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NASUAD & NFESH Release Senior Hunger Report
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) and the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) released The State of Senior Hunger in America 2013: An Annual Report at the NASUAD Spring Meeting on Thursday. The study shows that 15.5 percent of seniors or 9.6 million individuals age 60 or older in the United States faced the threat of hunger in 2013. From the start of the Great Recession in 2007 to 2013, there was a 56 percent increase in the number of seniors affected by hunger. The report also provides the rates of senior hunger in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia
Click here to view the press release.
Click here to access the report.
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Registration Now Open for HCBS Conference!
Join us for the National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference held in Washington, DC, August 31-September 3. The Conference offers a unique blend of policy, program, and practice issues for professionals interested in home and community based services for individuals of all abilities and in all settings. Quickly becoming the "go-to" conference for learning in the expanding field of HCBS and long-term services and supports, the Conference allows states to share best practices, present unique partnerships, and recognize the work of their peers.
The National HCBS Conference will include federal, state, and local policymakers and those who administer, manage, and deliver waiver and other HCBS programs. The Conference always sees a strong presence from U.S. Health and Human Services ranging from the Administration for Community Living including AoA, Office of Disability, and IADD to CMS, HRSA, SAMHSA, Office of Developmental Disabilities, and other federal agencies.
Click here to learn more about the conference and register.
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Join NASUAD & its Partners for the National Aging and Disability I&R/A Pre-Conference Summit at the 2015 AIRS Conference
Enhance your business acumen! Aging and disability professionals in I&R/A are invited to join the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD's) National I&R Support Center, the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), and the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), for a day of information sharing, presentations, and discussion, with a special focus on business acumen, prior to the start of the AIRS I&R Annual Training & Education Conference (May 27-30, 2015, in Dallas, Texas).
Aging and disability I&R/A agencies across the county are challenged to both sustain and expand their business model in a rapidly-changing environment. This year's National Aging and Disability I&R/A Pre-Conference Summit will include a unique focus on business acumen to share ideas and strategies that can help agencies navigate the marketplace for aging and disability services. Drawing from ACL's business acumen initiative, the Pre-Conference Summit will use a blend of expert presentations, interactive discussion, and exercises to explore several key themes in business acumen including: opportunities, roles, and considerations for community-based aging and disability agencies; organizational culture change to support entrepreneurial operations; and demonstrating value and strengthening quality assurance for your agency and its services.
The Pre-Conference Summit is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27. Register for this event on the AIRS conference registration form, and contact I&R Support Center Director, Nanette Relave, at nrelave@nasuad.org with questions or for more information.
For more information on the AIRS conference, including registration, click here.
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Webinar: Financial Security for Older Adults
The National I&R Support Center will host a webinar on resources for financial security for older adults. This webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET.
A recent survey of aging and disability I&R/A agencies found that "financial assistance" is both a frequent service request and a significant unmet need, suggesting the prevalence of financial need among those seeking I&R/A assistance and the challenges to providing information and referral to meet these needs. This webinar will identify issues related to financial need in older adulthood and share information on resources that specialists can use when working with older adults. Learn about the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) and the National Resource Center on Women and Retirement Planning, a center that WISER operates in partnership with the Administration on Aging. Information will be presented by Lara Hinz, Director of Programs, WISER.
No pre-registration is required to participate in the webinar.
To join the meeting, go to https://join.me/nasuadwebinar
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: nasuadwebinar
To join the audio conference:
Dial 888-346-3659
Access Code 33688#
Click here to join the I&R Center's distribution list.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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This section of Friday Update highlights reports that have been added to the HCBS Clearinghouse within the past week. Visit www.nasuad.org/hcbs for more information.
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Workforce Development Programs & Older Workers ReportAARP Public Policy Institute released a new report, Selected Public Workforce Development Programs in the United States: Lessons Learned for Older Workers, as part of its Future of Work@50+ Initiative. Report authors review public workforce development programs in the United States over the last 80 years, with particular attention given to services benefiting dislocated workers. The report details what is known about program effectiveness, and in some instances, the report speculates on how the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 (WIOA) might influence such programs.
Click here to access the report.
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Administration for Community Living
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Funding Opportunity: SMP & SHIP Hard-to-Reach Beneficiary ProjectThe overall goal of this grant opportunity is to develop innovations that can be successfully replicated by the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) and State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) grantees to expand and integrate program coverage to better serve traditionally hard-to-reach populations through new, efficient, and sustainable approaches for ensuring high quality and culturally competent service delivery. Applicants may select one of the following priority populations for their targeted approach or may submit an application for a different target group if they can provide rationale and data to support the need for that targeted population (Applicants that wish to target more than one of the priority populations must submit separate applications for each population): - Medicare Beneficiaries under the age of 65
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Medicare Beneficiaries
- American Indian/Alaska Native Medicare Beneficiaries
- Medicare Beneficiaries in Rural Areas
- Limited-English Speaking Beneficiaries
- Medicare Beneficiaries of Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities
- Medicare Beneficiaries of Other Hard-to-Reach Populations
Letters of Intent for the funding are due April 30 and the application deadline is June 14 at 11:59 p.m. ET. An informational conference call will be held on Thursday, May 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET. To participate dial 1-888-566-5976, when prompted, enter passcode: 5922266. Click here to view details for the funding opportunity.
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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
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Proposed Rule of ADA Compliance for Wellness Programs Issued
On Monday, the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that provides guidance to both employers and employees on how wellness programs offered as part of employers' group health plans can comply with Title I of the American with Disabilities Act. Although the ADA limits the circumstances in which employers may ask employees about their health or require them to undergo medical examinations, it allows such inquiries and exams if they are voluntary and part of an employee health program.
The EEOC's proposal clarifies the circumstances in which employers are allowed to obtain medical information from employees under the American with Disabilities Act:
- If an employee health program seeks information about employee health or medical exams, the program must aim to promote health or prevent disease, and not just collect information.
- Employees are not required to participate in a wellness program, and they may not be denied health coverage or disciplined if they refuse to participate.
- Companies may offer incentives of up to 30 percent of the total cost of employee-only coverage in connection with wellness programs. These programs can include medical examinations or questions about employees' health (such as questions on a health risk assessment).
- Discrimination based on disability is prohibited and individuals with disabilities must be provided with reasonable accommodations that allow them to participate.
The Commission seeks comments from the public that will shape the final regulation. The preamble includes six specific questions (pages 19-22 of the document) on which public comment is requested. Key issues include how voluntary disclosure should be defined in the context of this rule, and how and to what extent notice requirements under this rule apply. Comments can be submitted to the Federal Register until June 19, 2015.
Click here to view the proposal and make comments.
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Director of Aging to Receive Gerontological Society Award
Director of Aging and Adult Services for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging, and NASUAD Board Member, Jean Wood is receiving the Dutch Kastenbaum Outstanding Gerontologist Award from the Minnesota Gerontological Society (MGS). Wood's key accomplishments have included spearheading development of Senior LinkAge Line, Minnesota's information and referral system for older adults and their families which has expanded to include information and referral services for other populations, including the web-based minnesotahelp.info. MGS will present the award at its annual conference today, April 24.
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AARP Public Policy Institute
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New AARP Livability Index Launched
On Monday, the AARP Public Policy Institute unveiled the AARP Livability Index. The Index measures quality of life in the areas of housing, transportation, neighborhood characteristics, environment, health, opportunity, and civic and social engagement. The Livability Index allows users to compare communities, adjust scores based on personal preferences, and learn how to take action to make their communities more livable.
Click here to view and interact with the Livability Index.
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American Society on Aging
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Call for Proposals to Present at AiA16
The Call for Proposals to present at the American Society on Aging (ASA) 2016 Aging in America Conference is now open. The AiA16 conference will be held March 20-24, 2016, in our nation's capital, Washington, DC. Submit a proposal to share your research, business or program model, policy agendas, and successful outcomes. Symposium and workshop opportunities are limited. ASA seeks presentations that share new models, innovative programs and research-to-practice. This is an unparalleled opportunity to share your program developments and new ideas with this conference community of nearly 3,000 multidisciplinary professionals who are working to improve the lives of older adults. The deadline to submit is June 1, 2015. Proposals will be reviewed and accepted in the order in which they were submitted.
Click here to submit.
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Webinar: Challenges of Rural Caregivers
Caregivers are a core part of America's health care system; 5.5 million Americans support current or former Service members with a disabling injury or illness. In rural communities, caregivers face unique challenges in caring for their Veterans, from the often complicated medical and mental conditions of their charges to receiving limited support from all corners of society. This webinar will cover the challenges rural caregivers face, offer a firsthand perspective, and review available resources, both military-related and general. The webinar will be held on Thursday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m. ET and will be led by Hilda R. Heady, MSW, ACSW, a widely-respected expert and advocate for rural health, particularly for Veterans. This webinar is the latest in the series from the Easter Seals Dixon Center's "Military Caregiver Webinar Series."
Click here to view more details and register.
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Webinar: ReFraming Aging: Understanding & Changing the Way Americans Think about Aging
Recent research from The FrameWorks Institute shows that aging experts and the U.S. public differ when it comes to older adults. On Tuesday, May 5 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, Grantmakers in Aging will host a webinar aimed at improving aging services and policies by providing insights for more effective communication. The research was commissioned by a coalition of eight national aging organizations including: AARP, American Federation for Aging Research, American Geriatrics Society, American Society on Aging, Gerontological Society of American, Grantmakers in Aging, National Council on Aging, and the National Hispanic Council on Aging.
Click here to view more details and register.
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Event: Medicaid at 50: A Look Back and Ahead
On Wednesday, May 6 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) will hold a public event in its Washington, D.C. offices to reflect on the lessons of the first 50 years of Medicaid and to consider what is ahead for the program and the people it serves. At the event, KFF will release a new report on Medicaid at 50 from the Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). KFF will also host two panel discussions involving Foundation researchers and other distinguished experts.
One panel discussion, on Medicaid's role for people across the nation, will trace Medicaid's evolution and examine the program's impact on the uninsured and on racial disparities in health coverage and care, as well as its role as a source of coverage for low-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities. A second panel will look at Medicaid's role in the health care system, with a focus on Medicaid's coverage of health and long-term services and supports. Both panels will address the program's role today and key policy debates, opportunities and challenges ahead.
Click here to view more details and access registration.
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Mathematica Policy Research
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Webinar & Event: Improving Employment Opportunities for Youth with Disabilities
Youth with disabilities face distinct challenges in transitioning to work and economic self-sufficiency. To help them overcome these challenges, the Social Security Administration sponsored the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) from 2003 to 2012. Interventions to help youth with disabilities navigate the transition to work, including employment and education counseling, job placement services, and financial planning, were developed and tested. The demonstration also included financial incentives to encourage employment among young people who were receiving disability benefits.
Mathematica evaluated the implementation and impacts of six of the demonstration projects. In an event and webinar on Tuesday, May 12 from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, speakers will discuss: three-year follow-up data on the six YTD projects and their impacts on youth employment, earnings, and other outcomes; the Broadened Horizons, Brighter Futures project in Miami-Dade County, which improved more outcomes for youth than any of the other five evaluated projects did; and an analysis of the effect of early work experience on later paid employment for youth ages 18 to 20 who have disabilities.
Click here to view more details and register.
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Webinar & Forum: Improving Public Programs: Advanced Analytics for Better Decision Making
Federal and state agencies across the country are hiring data scientists and analytics officers to meet the growing demand for advanced analytics in the public sector. For public programs in health, education, and other human services, advanced analytics can be used to pinpoint fraud, waste, and abuse; to predict program outcomes; and to identify cost-saving strategies for policymakers. High quality, advanced analytics can guide decision makers as they pursue more efficient and effective programming.
On Wednesday, May 20, 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET, Mathematica's Center for Improving Research Evidence (CIRE) will host a research forum and webinar to discuss how advanced analytics can help policymakers, program administrators, and direct services staff enhance their programs by providing rapid, reliable, and relevant information. A networking reception will immediately follow the program.
Click here to view panel details and register.
Click here to view a video trailer for the forum.
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National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
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Webinar: Delivering Your Message in Person: Meeting with a Key Decision Maker
As part of the Consumer Voice initiative Consumers for Quality Care, No Matter Where, this is the second in a series of four webinars on advocacy skills training. The webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 29 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. The session will include information on deciding who to meet with, assembling people, meeting preparation, how to conduct meetings, and the follow up.
Click here for more details and registration for the webinar.
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National Council on Aging
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Webinar: Strong Brains, Sharp Minds, Part II
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) will be hosting Part II of its Strong Brains, Strong Minds webinar on Thursday, May 7 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. ET. The webinar will detail the latest brain science to the process of developing inexpensive, community-based brain health programs for seniors and caregivers.
Click here to access details and register for the webinar.
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National Disability Institute
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Event: Building on FDIC Findings: A Report on the Financial Status and Behavior of People with Disabilities
National Disability Institute will host a panel event at the National Press Club on Thursday, April 30 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, for the release of a groundbreaking report on the financial status and behavior of Americans with disabilities. Based on findings from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's (FDIC) "National Survey on Unbanked and Underbanked Households," this unprecedented report analyzes data that highlights the discrepancies in use of traditional financial products and services between households led by individuals with and without disabilities. A panel of federal agency leaders address the financial challenges uniquely faced by persons with disabilities. A second panel of people with disabilities will provide their reactions to the federal panel and report findings and give recommendations.
Click here for details on how to register.
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Webinar: WIOA Implementation: Employment First Planning Tool
On Wednesday, May 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET, RespectAbility will host a webinar detailing how to create a "Unified State Plan," as required by WIOA, and how best to expand employment for people with disabilities. Speakers include Donna Meltzer of the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities and Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi of RespectAbility.
Click here to access details.
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May Is Older Americans Month
This year, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Older Americans Act (OAA), the Administration for Community Living is focusing on how older adults are taking charge of their health, getting engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others. The theme for Older Americans Month 2015 is Get into the Act. Older Americans Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of community engagement as a tool for enhancing the wellbeing of older adults. Prepare to celebrate Older Americans Month!
Click here to access Older Americans Month materials.
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Job & Internship Postings
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Director of External Affairs
The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is seeking applicants for the position of Director of External Affairs for their New York office. The Director is responsible for managing the NOD brand and directing marketing and communications strategies, as well as leading the external relations team. Candidates should have at least 10 years experience in marketing or communications.
Click here to view the full posting.
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Subscribe
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