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NASUAD Hosted Webinar on New Senior Health Rankings Report
On Wednesday, May 20, the National Association for States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) hosted a webinar covering the 2015 America's Health Rankings Senior Report. The report, released earlier that day, takes an in-depth look at senior health at a national level and by state. The report also ranks states on a range of measures.
The webinar, presented by Tom Eckstein and Sarah Milder of Arundel Metrics, provided participants with an overview of the metrics and methodology the report, as well as changes from past health rankings reports.
Click here to access the presentation and audio recording of the webinar.
Click here to view the 2015 America's Health Rankings Senior Report.
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Registration 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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Register for the AIRS Conference and National Aging and Disability Symposium, May 27-30, Dallas, TX
The National Aging and Disability I&R/A Symposium at the 2015 AIRS Conference is convened by the National I&R/A Support Center at NASUAD, in collaboration with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) and the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), and with support from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). With a pre-conference I&R/A Summit for Aging and Disability professionals and a full complement of workshops, panel discussions, and conversation throughout the week, the Symposium is essential for keeping apprised of the latest developments in aging and disability I&R/A. Join us to experience a blend of workshops facilitated by I&R/A, ADRC, CIL, and Federal and National Association professionals from across the country discussing developments and initiatives in aging and disability information and referral programs. Topics such as No Wrong Door system building, ADRC partnerships, serving diverse consumers, and business strategies will provide insights to help you deliver effective I&R/A programs and services to older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
Join us 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 I&R Support Center, ACL, n4a, and 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. 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. 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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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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Expected Increase in Demand for Representative Payees
For Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income recipients who are not capable of managing their own benefit payments, the Social Security Administration (SSA) pays benefits to a representative payee. The authors of a recent article published by the SSA Office of Retirement and Disability Policy estimate that the demand for representative payees will increase from 2.94 million beneficiaries in 2013 to 3.27 million by 2025 and to 3.56 million by 2035. An increase in retired-worker beneficiaries by 2025 and the transition of the baby boom generation into the 85-or-older age category by 2035 account for much of the increased demand for representative payees. The authors recommend that the SSA prepare to recruit payees to meet the future demand and devote the resources necessary to monitor payees and prevent their misuse of benefits.
Click here to access the complete article.
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Relationship between Employment, Earnings, and Primary Impairments Among SSDI & SSI Beneficiaries
This article published by the Social Security Administration seeks to provide empirical evidence on the relationship between the primary impairments of Social Security disability program beneficiaries and the employment and earnings of those beneficiaries. The authors find that some impairment categories that are strongly associated with employment status are not as closely linked to higher earnings. The findings in the article can be used to inform new programs or initiatives aimed at helping beneficiaries return to work.
Click here to access the full article.
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Impact of Health Reform on Americans Ages 50-64
AARP Public Policy Institute/Urban Institute has released a Spotlight article showing that the uninsured rates for 50- to 64- year-olds has dropped 31% since 2013. In states that expanded their Medicaid programs, the drops were greater. The article is a part of AARP PPI's "Monitoring the Impact of Health Reform" series.
Click here to access the full article.
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Administration for Community Living
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Funding Opportunity for State No Wrong Door Systems
The Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) are sponsoring the award of up to six cooperative agreements for a total of up to $4.2 million for the development and implementation of No Wrong Door (NWD) Systems by state entities.
NWD Systems allow states to provide long term services and supports through visible, trusted, and coordinated access points, while simplifying forms and processes. NWD Systems streamline eligibility processes and seek to find the best mix of services and supports based on an individual's needs and circumstances. Eligible applicants must be from one of the 25 states which received a 2014 Transforming State LTSS Access Programs and Functions into A No Wrong Door System for All Populations and All Payers grant. Applicants must be a state entity, and only one application can be submitted per state.
Along with the application, ACL released a "key elements" document that describes the critical pieces to a NWD System. An informational conference call will be held on Wednesday, May 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET. A Letter of Intent is due Sunday, June 14, 2015, and the application will close Monday, July 27, 2015.
Click here to view the full details of the funding opportunity.
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Federal Communications Commission
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Webinar: Get into the Act... Online!
In honor of Older Americans Month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching the first in a series of webinars with several key partners to help address digital literacy and broadband adoption issues affecting seniors. The 90-minute program, scheduled for Thursday, May 28 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET, will provide an overview of the FCC's Lifeline program and other resources for low-income seniors including those living in HUD-assisted properties to obtain low-cost broadband in their homes. Several online resources will be discussed to help plan and deliver high-quality learning experiences to adults and seniors, including freely available professional development courses and communities of practice for facilitators. This webinar is open to the public at no cost. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, but not required. Closed captioning will be provided, and the webinar will be recorded for future use.
Click here for details and registration.
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Government Accountability Office
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GAO Report Examines HCBS for Older Adults
On May 20, GAO published a report that assessed the current HCBS system for Older Adults. GAO found that five departments across four agencies finance HCBS for seniors, and recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) develop a strategy to coordinate services across the Federal government and to establish common outcomes for programs. GAO also examined the delivery of HCBS to seniors in three local areas, including counties in California, Georgia, and Maryland. GAO noted that the growing number of seniors is creating challenges and that all three of the local agencies have waiting lists due to limited resources.
Click here to access the report.
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National Center on Elder Abuse
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Webinar: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day- Toward a Global Framework on its 10th Anniversary
Today, Friday, May 22 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET, the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) will host a webinar on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD). The webinar will include a retrospective on 10 years of WEAAD accomplishments from its founder, Elizabeth Podnieks, pilot findings from an international study on elder abuse, and a panel discussion on future WEAAD. WEAAD is recognized around the world every year on June 15 and aims to educate people on the importance of preventing, identifying, and responding to elder abuse.
Click here for details and registration.
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National Institute on Aging
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Get Free Stuff for Go4Life Month
Go4Life®, the national exercise and physical activity campaign for people 50+, is offering free resources to help organizations and individuals get involved in the movement. The Go4Life Month offers exercise guides, DVDs, motivational flyers, tip sheets, and Spanish resources that can be downloaded or ordered online. Go4Life Month will be celebrated in collaboration with the White House Conference on Aging this coming September.
Click here to view free resources from Go4Life Month.
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Challenge Awards Software & App Developers for Innovations to Improve Use for People with Disabilities
AT&T has partnered with NYU and RESNA to design a technology contest called the ConnectAbility Challenge. AT&T will be awarding $100k in prizes to individual developers and small business that deliver software or apps that solve challenges facing people living with disabilities in for four functional categories:
- People with sensory disabilities
- People in need of mobility solutions
- People in need of social and emotional solutions
- People with communicative and cognitive disabilities
The prize money will be given in honor of the Americans with Disabilities Act 25th Anniversary. The deadline for submissions is June 24, 5:00 p.m. ET.
As part of the ConnectAbility Challenge, AT&T produced four short videos. Each video highlights an individual with a disability and describes how the individual uses technology and the ways technology could continue to improve his/her life.
Click here for more information on the challenge and to view the videos.
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Webinar: Community Voices: Why Nutrition Assistance Matters Campaign Kickoff
The Center for American Progress, Food Research and Action Center, Feeding America, the Coalition on Human Needs, and Witnesses to Hunger are partnering to launch a new campaign, "Community Voices: Why Nutrition Assistance Matters." A compelling personal story is worth 100 statistics and can help move hearts and minds. The goal of this campaign is to gather personal experiences about nutrition assistance programs from communities across the country and share them with media and policymakers to dispel myths and increase understanding of how these programs work and who they help. By taking part in this campaign, participants will have the opportunity to educate the public and protect and strengthen the critical nutrition programs that are vital for families and individuals in America.
The campaign kickoff webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET. This kickoff webinar will teach participants how to take part in this new campaign, why stories are so important, practical tips for interviewing true experts, and about an opportunity to join the campaign in Washington, DC for a day of action.
Click here to register for the webinar.
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National Academy of Social Insurance
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Working Together Challenge Aims to Improve Services and Supports
The National Academy of Social Insurance wants to improve services and supports for working-age persons with disabilities by crowd-sourcing ideas in three key areas: notable results (what's working); research questions (what we need to know); and new initiatives (what we should try). Ideas may be submitted online until May 31, and participants with the top-ranked ideas will receive ticket to the Academy's Robert M. Ball Award Banquet in June.
Click here for details and to join the challenge.
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National Coalition on Aging
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Webinar: Integrating Aging Services & Behavioral Health: Key Resources You Should Know About
This webinar by NCOA and the American Psychological Association will emphasize key resources for aging services providers that are looking to better integrate with providers of behavioral health services. An expert panel of presenters will share various partnership opportunities available on a state and national level, as well as highlight successful partnerships and tangible resources available for your use. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET.
Click here to view panel details and register.
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Mature Market Resource Center
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New Product & Technology Awards Competition Accepting Entries
The New Product & Technology Awards competition provides national recognition to outstanding products, services, and technologies available for older adults and their families. The fifth annual competition has expanded to include 58 categories and 15 divisions, and awards will be given by both category and division. Past winners include Area Agencies on Aging, Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans, the Minnesota Board on Aging, and Retirement Communities. The entry deadline is May 29, 2015, and the entry fee is $79 per entry.
Click here to view entry and competition details.
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National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
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Ice Cream Social to Discuss Round-the-Clock RN Coverage
The Coalition of Geriatric Nursing Organizations, Consumer Voice, and the American Nurses Association, in cooperation with Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), will host an ice cream social to discuss the critical need for round-the-clock registered nurse coverage in nursing homes. The event is scheduled for Thursday, May 28, 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET in the Gold Room, 2168 Rayburn House Office Building.
Attendees should RSVP by Tuesday, May 26 to Robyn Grant at rgrant@theconsumervoice.org.
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Senior Center Conference
Registration is open for the 2015 Senior Center Conference being held in Columbus, Indiana. The conference, entitled Seek 2015: Engaging Communities to Age Well, will take place September 20-22. Register by June 30 to receive an early bird rate of $295 for National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) members and $345 for non-members.
Click here to view conference details and register.
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Job & Internship Postings
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NASDDDS Seeking Executive Director
The National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) is seeking an executive director with broad experience and a commitment to supporting state agencies in the provision of services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Interested candidates should email a resume, cover letter, and salary requirements by June 15.
Click here to view the full posting.
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Director of Developmental Disabilities for Nebraska DHHS
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is accepting applications for the Director of Developmental Disabilities position. The Division has approximately 1000 employees and a budget of over $210 million. The Director oversees all programs, practices, and policies to ensure the provision of services to Nebraska's population of people with developmental disabilities.
Applicants should have five years of administrative or professional experience related to health or human services for people with developmental disabilities, including management experience.
Click here to view the full posting and details on how to apply.
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