Register Today for the Iowa Conference on Aging & Disabilities!
NASUAD is proud to be sponsoring a National Aging and Disabilities Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, May 23-May 26.
- This conference aims at connecting Iowa and national providers of long-term services and supports with innovative ideas and new programs from their neighboring states.
- This is an opportunity to meet service providers, advocacy groups, state staff, managed care organizations, CMS officials, and national association staff to share questions, opportunities, and ideas in thoughtful discussions.
- Assist Iowa to be a lead state in understanding the key role dental care plays with the overall health and well-being of persons with disabilities and older individuals. Hear Dr. Paul Glassman, DDS, MA, MBA describe the teledentistry program he designed as well as staff from the University of Iowa and Delta Dental share what Iowa is doing and hopes to do!
- Employment challenges? Come hear successes and opportunities that Iowa and other states have in assisting older individuals and persons with disabilities gain greater employment opportunities and how all of us can decrease barriers to their successes.
Due to the popularity of our March discount, we are going to continue to offer weekly discounts throughout April. Use the code APRIL to save $40 this week. Next week the discount decreases, so register today!
Click here to learn more and register. Use code APRIL for a savings of $40!
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Register for the 2016 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. 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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I&R Center Webinar: America's Health Rankings Senior Report
For the I&R Center's May webinar, we invite you to join NASUAD for an all-state webinar on "America's Health Rankings Senior Report, 2016 Edition." The webinar will preview data to be released about senior health on a national and state-by-state basis from research being conducted by United Health Foundation. Participants will learn about national health improvements and challenges, senior health state rankings, and tools you can use to communicate the data. Sarah Milder, MPH, Principal Epidemiologist, Arundel Metrics will present this webinar. Pre-registration is required for this webinar. Space is limited so make sure to register as soon as possible. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, May 11, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click here to view details and register.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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Evaluation of the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative
Mathematica Policy Research released a report that evaluated the implementation and impacts of Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) initiative over its first two years. In October of 2012, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the CPC initiative to test a new model of care delivery for about 500 primary care practices. This report evaluates how different factors, like participation, have changed during the initiative's first two years. CPC created requirements that primary care practices must meet and annual milestones to help improve five functions: access and continuity; planned chronic care and preventive care; risk-stratified care management; patient and caregiver engagement; and coordination of care across the medical neighborhood.
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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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Administration for Community Living
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No Wrong Door System Key Elements Grants Available
The Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) have developed a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to assist states in transforming their existing long-term services and supports (LTSS) access programs and functions into a single statewide No Wrong Door (NWD) System of access to LTSS for all persons regardless of age, income, or disability. ACL, CMS, and VHA awarded grants to 8 states in 2012 to develop No Wrong Door Systems while also working with federal agencies to draft guidelines to be used by all states in the development of NWD systems. Please note that the only eligible applicants for this funding opportunity must be from one of the 8 states which received a 2012 Transforming State LTSS Access Programs and Functions into A No Wrong Door System for All
Populations and All Payers grant. A letter of intent is due by Thursday, April 28, 2016, and the applications are due by Monday, June 6, 2016.
Click here to view the full posting.
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ACL Releases Materials on Medications and the Aging Brain
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) in partnership with scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes for Health (NIH), have developed a three-part set of materials on medications and the aging brain. The materials are written in layman's terms and were designed specifically for use by staff and volunteers at senior centers, area agencies on aging (AAAs), health departments, local clinics, and other community organizations. Some of the materials are also available in Spanish. The Medicine, Age, and Your Brain set includes a power point presentation, a brochure for educators, and a one page handout for consumers.
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| Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services |
CMS releases FAQ on HCBS Rule
On Tuesday, April 12th, CMS released new guidance regarding implementation of the Medicaid HCBS settings rule. The document is a series of FAQs discussing important components of the regulation, including how states are expected to assess new buildings under construction for compliance with the rule. CMS clarifies that they will not pre-approve settings based upon proposed designs/operations before those settings actually provide services. In the FAQs, CMS also provides some additional information regarding person centered planning and the regulation. CMS affirms that the person centered planning requirements were effective as of March 17, 2014; however, the FAQ notes that components of the planning process involve assessments of the needs of individuals as they relate to HCBS settings. These parts of person centered planning can be included within the transition plan.
Click here to view the FAQs.
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Tennessee Receives Approval of Statewide Transition Plan
On Wednesday, April 13th, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they approved Tennessee's HCBS statewide transition plan. Tennessee is the first state to have an approved statewide plan under the 2014 HCBS final rule. According to the letter, CMS granted approval of the plan because Tennessee had completed its systemic review of policies as well as site-specific review of individual settings. CMS also noted that Tennessee has robust methods to validate the site-specific settings as well as timelines and processes for remediation of those settings, among other reasons for approval.
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Deadline Extension for Access Monitoring Review Plan Submissions
On Friday, April 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule in the Federal Register to extend the deadline to October 1, 2016, for state submissions of the access monitoring review plan to CMS. The deadline was originally set for July 1, 2016. CMS published the final rule with comment period, Medicaid Program; Methods for Assuring Access to Covered Medicaid Services, on November 2, 2015. Many commenters suggested that CMS push back the original deadline that required states to develop and submit the access monitoring review plan to CMS.
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| Alliance of Information and Referral Systems |
Eighth Edition of the Standards and Quality Indicators for I&R
The Alliance of Information and Referral Systems published the 8th edition of their Standards and Quality Indicators for Professional Information and Referral. The purpose of the AIRS Standards is to establish reference points that define expected practices within the field of Information and Referral (I&R) that can be used to measure the extent to which individual organizations are in compliance with those requirements. AIRS Standards provide essential guidelines that can be used to develop an I&R program to meet the needs of communities.
The process to revise and update the Standards took more than a year and involved input from many I&R professionals including work groups on a range of issues including resource database quality issues, I&R outcomes and service delivery performance metrics. The new edition of the AIRS Standards is a comprehensive upgrade, representing perhaps the most substantial reorganization of the material in recent times, with minor and major changes throughout the document to reflect emerging trends and changes in I&R.
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Webinar: Vulnerability, Cognitive Impairment, and Elder Abuse
The Alzheimer's Association and the National Center on Elder Abuse are hosting a webinar on vulnerability, cognitive impairment, and undue influence. The webinar will provide insights into this emerging public health problem and include discussion of a new uniform definition of "elder abuse" to bring consistency to public health surveillance efforts. Opportunities to protect people with cognitive impairment from abuse will also be raised. Dr. Bonnie J. Olsen of the National Center on Elder Abuse will explain why people with cognitive impairment are at risk for physical, emotional, and other types of abuse. She will also describe the current scope and burden of the problem. Dr. Jeffrey Hall from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention will discuss new guidance on surveillance of elder abuse and plans for use in public health and other sectors. Together, Drs. Olsen and Hall will explore ways the public health community can address abuse of people with dementia, including through partnerships with the aging network and law enforcement. Pre-registration is required for this meeting. When you click on the registration link, be sure to enter the meeting number (748 905 085). This webinar will take place on Thursday, May 5, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.
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| Health Management Associates |
Webinar: Complying with Strengthened HIPAA Regulations
Health Management Associates is hosting a webinar about what healthcare organizations need to know to comply with strengthened HIPAA regulations. Revised HIPPA rules have created important new responsibilities and instituted new penalties related to business associates who handle personal health information or personal health records for covered entities. During this webinar, HMA experts Heidi Robbins Brown and Margarita Pereyda, MD will outline the new regulations, provide a framework for protecting patient data, and present a set of best practices your organization and business associates can use in efforts to ensure HIPAA compliance. This webinar is recommended for executives of Medicaid managed care plans, hospitals, health systems, and clinics serving Medicaid populations; state and federal regulators and healthcare policy analysts; Medicaid directors and staff; and state and federal officials for public health. Pre-registration is required for this free webinar. The event will take place on Tuesday, April 26, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
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Accelerating the Use of Evidence in Health Care Practice, Policy, and Decision Making
The Mathematica Center on Health Care Effectiveness is sponsoring a policy forum and live webinar on accelerating the use of evidence in health care practice, policy, and decision making. The event will describe the PCORI Dissemination and Implementation Framework and Toolkit and reflect on challenges in accelerating the use of evidence in practice, policy, and decision making. A panel of speakers representing practitioners, policymakers, and patients will respond to the presentation and offer their own perspectives on challenges to accelerating the use of evidence in health care decision making. Speakers for the webinar are: Dominick Esposito, Mathematica; Jessica Heeringa, Mathematica; David Knutson, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; Amy Kratchman, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Robert Phillips, American Board of Family Medicine; and Jennifer Reck, National Academy for State Health Policy. Pre-registration is required for this event. The event will take place via live webcast and in person at the Mathematica Office in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 12, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET.
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| National Academy for State Health Policy |
Webinar: A Conversation with State Officials on Medicaid Dental Managed Care
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has an upcoming webinar on Medicaid Dental Managed Care.
An increasing number of states are using managed care approaches to deliver Medicaid dental services. In this webinar, state policymakers from Kentucky, Arizona, and Pennsylvania-three states that administer Medicaid benefits through managed care contracts that include both medical and dental services-will share their insights about strategies to ensure that managed care contractors and their subcontractors maintain an adequate network of dental providers, provide outreach and care coordination to members, and promote quality improvement. This webinar is supported by the American Dental Association. The webinar will be held on Friday, April 29, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.
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| National Alliance for Caregiving |
Webinar: Caregivers of Adults with Mental Illness
The National Alliance for Caregiving, Mental Health America, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness are hosting a webinar about a new research study, On Pins & Needles: Caregivers of Adults with Mental Illness, on caregivers of adults with mental illness. The webinar will discuss the 8.4 million Americans caring for a loved one with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, or other moderate-to-serious mental health conditions. The report briefing will further describe the challenges facing these families and include gaps in existing coverage. In addition, the experts will offer public policy solutions based on the findings from the caregivers who were surveyed in the study. The study was made possible through grant funding from Allergan, Eli Lilly, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 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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NASHP Seeks Policy Team Project Director
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is seeking an individual to join the Chronic and Vulnerable Populations (CVP) policy team as a Project Director (PD). The Project Director will lead day-to-day operations for at least one major initiative for NASHP, and will join additional project teams as a team member. The primary focus of this work will be on state and federal health policy issues related to major state healthcare delivery system reforms. This includes managing a large federally funded initiative providing technical assistance to states to accelerate new payment and delivery system reforms, including the integration of physical and behavioral health care systems. In addition, the PD will participate in a federally funded evaluation of states' multi-payer delivery system reform efforts. Additional responsibilities will be determined based on the PD's interests and skills. This position can be located in Portland, Maine or Washington, DC. All applications must be submitted by Tuesday, May 31, 2016.
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LEAD Coalition Seeks Communications & Advocacy Director
Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer's Disease (the LEAD Coalition) is seeking an accomplished Communications and Advocacy Director who will be responsible for mobilizing grassroots advocacy by stakeholder organizations through media and policy initiatives. The Director also will be responsible for the monthly e-newsletter, monthly meeting notes, website, and other LEAD Coalition publications. Working closely with the Executive Director, the Director will monitor and develop summaries of relevant news in federal policy, science, clinical care, social services, and related domains. The Director will attend, participate in, or facilitate some meetings with or in place of the Executive Director. The LEAD Coalition is co-convened by USAgainstAlzheimer's and Volunteers of America. The coalition works collaboratively to focus the nation's strategic attention on Alzheimer's disease and related dementia and to accelerate transformational progress in (1) care and support to enrich the quality of life of those with dementia and their caregivers, (2) detection and diagnosis, and (3) research leading to prevention, effective treatment and eventual cure. All applications must be submitted by Thursday, May 5, 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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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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Disability & Rehabilitation Research Projects Program: Employment of People with Disabilities-Development
The Administration for Community Living released the development grant opportunity for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project Program (DRRP): Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. Please note that this will be the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP development projects in the employment domain. NIDILRR plans to make two field-initated DRRP awards in the employment domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP awards in the employment domain may include research projects, development projects, or both, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 24, 2016.
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Disability & Rehabilitation Research Projects Program: Employment of People with Disabilities- Research
The Administration for Community Living released the research grant opportunity for the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project Program (DRRP): Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a research project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a research project under this program, a grantee must identify one or more hypotheses or research questions and, based on the hypotheses or research questions identified, perform an intensive, systematic study directed toward producing (1) new or full scientific knowledge, or (2) understanding of the subject or problem studied. Please note that this will be the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP research projects in the employment domain. NIDILRR plans to make two field-initated DRRP awards in the employment domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP awards in the employment domain may include research projects, development projects, or both, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 24, 2016.
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Rides to Wellness Demonstration & Innovative Coordinated Access Grants
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of approximately $5.3 million of funding from two programs to support the Rides to Wellness Demonstration and Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants (R2W Demonstration Grants). The goal of the competitive R2W Demonstration Grants is to find and test promising, replicable public transportation healthcare access solutions that support the following goals: increased access to care, improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Eligible applicants include: States, Tribes, and designated or direct recipients for funds under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 5310 or 5311. Proposers must serve as the lead agency of a local consortium that includes stakeholders from the transportation, healthcare, human service or other sectors. Members of this consortium are eligible as subrecipients. Further, proposers must demonstrate that the proposed project was planned through an inclusive process with the involvement of the transportation, healthcare and human service industries. Eligible projects must have implementation ready capital and operating projects that enhance access, such as: mobility management; health and transportation provider partnerships; technology; and other actions that drive change. These R2W Demonstration Grants will develop best practice solutions that other communities can replicate. All applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.
Click here to view the full posting.
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State Grants to Enhance Adult Protective Services
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) released a grant opportunity for states to enhance Adult Protective Services. This demonstration is designed to provide states funding to strengthen their APS systems statewide, to include improvement in practice, services, and data collection and reporting, as well as their technical ability to interface with ACL's National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS). Eligible applicants are the state government offices that administer the state's adult protective services and/or elder protective services program. Recipients of an award under this program in FY 2015 are NOT eligible to apply for funding under this opportunity. Foreign entities are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement. All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.
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