ADvancing States Publications & Webinars

Title Summary
Mental Health and Aging: Working together This presentation took place on March 20, 2012 at the Aging in America Conference to demonstrate how the aging network can benefit from working with other agencies to provide more integrated services. Namely, the State Units on Aging working with mental health and substance abuse agencies and programs to provide for more comprehensive care that takes into consideration issues unique to the aging population, such as suicide and alcohol and prescription drug abuse.
Money Follows the Person: Impediments to Implementation Money Follows the Person (MFP) is one program that appropriates federal grants to states to design programs to transition Medicaid beneficiaries from institutional care to home and community-based services. Beginning as a demonstration program, there are many impediments and uncertainties surrounding implementation. This overview provides a description of impediments as an opportunity for solutions that anticipate implementation issues and touches upon program start up, capacity, and access.
Older Americans Act Budgeting Budgeting is a crucial aspect in the deliverance of Older Americans Act (OAA) services. This brief provides information geared at State directors to help them better understand various funding sources and requirements. This summary explains the Inter-State Funding Formula on which the Administration of Aging (AoA) distributes OAA funds as well as the Intra-State Funding Formula (IFF) on which states distribute OAA funds.
Participant Experience Survey ADvancing States conducted a survey of state agencies on aging and disability to determine if they conducted participant experience surveys to ensure quality. This asked four basic questions: if the state conducts participants experience survey; the frequency of conducting the survey; how the survey was completed; and who conducts the survey. The appendices include sample participant experience surveys from various states.
Deficit Reduction and the Debt Ceiling The debate surrounding the deficit reduction and the debt ceiling for FY 2012 has many implications for aging and disability policies, especially Older Americans Act (OAA) services. This brief outlines the current negotiations and proposals put forth to reach a long-term, bipartisan budget reduction agreement, including the McConnell Plan; the McConnell-Reid Plan; the Gang of Six; the Coburn Plan; and the Senate Budget Resolution. The Congressional Appropriations process is also discussed.
Impact of Sequester on FY13 Older Americans Act Programs This chart shows the projected fiscal impact for FY2013 on Older Americans Act programs (such as HCBS Supportive Services, Home-Delivered Nutrition, Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and Preventive Health Services) after the passage of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. The chart displays calculated estimates of fiscal impact from both the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Both the CBO and the CBPP estimates show cuts to all programs.
2011 Governors' State of the State Addresses: Trends in Long-Term Services and Supports Initiatives Governors’ State of the State addresses reveal policy and programmatic trends. This document tracks those comments made in such addresses that indicate wider policy initiatives that impact older adults and people with disabilities. A state-by-state analysis of 43 State addresses and budgets helps to illuminate overall trends in aging and disability policies, such as Medicaid changes and the restructuring of state departments and programs affecting long-term services and supports (LTSS).
Analysis of President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget This analysis of the President’s $3.73 trillion proposed budget for FY12 includes an outline of each funding recommendation for discretionary, appropriated programs. Included in the analysis is a comparison of HR1, the GOP-backed budget resolution that reduces spending via broad cuts, with the President’s proposed budget; a good indicator of what sorts of budgetary windows may be necessary for bipartisan support and how the budget may affect the fiscal health of aging and disabilities programs.
Analysis of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform Bowles and Simpson, the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform drafted their recommendations to achieve fiscal sustainability. This analysis provides an overview of the commission’s formation, its structure and recommendations, and its potential impact on the aging and disability networks. The report’s legislative recommendations have implications for Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS), and more.
Strengthening the Aging Network Issue Brief: Area Agency on Aging Monitoring and Spend-Down Requirements The Older Americans Act of 1965 created the National Aging Network with many states adopting Area Agencies on Aging at the local level. This brief is a summary of two surveys regarding states’ monitoring practices of their Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and states’ spending rules for their AAAs. All states with Area Agencies on Aging which were surveyed reported that they conduct some monitoring, and most differed in their rules concerning excess funds.

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