Wisconsin LTC Legislative Update
May 9, 2014 Top 
INDUSTRY NEWS

 

 

DHS Report: 588 Diverted From Institutional Settings, Nursing Homes in FY13

 

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services has assisted in diverting 588 frail elders and people with physical and developmental disabilities from intermediate care facilities and nursing homes to community-based settings in Fiscal Year 2013, according to DHS. Of the 588:

  • 65 percent were frail elders;
  • 22 percent were persons with physical disabilities;
  • 11 percent were individuals with developmental disabilities.

Since FY 2006, 5,203 people have relocated from institutional settings and an additional 1,141 were diverted from admission to a nursing home through the state's relocation and diversion programs.

 

Click here to read the DHS report to the state's Joint Finance Committee.

 

 

 

Joint Finance Committee Authorizes Release of $10.2 M for Expansion of CCS Mental Health Program

 

The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday voted 12-3 to release funds allowing the expansion of Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) in Wisconsin. 

 

The Department of Health Services (DHS) had requested the transfer of $10.2 million in FY14-15 to the department's Medical Assistance program benefits appropriation for the statewide implementation of CCS on a regional basis. Expansion of CCS is part of Gov. Scott Walker's mental health reform package adopted as part of the 2013-15 biennial state budget in June 2013. Comprehensive Community Services is a publicly operated program for adults and children with mental illness. Most services are provided in home and/or in the community as opposed to a clinician's office.

 

"The action by the Joint Finance Committee today is welcome news to thousands of state residents who need mental health treatment," DHS Secretary Kitty Rhoades said Tuesday in a statement following the committee's vote. "This means that people with mental illness will be able to access evidence-based treatment services to address their illness and promote recovery. CCS has served residents well in the few counties where it is currently offered, and I have no doubt that expanding it to the entire state will not only improve the lives of those seeking treatment, but the lives of their families and communities as well."

 

 

 

Shoup to Discuss Family Care Expansion at LTC Meeting

 

Brian Shoup, administrator of the Department of Health Services Division of Long Term Care, will discuss state plans to expand Family Care during next Tuesday's meeting of the Wisconsin Long Term Care Advisory Council.

 

The council, which is scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 13, at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 5217 E. Terrace Drive, Madison, will get an update on the state's Family Care plan.

 

Also on Tuesday's agenda is an update on the state's dementia care system redesign.

 

Click here to see the meeting agenda.

 

 

 

WILTCWA Meeting to Focus on Medicaid Fraud

 

The May meeting of the Wisconsin Long-Term Care Workforce Alliance will feature a guest presentation on Medicaid fraud. The meeting, to be held at 12 p.m. Wednesday, May 14, at the Community Living Alliance, 1414 MacArthur Road, Madison, will feature Tom Storm, director of the Medicaid Fraud Control and Elder Abuse Unit of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Storm will be sharing information on how LTC workers can address suspected Medicaid fraud and abuse. 

 

Please RSVP by Monday, May 12, to attend. There is a $10 fee for lunch. The meeting will begin at 12:30 p.m. following lunch.

 

 

 

Nursing Home Rate Method Meeting Will Be June 23  

 

Please save the date for the second public meeting on this year's proposed updates and changes to the Nursing Home Methods of Implementation. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Medicaid rate audit team will be presenting information on proposed changes to the fee-for-service rate-setting methodology.

 

What:   Nursing Home Methods Public Meeting #2

When:  Monday, June 23, 1 p.m.

Where: Department of Health Services, Room 751, 1 W. Wilson St., Madison

 

Please RSVP to Mary Jensen to attend.

 

UNDER THE DOME

 

 

Kedzie Adds to Growing List of Retiring Legislators

 

State Sen. Neal Kedzie surprised political watchers this week by announcing his retirement. Kedzie (R-Elkhorn), who has served in the state legislature since 1997, said Tuesday that he won't seek re-election in November.

 

This left the Republican Party with little time to find a candidate for Kedzie's seat, as the deadline to turn in nomination signatures with the state Government Accountability Board is June 2. But State Rep. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) announced on Wednesday that he will run for Kedzie's seat. There is no word yet on whom the Democrats will tap to run for the open seat.

 

Kedzie's announcement brings the number of state Senators not seeking re-election up to seven (out of the 17 odd-numbered districts that are up for re-election this fall). There are now 22 state Assembly representatives (out of 99) who will not seek re-election to their seats. In addition, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and State Treasurer Kurt Schuller are not running for re-election.

 

 

 

State Legislator Turnover Declining Over Decades

 

Despite the large number of state legislators who have declared their intention to not seek re-election this fall, Wisconsin state legislators historically are serving for longer periods resulting in less turnover in the state Legislature, according to a new report prepared by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB).

 

The average tenure for the 2013 session is 2.42 sessions per Assembly member, a threefold increase since 1940. Average tenure in the Senate increased rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, exceeding its 1969 high in 1997 (4.21 sessions) and exceeding a 5-session average for the first time in 2009 (5.24).

 

Although length of tenure is longer now than decades ago, it has been on the decline since 2003 - when the average surpassed 4 sessions in the state Assembly.

 

Proving that incumbents have a strong edge over their competitors, the LRB found that since 1940, 85.6 percent of state Senators seeking re-election were successful, as were 87.6 percent of state Assembly representatives. And that edge has been even stronger in recent history - the overall re-election rate in the state Assembly was over 96 percent for the decades of the 1990s and the 2000s, with no cycle falling below 93.2 percent (2006) during that 20-year period.

 

Click here to read the full report, "Tenure, Turnover, and Reelection in the Wisconsin Legislature, 1940-2012."

 

 

 

Report: Jobs Picture Improving, 

But Need For Support Programs Remains

 

Although jobs, earnings and wages are on the upswing, they have not yet returned to pre-recession levels, according to the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the end of 2012, Wisconsin had about 42,000 more jobs than at the beginning of 2010 and next year's report should show about the same 21,000-job gain from January 2012 through November 2013, but with Wisconsin still 75,000 to 80,000 jobs short of the January 2008 peak, according to the report.

 

And many of the jobs that have been added over the past few years are part-time and/or low-wage jobs that require the employees to rely on work support programs, refundable tax credits and food assistance to help them escape poverty.

 

The overall poverty rate as calculated by the Wisconsin Poverty Measure (WPM) has also declined, to 10.2 percent in 2012, the lowest poverty rate since the WPM was first measured in 2008. About one-fourth of the state population as a whole is poor, with more than half (50.8 percent) of the elderly and 23.6 percent of children living in families considered poor.

 

 

 

Wisconsin to Stop Enforcing Campaign Donation Limit

 

In response to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McCutcheon v. FEC and a related legal challenge in Wisconsin, the state of Wisconsin will no longer enforce aggregate campaign finance limits. 

 

Wisconsin state law currently places restrictions not only on the amount a person may contribute to individual state and local political candidates but also on the total amount a person may donate to all state and local candidates combined ($10,000 annually). The Supreme Court in its McCutcheon ruling last month struck down overall limits donors can give to multiple candidates for Congress and political committees. That federal decision left political insiders wondering how the state of Wisconsin and the Government Accountability Board (GAB) would respond and enforce/not enforce its own campaign finance limits.

 

But in settling a case filed last year by a client of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty in tandem with the federal McCutcheon case, GAB this week agreed to a judgment declaring the limit unconstitutional. However, states may still continue to restrict how much money a person can give to individual candidates. In Wisconsin, individuals are limited to giving $500 to each state Assembly representative and $1,000 to each state Senator annually.

 

 

 

Lawmakers to Take Another Stab at Voter ID Legislation 

 

Two Republican state legislators plan to reintroduce voter ID legislation next year that stalled during the 2013-14 legislative session. A federal judge last week struck down a Wisconsin law that passed in May 2011 requiring a photo ID to vote. The judge's ruling found that the voter ID requirement places an unjustified burden on the right to vote and violates the federal Voting Rights Act. But State Reps Mark Born and Michael Schraa said their version of voter ID legislation is based on Indiana's law, which was deemed constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008. Under their bill, a voter who cannot produce proper identification due to indigence, a religious objection to being photographed, or being unable to acquire the original documents for identification could vote after signing an affidavit and verbally affirming their claim to an election official at the polling place. That person would use a specially marked ballot that could be removed later if an issue of fraud was discovered.

 

 

 

Report: Tourism Brings $17.5 Billion to Wisconsin

 

In honor of Tourism Week, Gov. Scott Walker this week made stops around the state highlighting the economic impact of tourism on the region and the state. Walker and Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett kicked off this year's National Travel and Tourism Week, May 3-11, at Miller Park in Milwaukee last Friday. Among his stops this week, Walker visited Knuckleheads Trampoline, Bowling & Indoor Amusement Park in Lake Delton on Tuesday and Leinenkugel's Leinie Lodge in Chippewa Falls on Thursday, as well as attending VISIT Milwaukee's annual meeting on Thursday.

 

A recent report on Wisconsin tourism found that:

  • Visitors spent $10.8 billion in Wisconsin in 2013, generating $17.5 billion in total business sales. This is up 4 percent from 2012 and up 18 percent from 2010. 
  • The number of visitors to the state increased 3.5 percent and topped 100 million visitors last year, which is the fastest growth since 2010. 
  • Recreation and entertainment spending was up 6.3 percent and food and beverage spending increased 6.2 percent in 2013. 
  • More than 185,000 jobs are supported by the tourism industry. 
  • Tourism generated $1.35 billion in state and local taxes and $1 billion in federal taxes last year.

The Department of Tourism launches its summer tourism campaign the week of May 12 across Wisconsin, northern Illinois, the Twin Cities, and eastern Iowa. 

 

Click here to view the presentation "The 2013 Economic Impact of Tourism in Wisconsin."

 

 

 

Legislative Schedule

  • April 1-3, 2014: Last general-business floorperiod of the 2013-14 legislative session
  • August 12, 2014: Fall partisan primary election
  • November 4, 2014: Fall general election
  • January 5, 2015: Inauguration of new state elected officials

 

DQA NEWSLETTERS

 

 

Click here to read the newest DHS Division of Quality Assurance newsletter.

 

Click here to read the newest Pharmacy Newscapsule newsletter.

 

 TOP 

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

 

 

USA Today (5-7-14)

Insurers: Most new enrollees have paid health premiums

 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (5-5-14)

Airport hotel to become assisted living center

 

Marshfield News Herald (5-2-14)

Aging population will hurt Wisconsin's economy, government

 

 TOP 


Email Notice 

 

This email is brought to members of the Residential Services Association of Wisconsin by Forbes McIntosh at Government Policy Solutions in Madison, Wis. 

 

Editor

Ann Gryphan

 

 
Contact Us

RSA Lobbyist

Forbes McIntosh

Government Policy Solutions

14 W. Mifflin St.

Suite 206

Madison WI 53703

(608) 255-0029

[email protected]

www.wis-gps.com

 

 

Upcoming Meetings

 

WI Long-Term Care Advisory Council: 

 

(meetings start at 9:30 a.m.)

 

May 13, 2014

July 8, 2014

Sept. 9, 2014

Nov. 11, 2014 

 
Assisted Living Forum: 
 
(meetings start at 10 a.m.) 
 
May 20, 2014 - Adobe Connect meeting
July 22, 2014 - Madison College
Sept. 23, 2014 - Madison College
Nov. 4, 2014 - Adobe Connect meeting
 
 
Wisconsin Long-Term Care Workforce Alliance:
 
(Meetings start at 12 p.m.)
 
May 14, 2014 - Community Living Alliance Building, Madison
July 9, 2014
September 10, 2014
November 12, 2014
 
 
 
WI Political Fundraisers
 

Friday, May 9, 4:30 PM - Dana Duncan for Assembly Event (Danny K's, Wisconsin Rapids, WI)

 

Friday, May 9, 6:30 PM - Fundraiser for 59th Assembly District Candidate Jesse Kremer (Knights of Columbus Hall, West Bend, WI)

 

Monday, May 12, 5 PM - Assembly Democrat Fundraiser for State Reps. Stephen Smith, Amy Sue Vruwink and Mandy Wright (The Rigby Pub, Madison, WI)

 

Wednesday, May 14, 4 PM - Fundraiser for 19th Senate District Candidate Roger Roth, w/guests Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, Sen. Paul Farrow, Sen. Tom Tiffany, Sen. Mary Lazich, Sen. Rick Gudex, Sen. Leah Vukmir, Sen. Jerry Petrowski and Sen. Frank Lasee (Madison Club, Madison, WI)

 

Monday, May 19, 5 PM - Fundraiser for Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, w/guest Tommy Thompson (Copper Falls restaurant, Clinton, WI)

 

Sunday, May 25, 12:30 PM - Golf Outing for State Senator Frank Lasee, w/guest Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (Horseshoe Bay Golf Club, Egg Harbor, WI)

 

Tuesday, May 27, 5:30 PM - Fundraiser for Sen. Paul Farrow (Home of Dave and Patti Young, Pewaukee, WI)

 

Thursday, May 29, 5:30 PM - Fundraiser for State Senate Candidate Howard Marklein, w/guest Former Governor Tommy Thompson (Reedsburg, WI)

 

Thursday, May 29, 5:30 PM - Senator Leah Vukmir Birthday Party Fundraiser, w/guest Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (Alioto's Restaurant, Wauwatosa, WI)

 

Monday, June 2, 11:30 AM - Committee to Elect a Republican Senate (CERS) Candidate Rollout (Inn on the Park, Madison, WI)

 

Monday, June 2, 4 PM - State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) Candidate Rollout (Details to be announced)

 

Monday, June 2, 5:30 PM - Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (RACC) Meet Our Candidates Reception (Madison Concourse Hotel, Madison, WI)

 

Monday, June 2, 6:30 PM - Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee (ADCC) Candidate Rollout (Top of the Park at the Best Western Inn on the Park, Madison, WI)

 

Tuesday, June 17, 11 AM - 4th Annual Governor's Golf Outing with Gov. Scott Walker (University Ridge Golf Course, Madison, WI

 

Monday, June 23, 11 AM - RACC at the Trapp Golf Outing, for the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee (Trapper's Turn Golf Course, Wisconsin Dells, WI)

 

Monday, July 14, 9 AM - Assembly Democratic Campaign Committee (ADCC) Golf Outing (Wilderness Resort, Wisconsin Dells, WI)

 

Tuesday, July 22, 4:30 PM - Friends of Paul Farrow (State Senator) 2nd Annual Brewer Birthday Bash (Miller Park, Milwaukee)

 

Tuesday, August 5, 9 AM - Senate Democrats Summer Golf Outing (The Oaks, Cottage Grove, WI)

 

Monday, August 11, 11 AM - 20th Annual Fitzgerald Open Golf Fundraiser for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (Old Hickory Country Club, Beaver Dam, WI)

 

Tuesday, August 12, 1 PM - Republican Governor's Association Golf Outing, w/guest Scott Walker (The Straits at Whistling Straits, Sheboygan, WI)

 

Friday, September 12, 10 AM - Annual Senate Republican Golf Outing, w/guests Republican State Senators (Black Hawk Country Club, Madison, WI)