The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) recently announced the availability of two new technical assistance opportunities. The first focuses on person-centered thinking, planning, and practice. The second focuses on home and community-based services (HCBS) and addressing rights restrictions for people receiving support.
Individualized Technical Assistance
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) recently announced a new funding opportunity from NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging. The Innovations in Falls Prevention Grant opportunity is seeking organizations that have creative solutions to reducing older adult falls. Low-income older adults have various options to access food in their local communities. An older adult may seek assistance with a food pantry, farmer's market, or commodity food box program for household groceries. They may also visit a senior center for a congregate meal.
The Aging and Disability Business Institute at USAging is now accepting nominations for The John A. Hartford Foundation 2024 Business Innovation Award. Each year, The John A.
The new Center for Dementia Respite Innovation (CDRI) is accepting applications for grants to support respite care innovation. The CDRI will award up to $20 million over five years to local respite care providers to develop and improve the quality of available services, especially in underserved communities. CDRI will support grant recipients through online training and technical assistance and will collect data and study the outcomes of these projects to inform public policy.
On March 27, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to update Medicare payment policies and rates under the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) and the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2025. CMS proposes a 2.8% increase in IRF PPS payment rates. Additionally, CMS proposes adding four assessment items to the IRF QRP, modifying one assessment item, and removing one from the IRF-Patient Assessment Instrument (PAI).
On March 25, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking information on recommended areas and/or issues for which stakeholders believe the Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC) can be the most beneficial to promoting elder justice.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking public comments on a new proposed rule designed to ensure airline passengers who use wheelchairs can travel safely and with dignity. The proposed rule would set new standards for prompt, safe, and dignified assistance; require enhanced training for airline employees and contractors who physically assist passengers with disabilities and handle passengers’ wheelchairs; and specify actions that airlines must take to protect passengers when a wheelchair is damaged during transport.
States are primarily responsible for ensuring that nursing homes meet requirements for transparency, quality, staffing, and reporting. Effective November 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires increased transparency in nursing home operations, but states need support developing new programs and policies to respond to this new requirement.
On March 7, members of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee and Senate Special Committee on Aging issued a request for information (RFI) related to the upcoming reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA). The RFI includes four general questions and four targeted questions.
Responses are due to the Senate HELP Committee by Thursday, March 21, 2024. Responses should be emailed to OAA@help.senate.gov.
