Network

Each year, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) conducts a Symposia Series to provide high-quality, timely, and evidence-based strategies focused on improving performance in a specific topic. The 2023-2024 OSERS Symposia Series provides an opportunity for the field to join OSERS in the challenge to raise expectations, engage families earlier, and fully empower all individuals who support transition services to improve post-school outcomes for children and youth with disabilities and their families.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register to update regulations for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Indian Community Development Block Grant Programs (ICDBG). The proposed rule would streamline program requirements, promote economic development and investments in underserved communities, and enable larger, transformative construction projects such as housing rehabilitation, mixed-use development, and infrastructure improvements.

To help increase awareness and understanding about basic fiduciary responsibilities when operating a retirement or health benefit plan, the U.S. Department of Labor is presenting “Getting It Right – Know Your Fiduciary Responsibilities,” a three-part webinar series. This webinar series will help employers and service providers understand how the fiduciary responsibility provisions of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) apply to employer-sponsored retirement and health plans and will provide information on how to avoid common problems in managing a plan.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is hosting an upcoming technical assistance webinar discussing Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs) outreach to populations of rural areas. The February BEC/MIPPA technical assistance call will feature BECs sharing some of their best practices and strategies for performing successful outreach to beneficiaries in rural areas. 

Webinar objectives:

Join the American Society on Aging (ASA) for an upcoming webinar titled “Beyond Alzheimer’s: Identifying and Managing Other Types of Dementia.” During this event, ASA will cover multiple types of dementia, including their onset presentation, behavioral and cognitive changes, and disease progression. The session also will discuss non-pharmacological approaches to dementia care, along with over-the-counter medications that advertise cognitive improvements and new medications to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Hosted by the American Society on Aging (ASA), this webinar will address the ethical challenges faced by professionals working with older adults. Various factors can make older adults vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and ill intent, and ethical issues emerge in several areas: complex family dynamics, end-of-life wishes, preserving dignity and respect, promoting independence, and keeping the individual safe.

In response to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) winding down, WellSky is hosting an upcoming webinar to discuss leveraging remaining funds to meet the requirements of the proposed Access Rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This webinar will explore the anticipated introduction of new requirements surrounding incident management, quality measures, and more, as outlined by the proposed Access Rule. 

Participants will:

In honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month in February, the Connecting Kids to Coverage National Campaign is hosting an upcoming webinar exploring the peace of mind that parents and caregivers can have knowing that comprehensive dental health services – including regular dental check-ups, fillings, x-rays, and fluoride treatments – are covered through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance detailing improvements to the structure of the Part D drug benefit for 2025 that will result in lower drug costs for millions of people with Medicare through the release of the Draft CY 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions. In 2025, under the Inflation Reduction Act, annual out-of-pocket costs for individuals with Medicare Part D will be capped at $2,000.

On January 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a data request for information (RFI) to solicit feedback from the public on how best to enhance Medicare Advantage (MA) data capabilities and increase public transparency. CMS encourages feedback from a wide array of interested parties, including beneficiaries and beneficiary advocates, plans, providers, community-based organizations, researchers, employers and unions, and all other interested parties, including the public at large.