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NASUAD I&R Center Webinar: Guardianship - Key Concepts for I&R/A Specialists
The National I&R Support Center will host a webinar that will train attendees on the basics of guardianship. It is a key but complicated issue that aging and disability I&R/A specialists address in their work with consumers, family members, and caregivers. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, August 4, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.
The webinar will cover the process of becoming a guardian, responsibilities of the guardian, the difference between guardianship and powers of attorney, and a discussion on when a guardianship may be necessary. To help I&R/A specialists gain more insight into guardianship issues, our presenter, Kim Grier, Adult Guardianship Specialist, Georgia Department of Human Services, will share her expertise on this topic. Pre-registration is required for this webinar. Space is limited so make sure to register as soon as possible.
Click here to view details and register.
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Early Bird Rate Ends July 31st! Register Today for the 2016 HCBS Conference!
Join us for the National Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Conference held in Washington, DC, August 29 - September 1. 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 AIDD) to CMS, HRSA, SAMHSA, Office of Developmental Disabilities, and other federal agencies. Click here to view details and register.
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| HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips |
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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Medicaid Coverage of Social Interventions: A Road Map for States
The Milbank Memorial Fund's Reforming States Group, with support from the New York State Health Foundation, published the issue brief "Medicaid Coverage of Social Interventions: A Road Map for States." The brief is a practical guide for policymakers who want to know when and how states can use Medicaid to facilitate access to social services. It offers a road map of the legal authorities upon which policymakers can rely to extend Medicaid coverage to social interventions and provides examples of how Medicaid can be an important component in the critical work of improving the health of populations
Click here to view the report.
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TAC Section 8 Made Simple
The Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC), with support of the Melville Charitable Trust, released a new update to their guidebook, "Section 8 Made Simple - Special Edition: Using the Housing Choice Voucher Program to End Chronic Homelessness." The guidebook includes tips and information to navigate the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. It explains how to use fair housing law and federal guidance to make the HCV program accessible to people with disabilities, and adds a new focus on helping those who are experiencing chronic homelessness.
Click here to view the report.
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Administration for Community Living
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Public Comment on Guidance for State Plans on Aging
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) seeks public comment on the template to be used to prepare the information collection requirements contained in the Program Instruction entitled "Guidance for the Development and Submission of State Plans on Aging, State Plan Amendments and the Intrastate Funding Formula." Each State Unit on Aging is required to develop a State Plan on Aging using guidance published in this annual Program Instruction in order to be eligible to receive a formula grant under Section 307(a) of the Older Americans Act (OAA).
ACL is also seeking comments specific to the included targeting guidance that aims to ensure maximum inclusion of all populations of seniors, including older American Indians, LGBT seniors, and Holocaust survivors living in the United States, and other isolated groups of older adults. Comments are requested on the extent to which the direction provided is sufficient for states to fully assess the existence of, and develop plans for serving, these individuals and their families. If commenters believe the proposed direction is insufficient, it is requested that the commenters include the specific guidance desired as well as the practical means and data available to implement the guidance, direction, and requirements for states. Comments should be submitted to Greg.Link@acl.hhs.gov by Monday, August 22, 2016.
Click here to view the notice in the Federal Register.
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Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
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Coordination of Eligibility and Enrollment between Medicaid, CHIP, and the Federally Facilitated Marketplace
On Monday, July 25, 2016, the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) released an informational bulletin reminding states about federal requirements related to the coordination of eligibility and enrollment among insurance affordability programs under section 1943 of the Social Security Act. Regulations require that determinations of eligibility and enrollment in the appropriate insurance affordability program are made promptly and without undue delay. In addition, the bulletin discusses the requirement for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies to transfer electronic accounts to the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) when applicants and beneficiaries are determined ineligible for Medicaid and CHIP, as well as the actions states should take when accounts are transferred from the FFM to the state agency.
Click here to view the bulletin.
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May 2016 Monthly Applications, Eligibility Determinations, and Enrollment Report
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their monthly report for May 2016 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility determination, and enrollment data. States provides data to CMS on factors related to key application, eligibility and enrollment processes using the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator Project. The data is then used to inform CMS on the operations of the programs in each state and to share state performance data publicly.
Click here to view the report.
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Technical Assistance Mailbox for Parity Final Rule
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has created a mailbox for stakeholders to submit questions regarding the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) mental health parity final rule. The rule was finalized on March 29, 2016 with the intent of strengthening access to mental health and substance use services for people with Medicaid or CHIP, while aligning with protections already required of health plans in the commercial market.
Click here to view the final rule.
Technical assistance will begin this fall and continue through 2018. Questions and concerns can be submitted at any time to parity@cms.hhs.gov.
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Employment and Training Administration's Toll Free Help Line
On Monday, July 18, 2016, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) issued a training and employment notice to increase awareness about the free resources available through the Employment and Training Administration's (ETA) Toll Free Help Line (TFHL) 1-877-US2 JOBS (1-877-872-5627), and to encourage the increased usage by American Job Centers and state and local governments. The TFHL resource is intended to give the public and the workforce development community universal access to employment and training information, programs, and services. The service is available in over 140 languages and provides ease of access to a wide range of DOL specific programs and resources.
Click here to view the notice.
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| ABLE National Resource Center |
Webinar: A Closer Look at the New ABLE Programs
The ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) is hosting the webinar "A Closer Look at the New ABLE Programs" for potential ABLE participants, their families, and all other ABLE stakeholders. The session will feature representatives from the Ohio STABLE program, ABLE TN, Nebraska Enable Savings Program, and the Florida ABLE United Program. The webinar will focus on learning the enrollment process, associated fees, and investment opportunities of each program as well as identifying the differences that may affect which program best meets participants' specific needs. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, August 4, 2016 from 2:oo p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.
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| Center for Health Care Strategies |
Webinar: Rate-Setting Strategies to Advance Medicaid Managed LTSS Goals
The Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. (CHCS) is hosting a webinar that will highlight state approaches for using rate-setting to advance managed long term services and supports (MLTSS) program goals, including: 1) helping more people to live in the community; and 2) adjusting risk appropriately based on MLTSS cost drivers, including functional status. Representatives from Tennessee and Wisconsin will share their experiences in refining MLTSS rate-setting approaches to achieve strategic goals. The presentation will draw from the soon-to-be released "Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Rate Setting Resource Center" developed by CHCS, Mathematica Policy Research, and Airam Actuarial Consulting through support from West Health Policy Center. The session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 16, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET.
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Medicare and Medicaid Fact Sheets for LGBT Beneficiaries
Justice in Aging published three new fact sheets in collaboration with Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders (SAGE), SHIP National Network (State Health Insurance Assistance Programs), and the Administration for Community Living (ACL). The new fact sheets were designed to help LGBT consumers learn how recent changes in Medicare and Medicaid may affect them. The Supreme Court's legalization of same sex marriage in all states changed how both programs evaluate the eligibility of same sex spouses. Additionally, Medicare has begun covering gender reassignment surgery and issued new rules that protect transgender older adults from sex discrimination in health care settings.
Click here to view the publications.
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| National Disability Institute |
Launch of DISABLE POVERTY Campaign
The National Disability Institute (NDI) announced the launch of its grassroots campaign, DISABLE POVERTY on July 26, 2016, the 26th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), to increase awareness about the nearly one in three Americans with disabilities that live in poverty and remain outside the economic mainstream. The two overarching goals of the campaign, to be achieved in the next 10 years, are to: decrease the number of working-age adults with disabilities living in poverty by 50 percent, and increase the use of mainstream banking products and services among Americans with disabilities by 50 percent. Participants in the DISABLE POVERTY campaign are asked to take a pledge and share on social media urging others to do the same. In addition, a series of actionable items for individuals, disability/advocacy organizations, companies and financial institutions provide concrete steps that people can take to become involved in advancing financial inclusion. The DISABLE POVERTY campaign will run for two years.
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Webinar: HCBS Committee Meeting
The National Quality Forum (NQF) published the last interim report, "Addressing Performance Measure Gaps in Home and Community-Based Services to Support Community Living: Priorities for Measure Development." It details the findings and milestones in the home and community-based services (HCBS) quality project performed under contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The HCBS Committee will host a meeting for members and the public on Thursday, August, 4, 2016, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm. ET.
Click here to register.
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| University of New Hampshire, Kessler Foundation, Association of University Centers on Disabilities |
Webinar: nTIDE Lunch and Learn
The Employment Policy & Measurement Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (EPM-RRTC) at the University of New Hampshire, in partnership with Kessler Foundation and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), hosts a monthly webinar on the first Friday of every month. There will be a live broadcast via Zoom webinar to share the results of the latest nTIDE findings, based upon the Bureau of Labor statistics jobs report. Additionally, the monthly webinars will feature news and updates from the field of Disability Employment and a discussion from an invited panelist on current disability related findings and events. The next nTIDE webinar is scheduled for Friday, August 5, 2016 at 12:00 pm ET.
Click here to register.
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Mid-America Regional Council Seeks Director of Aging and Adult Services
The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) in Kansas City, Missouri is seeking a Director of Aging and Adult Services. The director will play a key role in helping to advance the vision that all adults in the Kansas City region have access to resources and networks to support a high quality of life. The director will play a visible, active role in the broader community and state initiatives to strengthen and develop new services and systems, and will provide central leadership in internal efforts to develop and deploy a strategy for assessing and reorganizing services to older adults. At the same time, the director will be responsible for all aspects of planning and managing the effectiveness and statutory compliance of ongoing programs. In addition, MARC's Aging and Adult Services Department will support the Communities for All Ages initiative in cooperation with MARC's Community Development Department, which coordinates a variety of related local and regional planning efforts. Applications should be submitted by Friday, August 19, 2016.
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Disability Employment Initiative
The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administrated announced a new grant opportunity, the Round VII of the Disability Employment Initiative (DEI). The purpose of the program is to provide funding to expand the capacity of American Job Centers (AJCs) to improve the employment outcomes of three population focus areas: 1) adults with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have acquired disabilities in adulthood; 2) youth with visible and non-visible disabilities, including those who have chronic health conditions; and 3) individuals (ages 14 and older) with significant disabilities. The DEI plans to accomplish this by increasing participation in career pathways systems and existing programs in the public workforce system in partnership with vocational rehabilitation, community colleges and other education, human service, and business partners. Capitalizing on the flexibility that the career pathways model provides to use innovative service delivery strategies, grantees will use the award to support job-driven approaches in their pre-existing career pathway systems and programs. This will further equip individuals with disabilities with the skills, competencies, and credentials necessary to help them obtain in-demand jobs, increase earnings, and advance their careers. The Department intends to award at least one cooperative agreement in each of three population focus areas. Applications are due by Monday, August 1, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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New York Seeks HCBS Contractor
The New York State's Department of Health (DOH), Office of Health Insurance Programs, Division of Long Term Care has issued a request for proposals to hire a contractor to help the State implement their Statewide Transition Plan required under the federal HCBS Waiver Rule (CMS 2249-F/CMS 2296-F). The contractor will work to ensure that settings across all agencies serving individuals with disabilities are compliant with the new rule. This is a three-year contract to ensure compliance across the State by March 17, 2019. The contractor will assist state personnel in assessing and remediating residential and non-residential settings to ensure that they meet the requirements of the HCBS rule where Medicaid-funded home and community based services are provided under the authorities of 1915(c), 1915(k) and the 1115 waiver demonstration.
Activities will include: 1) Site visits to assess compliance; implement corrective actions plans, when necessary; and ensure that compliance has been achieved; 2) Participant and stakeholder interviews to ensure that individual's receiving Medicaid-funded HCBS are receiving person-centered care and that any modifications to settings are appropriately individualized; 3) Data collection and reporting to ensure that the State is carrying out its Statewide Transition Plan; 4) Identifying sites that will require an additional federal review called "heightened scrutiny" in order to be allowed as sites for participants in Medicaid-funded HCBS to live and/or receive services (sites that are presumed institutional); 5) Compiling evidence packages that include public comment on all sites presumed to be institutional under the rule to show that they have the characteristics and qualities of an appropriate home and community based setting; and 6) Establishing a monitoring plan and tools using the State's existing surveillance schedules and staff to ensure ongoing compliance. Submissions are due by Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
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Native American Independent Living Demonstration Project
The Administration for Community Living (ACL), Independent Living Administration (ILA), announced a new funding opportunity that intends to 1) gain an increased understanding of service needs of Native Americans with disabilities living in Indian Country; 2) improve cultural competence in regards to the needs of specific tribal organizations targeted by current (Centers for Independent Living) CIL grantees; and 3) capture lessons learned and best practices for outreach and service delivery for Native Americans with disabilities, a traditionally under-served population. To achieve these goals, ACL is seeking applications from existing CIL grantees to develop capacity and demonstrate how to provide the five CIL core services in Indian Country. The grant application is due by Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
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NADTC Innovations in Accessible Mobility Grant Opportunity
The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) announced a new grant opportunity intended to support program innovations that increase accessible transportation options for older adults and people with disabilities living in the community and maximize the utilization of Section 5310 and other federal funding investments. Local and regional private nonprofit or government organizations are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity.Grants of up to $50,000 each will be awarded to as many as six communities for a twelve month period. Applications are due by Friday, August 26, 2016.
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Community-Based Palliative Care Delivery for Adult Patients with Advanced Illnesses and their Caregivers
The Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) posted a notice of an upcoming funding opportunity to: a) support care planning for adult patients with advanced illnesses over time that is consistent with the goals and preferences of adult patients and their caregivers, and b) support the delivery of coordinated, community-based palliative care that effectively implements those care plans. PCORI seeks to fund multiple, large, multi-site, community-based comparative effectiveness research (CER) studies to generate evidence in support of this goal. The funding announcement will be released in August 2016. The deadline for Letters of Intent (LOI) is Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
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