House of Representatives Passes Older Americans Act Reauthorization Bill
On March 21, the House of Representatives passed S.192, the Older Americans Act (OAA)Reauthorization Bill. The legislation includes many important provisions which seek to modernize the OAA to reflect the current and future realities of the Aging Network. NASUAD is very supportive of the language that amends the Act to promote state flexibility, person-centeredness, and cultural and linguistic competence in the administration and delivery of OAA services. We are also supportive of the increased funding for crucial OAA services contained within the bill's authorizations. NASUAD Executive Director, Martha Roherty, released a statement regarding the passage.
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I&R Center Webinar: Paralysis Resource Center
The National I&R Support Center will host a webinar on the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Paralysis Resource Center. This webinar will take place on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
The Reeve Foundation's Paralysis Resource Center (PRC) promotes the health and well-being of people living with a spinal cord injury, mobility impairment, and paralysis by providing comprehensive information, resources and referral services. Join this webinar to learn more about the Paralysis Resource Center, including the Center's I&R services; resources on spinal cord injury, paralysis and mobility related disabilities; peer support program; and the needs of individuals and families served by the Center. Bernadette Mauro, Director of Information and Resource Services, will present.
Pre-registration is required for this webinar. Space is limited so make sure to register as soon as possible.
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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. Building on our popular HCBS conference in the fall, NASUAD is bringing a mini-HCBS conference to the mid-west.
DID YOU KNOW:
- The jammed packed agenda includes over 50 sessions from national speakers. The Conference starts on Monday, May 23rd with three separate day-long intensives.
- There will be lunches and a reception in the exhibit hall with over 40 national and local organizations sharing their products and innovations.
- CEUs are available for Iowa dentist, lawyers, social workers, and nursing home administrators!
- This is a national conference with a regional focus! Priced lower than most regional meetings, this conference offers an opportunity to connect with professionals, policymakers, and subject-matter experts from across the country and to learn about the creative work within the aging and disability networks.
- There are only 7 DAYS LEFT! 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 Deadline for AIRS I&R Conference Approaching
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. For a full list of conference workshops, visit AIRS.
Click here to view details and register.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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Report on Milestones for Care & Support to Address Alzheimer's
The Alzheimer's Association convened the Alzheimer's Association National Plan Care Support Milestone Workgroup, composed of experts in clinical care, long-term services and supports, dementia care, support research, and public policy. The workgroup reviewed the current literature regarding Alzheimer's support and care in the U.S. and on a global scale, and developed several milestones to help create a better care and support system. The U.S. national Alzheimer's plan has three goals: Goal 1 is for biomedical research; goal 2 is for care; and goal 3 is for support. The National Institutes of Health created milestones for goal 1. The workgroup developed 73 milestones for goal 2 and 56 milestones for Goal 3. NASUAD Executive Director, Martha Roherty was a co-author, serving as a member of the workgroup.
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Readmission Risk Among Medicare Fee-for-Service Patients
Care at Hand, the University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Nursing, and the Nestle Corporation authored a report on readmission risk among Medicare fee-for-service patients using nonmedical workers and mobile technology. Hospital readmissions are a large source of wasteful healthcare spending, and current care transition models are too expensive to be sustainable. One way to circumvent cost-prohibitive care transition programs is complement nurse-staffed care transition programs with those staffed by less expensive nonmedical workers. A major barrier to utilizing nonmedical workers is determining the appropriate time to escalate care to a clinician with a wider scope of practice. The objective of this study was to show how mobile technology can use the observations of nonmedical workers to stratify patients on the basis of their hospital readmission risk.
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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 |
FAQs for Methods for Assuring Access to Covered Medicaid Services Rule
On March 16, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Center for Medicaid and Chip Services (CMCS) released a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document about the final rule with comment for Methods for Assuring Access to Covered Medicaid Services (CMS-2328-FC). "The final rule requires states follow a transparent, data-driven process for documenting access to care for services covered under the Medicaid state plan and paid fee-for-service consistent with section 1902(a)(30)(A) of the Social Security Act." This FAQ sheet is one in a series that will be be released from CMS regarding this final rule. The FAQs were created to respond to questions that CMS has received during technical assistance efforts.
Click here to send any additional questions to the Medicaid Access to Care mailbox.
Click here to view the FAQs.
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| American Association on Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities |
Registration is Open for the 2016 AAIDD National Conference
Registration is now open for the AAIDD 2016 National Conference being held in Atlanta, June 6-9, 2016 at the downtown Sheraton Hotel. The conference theme is "The Meaning of Professional in an Era of Change". The conference features seven pre-conference workshops on Monday, June 6, an opening reception featuring Georgia Luminaries in the disability movement, three plenary sessions exploring the role and meaning of "professional" from the perspectives of building inclusive communities, parents, siblings, self advocates, and a presidential address. There are 30 concurrent sessions over Tuesday and Wednesday, a large poster session on Tuesday evening, and several post conference workshops. The AAIDD Annual Meeting provides researchers, clinicians, practitioners, educators, policymakers, local, state and federal agencies, and advocates with cutting edge research, effective practices, and valuable information on important policy initiatives. The main conference runs from Monday evening through Wednesday, but anyone can also attend a pre-conference or post-conference workshop on Monday afternoon or Thursday morning, which have separate registrations. Professionals, family members, community members, and self-advocates are welcome.
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Webinar: Update on Dual Eligible Demonstrations & Initiatives
Justice in Aging is hosting a webinar on dual eligible demonstrations and initiatives. This spring marks the 6th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which created the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO). In the past few years, MMCO, states, and advocates committed incredible resources and time to improving care and services for dual eligible individuals. This webinar will provide an update on dual eligible demonstrations and dual eligible initiatives and highlight areas for future improvement. Justice in Aging experts Georgia Burke and Fay Gordon will be the presenters. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2016, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET.
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New Frontiers in Coordinating Housing & Medicaid Services
Mathematica is hosting a policy forum and live webinar, sponsored by the Center for Studying Disability Policy. Attendees will learn about what state and federal partners are doing to coordinate and integrate health and housing services for people with behavioral health needs. Speakers for the event are Jonathan Brown, Carol Irvin, and Matthew Kehn from Mathematica and Jennifer Ho from HUD. The speakers will discuss the following:
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Why housing is an important part of efforts to treat high-need, high-cost Medicaid beneficiaries
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Challenges and lessons from the Money Follows the Person Demonstration's efforts to improve the availability of supportive housing for Medicaid beneficiaries moving out of institutions
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Innovative state efforts to better coordinate health and housing services for people with behavioral health conditions
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Efforts led by HUD to partner with other federal agencies, such as CMS and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to coordinate health and housing services
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The policy forum and live webinar will take place on Thursday, April 21, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET.
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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 Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center |
Webinar: Mobile Apps for Community & Police to Assist Vulnerable Adults
The National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center is hosting a technical assistance (TA) webinar titled "Mobile Apps for the Community and Law Enforcement to Assist Vulnerable Adults." Participants who attend this webinar will learn about the development and implementation of two mobile applications that are designed to assist vulnerable adults who live alone. The presenters for this webinar are David Cardell, founder, EyeOn App; Sarah Ekart, Aging and Disability Resource Connection Options Counseling Specialist, DHS Division of Aging Services, Georgia; and Sharee Rines, trainer, policy writer, Georgia Adult Protective Services. The webinar will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. The webinar will take place on Thursday, April 14, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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NQF Meeting: Measuring Quality in Home and Community-Based Services
The National Quality Forum's Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality project is hosting its second in-person meeting at the end of March. The purpose of the meeting is to address the gaps in HCBS performance measures that support the quality of community living. The meeting is open to the public and there will be opportunities for public comment. Online participation is encouraged as seating is limited. The meeting will take place in Washington, D.C. over two days, Wednesday, March 30, 2016, and Thursday, March 31, 2016.
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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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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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The HSC Foundation and NCIL Seek 2016 Youth Transition Fellow
The HSC Foundation, in partnership with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), is now accepting applications for a paid fellowship position with the organizations' disability youth transition and collaboration work. This fellowship is ideal for a person with a disability who has an interest in youth career transitions and employment solutions. The fellowship starts in June 2016, and continues for 15 months. Under the supervision of NCIL's Executive Director, the Youth Transitions Fellow (YTF) will gain exposure to youth programs serving people with disabilities and will have the opportunity to facilitate collaboration among internship, fellowship, and apprenticeship programs based in the Greater Washington, DC area. Eligible applicants are college graduates 26-or-younger who self-identify as an individual with any type of disability. Qualified applicants will have the following preferred skills: Ability to facilitate collaboration among large groups; ability to work with people in all levels of an organization, including young people with a variety of disabilities; strong communication skills and strong organizational skills; creative and innovative personality; familiarity with technology and social networking tool; and a strong interest in youth transition for people with disabilities and organizing. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, April 26, 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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Senior Community Service Employment Program National Grants
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced the availability of approximately $338,520,000 in grant funds authorized by Title V of the Older Americans Act (OAA) as amended in 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-365 for the Community Service Employment for Older Americans program commonly referred to as the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), for National Grants for Program Year (PY) 2016. SCSEP is the only Federally-sponsored employment and training program targeted specifically to low-income older individuals who are able to enter or reenter the workforce. Program participants receive paid work experience at local public or non-profit agencies and are paid the higher of the Federal, State, or local minimum wage, or the prevailing wage for similar employment, for approximately 20 hours per week while in community service and other job training (OAA Amendments § 502(b)(1)(J); 20 CFR 641.565(a)). The dual goals of the program are to promote useful opportunities in community service job training and to move SCSEP participants into unsubsidized employment. This is a four-year grant, renewable annually for each of those four years based on annual Departmental application requirements and subject to the availability of funds. The grant may be extended for a fifth year at the Department's discretion, contingent upon the grantee meeting or exceeding the minimum negotiated performance measures as required by section 514(a) of the OAA Amendments and 20 CFR 641.700. All applications are due by 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 29, 2016.
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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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