Register Today for the Iowa Conference on Aging & Disabilities: Kiss Me I'm IOWAish!
NASUAD is proud to be sponsoring a National Aging and Disabilities conference in Des Moines, Iowa, May 23-May 26. Here are the top 5 reasons to attend!
5) The jam-packed agenda includes over 50 sessions from national speakers on topics including:
- Family Caregiving
- Technology Solutions for Caring for Seniors and People with Disabilities
- Federal Policy and Medicaid 101...Learn more about the agenda here.
4) You will be enlightened, inspired, and educated by our plenary thought leaders including:
- Lt. Governor Kimberly Reynold
- Mike Nardone, CMS Director of the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group (DEHPG)
- Terry Rich, author of "Dare to Dream: Dare to Act"
- Dr. Paul Glassman, visionary leader in teledenistry for underserved populations
3) Pre-Conference Intensives begins Monday morning with three separate day-long choices:
- Be educated about employment opportunities for seniors and individuals with disabilities;
- Become informed about efforts to combat elder abuse;
- Learn about the creative efforts to improve oral health for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
2) Lunches and an Evening Reception with Exhibitors bringing innovative solutions and ideas from across the country including:
- Managed Care Companies
- Technology Companies
- Meals Programs
1) In celebration of St. Patrick's Day this month, we are offering a $50 discount on registration. Use the code: IOWAish to save $50 on registrations throughout the month!
Click here to learn more and register. Use the code IOWAish for a discount on your registration.
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Early Bird Registration Open for AIRS I&R Conference
Registration is open for the 38th annual AIRS I&R Training and Education Conference to be held May 22-25, 2016, in St. Louis, Missouri. Register by April 1, 2016, for the early bird rate. The National I&R Support Center welcomes aging and disability I&R/A professionals to join us in St. Louis for the National Aging and Disability Information and Referral Symposium held during the AIRS Conference. The Symposium offers a pre-conference National I&R/A Summit for aging and disability professionals, an Aging and Disability Luncheon, and a full complement of workshops throughout the conference. This year's pre-conference summit will have a special focus on person centered thinking and practices featuring an interactive presentation from Michael Smull, a national expert on person centered systems and a partner in Support Development Associates (SDA). Symposium workshop sessions will feature national, state, and local professionals presenting on key topics impacting aging and disability I&R/A programs such as quality assurance and customer satisfaction, aging caregivers, innovations in transportation services, transition for youth with disabilities, and resources for serving diverse consumers. Click here to view details and register.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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MACPAC March 2016 Report to Congress
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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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| Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services |
Community First Choice: Final Report to Congress
On March 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Community First Choice (CFC) Final Report to Congress. This benefit allows states the option of adding home and community-based attendant services and supports to their State plans.The findings from four states that have implemented the Community First Choice benefit -- California, Montana, Maryland, and Oregon-- are described in the report. The CFC report is required by the Affordable Care Act, including the assessment of "the effectiveness of services provided under CFC in allowing individuals to live independently, to the maximum extent possible; the impact of such services on enrollees' physical and emotional health; and the comparative costs of CFC services and those provided under institutional care." These are the findings of the CFC benefit as of March 15, 2015.
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New Interactive Mapping Medicaid Disparities Tool
On March 17, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) released an interactive map that is meant to help individuals increase their understanding of the geographic disparities in chronic disease among Medicaid beneficiaries. It is important to understand the geographic disparities in chronic disease in order to inform policy decisions and target populations for interventions. The tool features: " A dynamic interface with data on the prevalence of 18 chronic conditions, end stage renal disease, or a disability; Medicare spending, hospital and emergency department (ED) utilization, preventable hospitalizations, readmissions, and mortality rates; the ability to sort by state or county of residence, sex, age, dual-eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid, and race and ethnicity; and built-in benchmarking features to investigate disparities within counties and across racial and ethnic groups, and within racial and ethnic groups across counties." The MMD Tool was developed in collaboration with KPMG LLC and NORC at the University of Chicago.
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| Health and Human Services |
HHS Awards $94 Million to Treat the Opioid Epidemic
Sylvia Burwell, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced that HHS will award $94 million of Affordable Care Act Funding to 271 health centers in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, to help treat the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic. Secretary Burwell cited the opioid epidemic as "one of the most pressing public health issues in the United States today." This funding will expand access to medication-assisted treatment to help save many lives.
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| Social Security Administration |
Social Security's 2016 Red Book
The Social Security Administration (SSA) released the Social Security 2016 Red Book. The Red Book is a free guide to employment supports for people who receive Social Security disability benefits, Supplemental Security Income, or both. Included in the book are explanations of work incentives, how working can affect benefits, where to find local services, and more. Educators, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and counselors who serve people with disabilities are some of the populations that rely on this important resource to assist individuals with disabilities that wish to work. Free printed copies of the publication are available by mail. Please contact the SSA by email, phone (410) 965-2039, or fax (410) 965-2037 for more information.
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| AARP Public Policy Institute |
Briefing: The Escalating Costs of Health Coverage
The AARP Public Policy Institute is hosting a Senate Briefing on the costs of health coverage. The costs of health coverage are again escalating much more rapidly than general inflation - which puts increasing pressure on wages and jobs, access to needed health care, employer and family budgets, productivity, and the global competitiveness of American firms. In this National Coalition on Health Care Forum, a distinguished panel will analyze and explain the causes and effects of these accelerating costs - and strategies for slowing the rates of increase and reducing their harmful impacts. The expert panelists are Paul Ginsburg , Director of the Brookings Institution Center on Health Policy; Norman Topping Chair in Medicine and Public Policy, University of Southern California; and Director of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Initiative for Innovation in Health Policy; Sara R. Collins, Vice President, Health Care Coverage and Access, The Commonwealth Fund; Damon A. Silvers, Director of Policy and Special Counsel, AFL-CIO; and Scott A. Weltz, Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman, and Co-author of the 2015 Milliman Medical Index report. The panel will be moderated by John Rother, President and CEO, National Coalition on Health Care. RSVPs are required, please email smcgue@nchc.org if you will be attending. The event will take place on Monday, March 21, 2016, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Russell Senate Office Building, Room 485.
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| National Adult Day Services Association |
Webinar: Opening an Adult Day Center: The Facts You Need to Succeed
The National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA) is hosting a webinar on the facts needed to successfully open an Adult Day Center. If you've been thinking about starting your own adult day center, this is an excellent opportunity for you! Join NADSA for the upcoming webinar, "Opening an Adult Day Center: The Facts You Need to Succeed." Adult day expert, Beth Meyer-Arnold, will walk you through what it takes to open and run an adult day center successfully. Gain valuable insight on savvy strategies, things to avoid, and best practices. This webinar will help you to explore this growing service sector to decide if opening an adult day center is right for you. Save time and money by planning ahead thoroughly and practically. The webinar will take place on Thursday, March 31, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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| National Council on Aging |
Falls Prevention Awareness Day
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is hosting the 9th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day. This years theme is "Ready, Steady, Balance: Prevent Falls in 2016." NCOA has many resources to help states and organizations celebrate this observance. Some of the resources include: Infographics, a video on falls prevention, a webinar, a social media toolkit, a PowerPoint presentation toolkit, several handouts, and many examples of falls prevention awareness activities. Falls Prevention Awareness Day will be observed on September 22, 2016-- the first day of fall.
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| National Council on Independent Living |
Registration Open for the Annual Conference on Independent Living
Registration is now open for the National Council on Independent Living's (NCIL) Annual Conference on Independent Living. NCIL's Annual Conference draws individuals of all ages and disabilities from all 50 states. Last year's conference was the biggest ever, with over 1,500 people coming together in Washington, DC to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the ADA, to hear from the leaders of Generation ADA, and to advance justice and equality for people with disabilities. NCIL also set a new membership record 2015, with over a thousand members joining NCIL from every corner of the nation. In 2016, NCIL will focus this unprecedented momentum into action. This year's theme represents a call for unity among people with disabilities and our true allies, the theme is "Solidarity: Everybody In." All registrations received and paid before April 29, 2016 are eligible for the Early Bird registration rates. The conference will take place from July 25, 2016, to July 28, 2016, at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C.
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| University of New Hampshire & Kessler Foundation |
nTIDE Lunch & Learn Webinar Series
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SSA Hosts National Disability Forum
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is hosting a national disability forum. The Disability Forum is an open forum of Social Security that gives all interested stakeholders an opportunity to share their unique insights on topics of particular interest to SSA early in the process and directly with policy makers. Further, it provides an opportunity for stakeholders to hear from one another. Open to anyone interested, the Disability Forum is not intended to be a means for reaching agreement on an issue, and SSA's participation is only for the purpose of gaining insight through listening. This forum is intended for all disability stakeholders. Details for registration are forthcoming. The event will take place on Wednesday, March 30, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET, in Washington, D.C.
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Event & Webinar: Harnessing Evidence to Redesign Primary Care
The Mathematica Center on Health Care Effectiveness and the Milbank Memorial Fund are hosting a policy forum and live webinar on harnessing evidence to redesign primary care. Practical strategies from the new report for improving the strength of evidence from ongoing evaluations will be presented by expert panelists. Additionally, experts who offer the perspectives of providers and state and federal governments will identify the kind of evidence needed to understand the implications of primary care transformation. Pre-registration is required for this free event. If you need assistance before the forum, please contact Mathematica at CHCE@mathematica-mpr.com. They will make every effort to accommodate your participation in this event. Please email any requests for special accommodations by Tuesday, March 22, 2016. The event will take place on Thursday, March 24, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. ET.
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FEMA Office of Disability Integration & Coordination Seeks Deputy Director
FEMA's Office of Disability Integration and Coordination is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Deputy Director. The Deputy Director is responsible for identifying and integrating significant internal and external program, policies, procedures, practices, and systems that may affect the entire agency; developing and analyzing a wide variety of new or modified programs, policies, procedures, associated goals and objectives, and mission operations; investigating problems of high complexity and finding non-obvious solutions; and managing or reviewing highly complex and expansive projects. Qualified applicants must have a minimum of one full year of specialized experience at the GS-13 level that demonstrates the following: 1) Analyzing and evaluating program activities, agency missions, regulatory issues and policies; and 2) recommending guidelines, program objectives, goals; and/or 3) developing and implementing functions and processes for program planning and management. All applications must be submitted by Friday, March 25, 2016.
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TMG Seeks IRIS Consultant
TMG is the IRIS Consultant Agency (ICA) and Self-Directed Personal Care contractor for Wisconsin's IRIS program. IRIS is a long-term support program where eligible individuals self-direct their publicly funded, community based long-term care services. TMG is seeking qualified applicants for the position of IRIS Consultant. The consultant is responsible for meeting with IRIS participants and developing a partnership to help assist participants in identifying personal outcomes and ensuring those outcomes are being met on an ongoing basis, all while staying within the participant's IRIS budget and within the requirements of the IRIS program determined by the Department of Health Services (DHS). Qualified applicants must have a minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a social work, psychology, human services, counseling, nursing, special education or a closely related field (or four years of commensurate experience if no degree) and one year of direct experience related to the delivery of social services to the target groups. All applications must be submitted by Thursday, March 31, 2016.
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Nebraska State Unit on Aging Seeks AmeriCorps VISTA Members
The Nebraska State Unit on Aging is seeking qualified applicants for the position of AmeriCorps VISTA. The VISTA is responsible for collecting data, creating volunteer databases/spreadsheets with aging-related data, developing training manuals and materials, creating a standardized Senior Center Operational manual template, and developing means to increase services, funding, and volunteer opportunities across Nebraska. This is an opportunity to make an IMPACT in the lives of aging populations in Nebraska! As a VISTA, connect with services that allow seniors to stay in their own homes and change the lives of minority and impoverished individuals.Qualified applicants should be outgoing, self-motivated individuals interested in laying the ground work for improving nutrition, volunteer, and support services across the state of Nebraska.
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Guinness World Records Announces the World's Oldest Living Man
On March 11, 2016, Guinness World Records announced that Israel Kristal, a Holocaust survivor, is the world's oldest living man. As of March 11, Kristal is 112 years and 178 days old. Kristal was born in Poland in 1903, lived through both World Wars, and survived the Auschwitz death camp. He currently resides in Haifa, Israel. When asked the secret for long life, Kristal responded, "I don't know the secret for long life. I believe that everything is determined from above and we shall never know the reasons why. There have been smarter, stronger and better looking men then me who are no longer alive. All that is left for us to do is to keep on working as hard as we can and rebuild what is lost."
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Celebrating the Birthday of a Special Centenarian
Virginia McLaurin became an instant star after she paid a visit to President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the White House and danced with the President and First Lady. On March 11, she celebrated her 107th birthday with 300 of her closest friends at THEARC in Washington, D.C. McLaurin has spent her life volunteering and currently volunteers at a school in D.C. working with young children. The White House sent McLaurin a Presidential Medal of Honor for her many years of volunteer service.
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Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs Financed Solely by 2016 Prevention and Health Funds
The Administration on Aging (AoA) within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) forecasts the possible availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 funds to make two-year grants to approximately 8 entities to bring to scale and sustain evidence-based falls prevention programs that will reduce the number of falls, fear of falling, and fall-related injuries in older adults and older adults with disabilities. Goal 1: Significantly increase the number of older adults and older adults with disabilities at risk of falls who participate in evidence-based community programs to reduce falls and falls risks; and Goal 2: Implement innovative funding arrangements (e.g. contracts with integrated health care systems) to support community-based falls prevention programs beyond the grant period, while embedding the programs into an integrated, sustainable evidence-based prevention program network.
Eligible organizations are as following: State governments,
Small businesses, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Individuals, City or township governments,
County governments, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education,
Private institutions of higher education, Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility". For profit organizations other than small businesses, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, and Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments). All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
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Empowering Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities through Chronic Disease Self-Management Education Programs
The Administration on Aging (AoA) within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) forecasts the possible availability of Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 funds to make two-year grants to approximately 8 entities to bring to scale and sustain evidence-based programs that empower older adults and adults with disabilities to better manage their chronic conditions. Goal 1: Significantly increase the number of older adults and adults with disabilities who participate in evidence-based self-management programs to empower them to better manage their chronic conditions; and Goal 2: Implement innovative funding arrangements (e.g. contracts with integrated health care systems) to support the CDSME programs beyond the grant period, while embedding the programs into an integrated, sustainable evidence-based prevention program network.
Eligible organizations are as following: Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility," Independent school districts, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), for profit organizations other than small businesses, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, special district governments, city or township governments, state governments, county governments, public and State controlled institutions of higher education, small businesses, and Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized). All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
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Supportive Services Demonstration for Elderly Households in HUD-Assisted Multifamily Housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced it is making approximately $15 million available to test a promising housing and services model for low-income seniors to age in their own homes and delay or avoid the need for nursing home care.
HUD's Supportive Services Demonstration for Elderly Households in HUD-Assisted Multifamily Housing will offer three-year grants to eligible owners of HUD-assisted senior housing developments to cover the cost of a full-time Enhanced Service Coordinator and a part-time Wellness Nurse. The purpose of the Demonstration is to test the effectiveness of this enhanced supportive services model for elderly households and to evaluate the value of enhanced service coordination paired with affordable housing for seniors. The demonstration will be independently evaluated to determine the impact of the enhanced supportive services model on: Aging in place in HUD-assisted senior developments; avoiding early transitions to institutional care, and; preventing unnecessary and often costly health care events-such as some emergency room visits and hospitalizations-for residents in HUD-assisted senior developments. Grant applications must be submitted electronically by Monday, April 18, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
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