jobs and become economically self-sufficient. TTW offers performance-based payments to a wide array of qualified employment service providers. In 2008, the Social Security Administration made regulatory changes to boost provider and beneficiary participation in TTW.
On December 12, 2013, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, Mathematica Policy Research Center for Studying Disability Policy (CSDP) will hold a forum and webinar to examine the Impacts of 2008 Regulatory Changes on the Ticket to Work Program.
Location: 1100 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC
Lunch will be provided. The deadline for registration is 12:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9, for in-person attendance.
Click here for more information and to register both for online and in-person attendance.
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Mathematica's New Web Page Provides Research Resources for Veterans
Mathematica has created a new webpage in an effort to assist with research, evaluations, and surveys that contribute to the development of policies and programs which enhance the quality of life for members of the armed forces, veterans, and their families. Mathematica's new web page features an array of policy issues impacting veterans and their families and includes research related to veterans' physical and behavioral health, employment, benefits, and family resources.
Click here to access the web page.
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National Council on Independent Living
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Take and Share this Important Survey on Disability Employment
The National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) is seeking broad support from the disability community in filling out their disability employment survey. Answers to the survey questions are intended to shape debate about disability policy, and the results will be shared with the White House, all 50 Governors, top media, and disability groups, among others.
A very large sample size is needed to ensure that the survey results are valid, so NCIL requests that you share the survey with your Twitter, Facebook and email networks. The survey takes about 10 minutes, and all survey respondents can be entered to win $500. For further information, please contact Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi at jlm@laszlostrategies.com or 202-365-0787.
Click here to access the survey.
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National Organization on Disability
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NOD Presents Several Tools for Welcoming Returning Veterans
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) has joined with Give an Hour, an organization that links veterans with mental health services, to produce toolkits on strategies to successfully integrate veterans into their workplace. Click on the links below to view the following toolkits:
NOD has also released the results of a four-year evaluation of its Wounded Warrior Careers program detailing their cost-effective model that successfully places severely wounded veterans into the civilian workforce. |
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Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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Health Policy Brief on Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators and Assistors
November edition of Health Affairs includes an article, Navigators and Assisters, which explains the role of Navigators and Assisters in the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s Health Insurance Marketplaces. Navigators and Assisters are trained counselors and organizations that are helping consumers enroll in health plans. If people are unable to navigate the online system themselves, they can contact Navigators and Assisters that cover their geographic area, to walk them through the process.
The policy brief details several topics including similarities and differences between Navigators and SHIPs, five duties of Navigators listed in the ACA, and areas of debate around Navigators and Assistors:
- Unequal funding across states
- Conflicts with agents and brokers
- Privacy safeguards
- Concerns with training adequacy
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Conference Materials Available Online
Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) is a nonprofit organization that works to help women, educators, and policymakers understand the important issues surrounding women's retirement income. On October 24-25, WISER held a conference entitled, Assembling a Retirement Strategy: Women Building Financial Knowledge & Taking Action! The conference covered important topics such as, "Setting the Stage: Women Taking Action," "Women in Non-Profits," and "The Risks and Consequences of Not Assembling a Retirement Strategy."
Click here to access the WISER Conference presentations.
WISER creates a variety of consumer publications including fact sheets, booklets and quarterly newsletters that explain in easy-to-understand language the complex issues that have a disproportionately negative effect on women including Social Security, divorce, pay equity, pensions, savings, investments, banking, home-ownership, long-term care and disability insurance.
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November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month
On October 31, 2013, President Obama proclaimed November 2013 as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.
Click here for resources and information on living with or caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease
Click here to view Presidential Proclamation.
Click here to access resources by ACL Alzheimer's Disease Supportive Services Program.
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November is National Diabetes Month
As the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans of all ages. Another 79 million adults are estimated to have prediabetes, a condition that places them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
The theme of HHS's National Diabetes Education Program for National Diabetes Month this year is "Diabetes is a family affair." Diabetes strikes not only individuals, but families, communities, and our Nation.
To learn more about what you can do to prevent or control diabetes, please visit www.YourDiabetesInfo.org and www.cdc.gov/diabetes. |
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November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month
Epilepsy, which affects roughly 2.3 million Americans, is a common, yet poorly understood, neurological disorder. Epilepsy can have a devastating effect on individuals as well as their families. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is committed to boosting public awareness and improving the lives of those with epilepsy, as well as their loved ones.
Click here for more information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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November is National Family Caregivers Month
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:
Click here for more information on the theme, "Family Caregivers - Now More Than Ever!"
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