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National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) All State Webinar
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) announced a series of monthly calls focused on their National Core Indicators-Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) project. The first call is on June 26, 2014, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET and will serve as an introduction to the NCI-AD. The agenda includes:
- Project history,
- Research and methodology
- Timeline of the nationwide roll-out,
- Membership dues and benefits,
- How states can sign up for Year 1,
- Pilot state perspectives, and
- Questions from participants.
Webinar link: https://join.me/nasuad.org
*On a computer, use any browser with Flash. Nothing to download.
*On a phone or tablet, launch the join.me app and enter meeting code: nasuad.org
Call-in information: 1-888-346-3659, Passcode 89622
Click here for more information on the NCI-AD project, timeline, benefits, and costs to participate.
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Registration Open for 30th Annual HCBS Conference
Registration is open for the 30th Annual National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference from September 15-18, 2014 in Arlington, VA. This conference showcases innovative national, federal, state and local delivery and policy developments vital for assuring that Americans of all ages and abilities receive the highest quality community living supports, care, and services possible.
Over 1,000 national, federal, state and local leaders, advocates, and champions for children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities from across the nation are expected to attend the conference. Due to the overwhelming success of last year's conference, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has decided to again host special Pre-conference Intensives.
This year, NASUAD is celebrating 50 years of working with state disability and aging agencies, which will include a gala dinner celebration at the conference.
Click here to register for the conference.
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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
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CFPB Releases Guide to Protecting Residents from Financial Exploitation
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently released a guide to protecting residents from financial exploitation. The guide aims to equip assisted living and nursing facility staff with the knowledge to prevent and recognize the warning signs of elder financial abuse. The guide will give facility staff the tools to:
- Prevent financial exploitation and scams by educating staff, residents, and family members about warning signs and precautions
- Recognize, record, and report financial abuse as early as possible using a model protocol and a team approach
- Get help from first responders in the community
Click here to view the CFPB Director talk about elder financial exploitation.
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Department of Agriculture
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USDA Issues SNAP Guidance
The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued guidance to States about the effects of the 2014 Farm Bill (PL 113-79) on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Signed into law in February of this year, the bill made several changes to SNAP, and cut the program's funding by $8.6 billion over ten years. The new guidance addresses issues regarding SNAP policy, compliance, and compatibility in relation to the new requirements of the Farm Bill.
Click here to view the guidance.
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DOL Announces Proposed Rule to Raise the Minimum Wage
Thomas E. Perez, the U.S. Secretary of Labor, announced a proposed rule to raise the minimum wage for workers on federal service and construction contracts up to $10.10 an hour. President Obama announced Executive Order 13658 on February 12, 2014, which this proposed rule implements. The proposed rule provides an enforcement process to protect workers' rights to receive the minimum wage and establishes standards for employers to follow. The public can submit comments online using the regulation identification number of 1235-AA10. The Department of Labor (DOL) will review all comments and issue a final rule by October 1, 2014. The new wage will become effective on January 1, 2015.
Click here for more information.
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Department of Labor Releases Guidance on Joint Employment Arrangements for Consumer-Directed LTSS
On Thursday June 19, the Department of Labor Released an Administrator Interpretation and an associated fact sheet that discusses the implementation of the Fair Labor Standards Act requirements. The guidance specifically deals with joint employment and self-directed LTSS, which are instances where more than one entity may be responsible for ensuring that the FLSA requirements are met. In the guidance, DOL outlines scenarios demonstrating how joint employment requirements may apply to participant-directed models. Significantly, DOL states that: "The Department believes that in most, but not all, consumer-directed models, a third party will be a joint employer of a provider. As noted in the Final Rule, potential third party joint employers may include a public entity, private agency, or non-profit organization."
The guidance is available online here.
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Government Accountability Office
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GAO Recommends Additional Oversight of Medicaid Managed Care Programs
On June 18, 2014, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report examining Federal and State oversight of payments to plans and providers in Medicaid Managed Care programs. In the report, GAO expressed concerns about the adequacy of existing program integrity activities. The report makes three specific recommendations:
- hold states accountable for Medicaid managed care program integrity by requiring states to conduct audits of payments to and by managed care organizations;
- update CMS's Medicaid managed care guidance on program integrity practices and effective handling of Managed Care Organization (MCO) recoveries; and
- provide the states with additional support in overseeing Medicaid managed care program integrity, such as the option to obtain audit assistance from existing Medicaid integrity contractors.
Click here to view the full report.
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Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission
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MACPAC Releases June 2014 Report the Congress
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) recently released its June report to Congress. The report's CHIP analysis is one of four chapters in MACPAC's June 2014 report examining how CHIP, Medicaid, and their interaction with the ACA affect the health and health care of low- and moderate-income families. One of these is a review of states' and the federal government's work to improve the overall health of Medicaid enrollees.
The report also focuses on high-cost, high-need enrollees, exploring Medicaid's significant role in financing long-term services and supports (LTSS).
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Workforce Recruitment Program
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WRP Seeking Federal Employees to Recruit Students with Disabilities
The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a program for recruitment and referral that unites employers across the nation with driven college students and recent graduates with disabilities who wish to demonstrate their abilities through summer or permanent jobs. The WRP is vital for providing students and graduates with disabilities with federal employment. The upcoming recruitment season runs from October 20 through November 19, 2014 and the WRP needs volunteers to serve as WRP recruiters. The recruiters must be federal employees who can commit the time to conduct at least ten thirty minute phone interviews and evaluate the student candidates in writing. A mandatory recruiter training is conducted online and takes about 90 minutes to complete. The registration deadline is August 22, 2014.
Click here for more information about recruiting.
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AARP Releases LTSS Scorecard
AARP recently released the second version of their State LTSS scorecard. This scorecard ranks state LTSS systems on a number of measures and was first published in 2011. There are 26 indicators that are grouped into five dimensions of the LTSS system. The five dimensions are:
- Affordability and access;
- Choice of setting and provider;
- Quality of life and quality of care;
- Support for family caregivers; and
- Effective transitions.
Click here to view the full report, view by state or compare data across states.
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The Longest Day - June 21
In honor of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, the Alzheimer's Association is hosting The Longest Day, an annual event held on June 21, 2014. During the month of June, the Alzheimer's Association helps spreads global awareness of Alzheimer's disease, one of the largest diseases impacting the brain. On The Longest Day, teams around the world come together to honor the strength, passion and endurance of those facing Alzheimer's with a day of activity. The event calls on participants to raise funds and awareness to advance the efforts of the Alzheimer's Association.
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American Association of People with Disabilities
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Disability Equality Index Survey to be Unveiled on June 26, 2014
The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®) announced the public release of the Annual Disability Equality IndexSM (DEISM). The DEISM is created by leaders in the disability and business communities and is an online bench-marking tool that gives businesses the opportunity to receive an objective score of their workplace's disability and inclusion policies and practices. The survey questions will be publicly released on June 26, 2014 before opening up the survey to Fortune 1000 scope companies to participate in October 2014. If interested in attending the DEISM survey public release call you must register by June 19, 2014.
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ACO Results: What We Know So Far
In a recent blog post on Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), Health Affairs discussed the 2013 results of ACOs released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Since 2013, CMS released both financial and quality results from Pioneer and Medicare Shared Savings Program
(MSSP) ACOs. Some commercial ACOs have also released selected results. While results are preliminary and incomplete, both CMS and commercial ACO results call for a cautious but optimistic outlook on ACOs and their ability to achieve the triple aim: improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care.
Click here to view the entire blog post. |
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Mathematica Policy Research
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Mathematica Center for Studying Disability Policy Report
The Center for Studying Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research released a policy report on Comparative Assessment of State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Practices Serving Transition Age Youth. This policy report explored the variation in state vocational rehabilitation agency practices with youth with disabilities using a case study approach for a select group of eight agencies. The policy report also analyzed interview data from VR agency staff across five dimensions that are the focus of the study (organization and collaboration; outreach, application, and eligibility; service delivery; employment; and agency evaluation and monitoring).
Click here to view the entire policy report.
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National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
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Residents' Rights Month 2014
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care designated October as Residents' Rights Month to honor residents living in long-term care facilities, including nursing homes, sub-acute units, assisted living, board and care and retirement communities. It is a time for celebration and recognition offering an opportunity for every facility to focus on and celebrate awareness of dignity, respect, and the value of each individual resident. The theme for the Residents' Rights Month 2014 is "Better Staffing: The Key to Better Care." The Consumer Voice is seeking entries of artwork and feedback to different questions that revolve around the theme that will provide residents with the opportunity to have their ideas shared. All submissions are due August 1, 2014.
Click here for more information.
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Webinar: Nursing Home Staffing Public Awareness Campaign
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care is holding a free webinar/teleconference for their Nursing
Home Staffing Public Awareness Campaign on June 24, 2014, 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. The webinar/teleconference will include an official launch, educational and action component. Participants will receive campaign materials prior to the webinar/teleconference and will learn about:
- The campaign and its goals
- The history of nursing home staffing policy and Consumer Voice advocacy
- Why more staffing is needed and the impact of under-staffing on residents
- The research that supports increased staffing levels
- How they can be part of the campaign and what they can do
- How they can use Consumer Voice's new Staffing Campaign toolkit
Click here to register for the webinar/teleconference by
July 20, 2014. Registration is required.
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National Council on Aging
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Fall Prevention Photo Contest
The Falls Free ® Initiative sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) is hosting a National Photo Contest. The photo contest will gather photos that can be used to promote this year's Fall Prevention Awareness Day on September 23, 2014. Falls Free® member organizations will be able to use the photos in appropriate media and older adult materials. Signed consent forms are required and the deadline for submission is August 1, 2014.
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Rehabilitation Research and Training Institute
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Webinar: Aging in Place - Developing Appropriate Community-Based Supports
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Institute is holding a free webinar about developing appropriate community-based supports for aging in place on June 23, 2014, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Research studies indicate that seniors who are able to remain in their homes or in another community-based living arrangement experience improved cognitive and physical outcomes in the long run. This webinar will investigate considerations for creating person-centered supports to enable a person with both cognitive and age-related disabilities to remain at home. Free CEUs are available.
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Ladders of Opportunity Initiative
Full Title: Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities, Ladders of Opportunity Program
Issuing Agency: Department of Transportation
Eligible Applicants: County governments, State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, City or township governments, etc.
Funding Level: $100,000,000
Close Date: August 4, 2014
Funding Opportunity Number: FTA-2014-004-TPM
CFDA Number: 20.500
Description: The purpose of this program is to modernize and expand transit bus service specifically for the purpose of connecting disadvantaged and low-income individuals, veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, youths, and others with local workforce training, employment centers, health care, and other vital services. A key evaluative factor as identified by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be the extent to which the applicant forms strong federal and local partnerships to address the mobility challenge.
Click here to search and apply for this grant opportunity.
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The Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging (NCOA) is seeking a Program Manager to join its National Resource Center. The Resource Center helps states and community organizations implement and strengthen the infrastructure for delivering proven self-management programs. The incumbent will work to improve access to community-based health promotion programs for older adults and people with disabilities. In addition to working across diverse audiences of service providers, researchers, community leaders, funders, and the public, the incumbent will also provide technical assistance and program management to state government agencies and community aging service providers across the United States.
Click here for more information.
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Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month
June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. Worldwide, there are at least 44 million people living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementia's.This month, there are many ways to help raise awareness and inspire action. These include:
- Talk about Alzheimer's each time you meet other people
- Post, tweet and share the facts about Alzheimer's disease and other dementia's
- Show your commitment to the cause by wearing purple, the official color of the Alzheimer's movement
The Alzheimer's Association states that everyone who has a brain is at risk to develop Alzheimer's - but everyone can help to fight it. The goal is for the public to get involved and hopefully end Alzheimer's.
Click here for more information.
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