NASUAD Extends Call for Sessions for 30th Annual HCBS Conference

Administration for Community Living

Materials to Promote Older Americans Month 2014 Available

The Administration for Community Living has released materials to promote Older Americans Month for 2014.

May is Older Americans Month and this year's theme focuses on injury prevention: Safe Today. Healthy Tomorrow. To help participating organizations promote their events, ACL has posted new materials for 2014. The toolkit includes facts about preventing falls and injuries, an activity guide, poster templates, logos, and tips for consumers.

Click here to access the materials.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Reducing Hospital Readmissions through Collaboration with Community Partners

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Partnership for Patients (PfP) is holding an Education Series program on April 17, 2014, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. The program will discuss how PfP and other federal stakeholders, including Hospital Engagement Networks (HENs), Community-based Care Transitions Programs (CCTPs), Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), and the Administration for Community Living (ACL), are aligned in their aims and how collaboration with local community partners have helped hospitals produce impressive reductions in 30-day readmissions through more effective care transition models.

This program is a live broadcast and offered as part of the federal Partnership for Patients Initiative. Continuing education units (CEUs) are available.

Click here to register for the program. 

Webinar: Minority Health Disparities

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health is holding a webinar in honor of Minority Health Month on April 9, 2014, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. Speakers will discuss the ongoing efforts of CMS to reduce and eliminate health disparities, and their work to encourage newly insured consumers to use preventive services and primary care.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Click here to register for the webinar.

Department of Labor

Internal Revenue Service 

National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

Health Insurance Marketplace Deadline - April 15 for Special Cases

HHS Honors National Autism Awareness Month

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a statement by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in honor of National Autism Awareness Month. "Every day, the millions of Americans living with autism and their families face unique and daunting challenges. During National Autism Awareness Month, HHS will renew their commitment to better understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and improve the lives of individuals living with it. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 68 children in the United States has been identified with ASD. There is also a growing understanding of the significant needs that individuals with autism have across their lifespan, including education, employment, housing, and other supports that would allow them to fully participate in community life. The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has bolstered their commitment to promoting the health, well-being, and independence for those with autism, their families and caregivers."

Click here to view the entire statement. 

New Agency Strategic Plan Published

 The Social Security Administration (SSA) has published its Agency Strategic Plan for fiscal years (FYs) 2014 to 2018 for the public. SSA has established five strategic goals for the coming years including deliver innovative, quality services; strengthen the integrity of programs; serve the public through a stronger, more responsive disability program; build a model workforce to deliver quality service; and ensure reliable, secure, and efficient information technology services.

Full Year "Doc Fix" Includes Medicare Extenders

Earlier this week, Congress passed and the President signed legislation blocking a scheduled 24 percent cut to Medicare reimbursements for physicians under the current payment formula, the sustainable growth rate (SGR).  The one-year payment patch, the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PL 113-93),  updates physician payments by 0.5 percent through the end of 2014.  Payment rates will then stay flat until April 1, 2015.

In addition to the so-called "doc fix", the legislation also temporarily extends several Medicare-related initiatives, including outreach and enrollment activities for low-income beneficiaries.  Originally authorized by the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), these activities were most recently extended for three months in December's budget deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.  Now included as part of the 12 month SGR bill, full-year funding will be available for Area Agencies on Aging ($7.5 million), State Health Insurance Assistance Programs ($7.5 million), Aging and Disability Resource Centers ($5 million), and the National Center for Benefits and Outreach Enrollment ($5 million) to continue these efforts.

Also among the measure's "extenders" is the Qualified Individual (QI) Medicare Savings Program.  The QI program pays the Part B premium for individuals with income between 120 and 135 percent of the federal poverty level, and who also have very limited resources.  The bill also extends the current Medicare therapy cap exceptions process through March 31, 2015, and delays until October 2015 the transition to the  ICD-10 diagnostic coding system.

The text of the bill is available here.

Event: Making it Work: Quality Measures in Nursing Home Care

LeadingAge is holding an event at their office entitled, Making it Work: Quality Measures in Nursing Home Care, on April 11, 2014, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET. This meeting will look at Advancing Excellence tools as a core base, with QAPI as the framework for assessing quality care. In addition, the event will also look to develop the person-centered culture of safety that providers, residents and families look for in skilled care. There will be a networking breakfast at 9:00 a.m. ET.

National Academy of Social Insurance

Assessing Care Integration for Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries

The National Association of State Budget Officers recently released two reports on state budget issues. The first report, Summaries of Fiscal Year 2015 Proposed Executive Budgets, provides summaries of governors' budget proposals and links for further information. Over the past several months, governors in 34 states have released their fiscal 2015 budget proposal. 16 states enacted a biennial budget last year covering both fiscal years 2014 and 2015. Governors in 6 of these states have proposed a supplemental budget to adjust spending by some extent. The second report, Health Care Toolkit for State Budget Officers: Resources for Implementing the Affordable Care Act and other Health Care Reforms, looks at five core areas pertinent to state budgets as a means to analyze the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other health reforms. State budget officers provide a unique perspective on how the crucial delivery of a key service such as health care fits into the framework of state budgets.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) Center for Benefits Access is holding a webinar entitled, How Medicare Works with the Marketplace, on April 9, 2014, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will explain how the Marketplaces work for older adults, especially those who may soon become eligible for Medicare. The webinar will cover: 

• An overview of the Marketplaces
• How the Marketplaces differ from Medicare
• Useful case examples illustrating how the Marketplaces affect people with Medicare
• Medicare and the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)
• Making decisions about Medicare drug coverage for SHOP enrollees

Click here to register for the webinar.

Click here to access NCOA's Medicare and Marketplace fact sheets.

National Senior Citizens Law Center

Click here to register for the webinar.

The White House Internship Program provides a unique opportunity to gain valuable professional experience and build leadership skills. This hands-on program is designed to mentor and cultivate today's young leaders, strengthen their understanding of the Executive Office and prepare them for future public service opportunities. In addition, the program's mission is to make the White House accessible to future leaders from around the nation.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens, 18 years of age on or before the first day of the internship, and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution)
• Graduated from an undergraduate or graduate program at a college, community college, or university (two-to-four year institution) no more than two years before the first day of the internship
• A veteran of the United States Armed Forces who possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent, and has served on active duty for any length of time in the two years preceding the first day of the internship

The application for the Fall 2014 White House Internship Program is now open and the deadline is April 13, 2014.