Patch Adams Speaking at the National HCBS Conference

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24th Anniversary of the ADA

This week marked the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990, the ADA remains one of America's most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation. 

A landmark law that transformed American society for people with disabilities, it prohibits discrimination and guarantees that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else to be economically self-sufficient and fully participate in the mainstream of American life -- to enjoy employment opportunities, to live independently, to purchase goods and services, and to access state and local government programs and services.

On July 25, President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation commemorating the ADA's 24th anniversary.  It is available here.

The White House also released a video message from President Obama marking the ADA anniversary.  It is available here.

Preparations for the ADA's 25th anniversary are already underway.  For more information, please visit www.adaanniversary.org. 

White House Convenes Aging Leaders to Discuss 2015 White House Conference on Aging

Earlier this week, NASAUD was one of several aging organizations invited to the White House to participate in a roundtable discussion on the 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA).   

Cecilia Munoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, hosted the event.  In a blog post later that day, Ms. Munoz described the 2015 WHCOA as "an opportunity to look ahead to the issues that will help shape the landscape for older Americans for the next decade. " 

She noted that the White House intends "to use the year ahead to be as creative as possible about using new technology, agencies' regional offices, partners, and other strategies to engage directly with older Americans and stakeholders on these issues. We are looking forward not only to the Conference, but to a year of engagement and dialogue about older Americans' issues and the opportunity to celebrate all that older Americans continue to contribute to our country."

To facilitate this dialogue, the White House plans to launch WhiteHouseConferenceOnAging.gov as the official site for the conference this summer.

The White House blog post is available here. 

Nora Super Named Executive Director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging

On Tuesday, the White House announced Nora Super as the Executive Director of the 2015 White House Conference on Aging.

With more than 20 years of experience working in Washington, DC, Ms. Super brings to her new role an impressive background in a wide range of health policy issues, including the Older Americans Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. 

Ms. Super has worked in academia, government, and in the private sector, including as AARP's Director of Federal Government Relations, Health and Long-Term Care; as Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at Kaiser Permanente; and as a Principal Research Associate with the National Health Policy Forum.  Most recently, she served as Director of Public Affairs for the HHS Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.

A native of New Orleans, Ms. Super studied Political Science at Tulane University and received her Masters Degree in Public Administration, with a concentration on Health Policy, from George Washington University. 

Senate Hearing Examines Medicare Observation Status

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to examine policies around Medicare observation stays.

Titled, Admitted or Not? The Impact of Medicare Observation Status on Seniors, the hearing focused on the increasing use of hospital observation stays and the resulting implications for Medicare patients, their families, and the nation's health care system.

"Observation" is the term used to describe the outpatient status of a patient who is in a hospital bed, but who is not called an inpatient. Patients in observation status receive medical and nursing  services, tests, medications, and food, and they are often intermingled with inpatients. The care is indistinguishable from the care received by inpatients. Although Medicare observation stays are intended to last, at most, 24-48 hours, many older adults and individuals with disabilities experience much longer stays, and at greater frequency.

Since Medicare requires that patients spend at least three consecutive nights in the hospital as an admitted patient in order to qualify for Medicare-covered care in a skilled nursing facility (SNF), a major consequence for beneficiaries of not being classified as inpatients is that their subsequent stays in SNFs are not covered by Medicare. Rather, patients who have been on observation status and need follow up nursing home care must pay the entire cost themselves. 

Several witnesses and members of the Special Committee voiced their support for the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2013 (S. 569).  Introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) in March 2013, the bipartisan bill seeks to count any midnight a Medicare beneficiary spends in the hospital towards the three-day qualifying stay, regardless of whether that night is observation or inpatient.  Committee Chair Bill Nelson (D-Fl.) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine) are among the 26 Senators who have endorsed the measure.  The companion bill in the house (HR 1179) was introduced by Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) last March.  It currently has 158 cosponsors.

The archive video of the hearing, as well as witness testimony, is available for download on the Aging Committee's website, here.

NASUAD endorsed the S. 569/H.R. 1179 in March 2013, signing onto a Leadership Council on Aging Organizations letter in support of the measures.  The letter is available here. 

Congress Delays August Recess

Though Thursday, July 31 was supposed to be the final day of work for lawmakers ahead of a five-week recess, last night, the Senate announced plans to reconvene on Friday.  While the Senate will be in session today, they are expected to adjourn for the August recess this afternoon, and there will be no floor votes until they return in September. 

Also dealing with last minute business, the House will remain in Washington through Friday, and possibly the weekend.  

CDC Annual Report on Improving Health of Persons with Disabilities

Faster, Easier Cures for Hepatitis C

Online Dialogue on STEM Careers for People with Disabilities

A Roadmap to Success: Hiring, Retaining and Including People with Disabilities Online Course

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has developed an online course entitled, "A Roadmap to Success: Hiring, Retaining and Including People with Disabilities." This course will provide federal employees with basic information and resources to successfully hire, retain, and advance employees with disabilities. This course is also available to agencies at no cost on HR University and the training should be considered required training for human resources personnel and hiring managers. A memorandum to the Chief Human Capital Officers has been issued with instructions for accessing this course.

SSA Commissioner Confirmation Process Continues

On July 31st, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of  Carolyn Watts Colvin as Commissioner of Social Security.  Next steps in the confirmation process include consideration by the full Senate.

Colvin joined the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a clerk stenographer in 1963.  She has worked at the agency on and off ever since, holding such key positions as Deputy Commissioner for Policy and External Affairs (1994-1996), Deputy Commissioner for Programs and Policy (1996-1998), and Deputy Commissioner for Operations (1998-2001).

She also has experience in state and local government, having served as the District of Columbia's Director of Human Services (2001-2003), Director of the Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Health and Human Services (2003-2007), and Special Assistant to the Maryland Secretary of Transportation (2009-2011).

In December 2010, she returned to SSA as Deputy Commissioner, a Senate-confirmed position she held until February 2013, when she became Acting Commissioner. In June, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Colvin as Commissioner of Social Security.

If confirmed by the full Senate, she would succeed Michael J. Astrue, a President George W. Bush appointee whose term expired last year. Her six-year term would continue into the next presidential administration.

A Maryland native, Ms. Colvin received a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Morgan State University.  She has also completed the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University, the Maryland Leadership Program, and the Greater Baltimore Leadership Program.

The archived hearing is available here.