HCBS New and Notable
Rhode Island No Wrong Door Promising Practice Profile
This promising practice profile describes the Rhode Island No Wrong Door system including key partners, the state’s long-term services and supports interagency reform initiative, and the state’s approach to person-centered options counseling. The profile includes links to important resources such as the state’s Person-Centered Options Counseling Operational Manual and the No Wrong Door System Strategic Plan.
COVID-19 Medicare Regulation Tracking Tool
This issue brief analyzes COVID-19 related legislative, regulatory, and subregulatory changes to Medicare from January 1, 2020 to July 24, 2020. The brief groups these regulatory changes into nine themes and examines questions regarding the policy changes moving forward. The brief is accompanied by a policy tracker that categorizes all 212 changes based on factors including types of providers and plans affected, effective date, and expected duration.
Selection Processes for Social Security Administration Representative Payees of Adults
This independent study describes SSA's current processes for selection of representative payees for adults. As part of the study, Pamela Teaster and Laura Sands (Virginia Tech Center on Gerontology), and Erica Wood (formerly American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging) conducted in-depth interviews and surveyed field office managers. The authors identify a number of recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Social Security's payee appointment and selection.
COVID-19 & Adults with Disabilities: Health and Health Care Access Online Survey Summary Report
The American Association on Health & Disability previously conducted a survey to assess the coronavirus pandemic's impact on access to healthcare on adults with a range of disabilities. AAHD has now published a report summarizing the findings from this survey. The initial report presents findings from all responses, while future reports will analyze results by specific type of disability.
Compendium of Medicaid HCBS Waiver Waiting List Administration
This compendium includes select information on waiver capacity and waiting list management. The compendium highlights over 200 approved Section 1915(c) and Section 1115 waivers across all 50 states and DC. As an accompaniment to this compendium, MACPAC has also released an issue brief. This issue brief includes a description of the waiver analysis conducted in the compendium. It also features information from stakeholder interviews.
HHS Could Enhance Support for Grandparents and Other Relative Caregivers
This report analyzes the challenges grandparents and older relatives face as primary caregivers. The report outlines the numbers of grandparent and older relative caregivers, and the reasons for this care. It also examines how HHS supports state efforts to use federal programs and initiatives to assist these caregivers. GAO concludes the report by making recommendations for how HHS could improve the sharing of information and best practices about older caregivers with states.
Becoming a Medicare Fee-For-Service Provider: What CBOs Need to Know
This guide highlights the benefits and opportunities available for CBOs interested in providing services under Medicare FFS. It describes important considerations including billing and filing processes, culture change, and regulatory compliance. The guide also reviews how to enroll as a Medicare provider and outlines which services CBOs can offer.
ADvancing States Publications
ADvancing States regularly releases new publications on topics across the aging and disability spectrum. We highlight all of these publications, along with webinar materials and HCBS Conference presentations, on our publications and webinars page. See below for an overview of some of our recent additions:
De-Mystifying Data: How Medicare Data Can Support Medicaid Agencies
This issue brief from the MLTSS Institute focuses on aspects of delivering effective care to individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dually eligible individuals).The brief provides a primer on the ways that Medicare data can help states better deliver care to dually eligible individuals; it also details information about data sources and other resources available to help obtain and analyze Medicare data.
Addressing Social Isolation for Older Adults During the COVID-19 Crisis
Thank you to all of the states, organizations, and individuals who have responded with activities and ideas on how to address social isolation for older adults during the COVID-19 crisis. This document combines responses received thus far. Please continue to submit state, CBO, and facility activities to ADvancing States so that we may update this document accordingly.
This issue brief explores adjustments that states have made to processing eligibility and enrollment for benefits access, including changes to application and supporting document requirements. Examples of opportunities and adjustments that states have made to ensure older adults and persons with disabilities have access to critical benefit programs during the pandemic are highlighted.
This report details the findings from a survey of the 56 state and territorial agencies on aging and disabilities regarding home modifications. The extent to which State Units on Aging contribute to maximizing access to home modification and repair has not been well understood. This report seeks to expand understanding of the role of these state agencies in coordinating access to and providing policy oversight and financing of home modification and repairs.
Aging and Disabilities Information Technology Systems: What You Need to Know
This issue brief is the first publication from the Aging and Disabilities Technology Workgroup. The paper seeks to define key IT terms for agency staff and explain how they relate to the technology that is currently used in aging and disabilities services as well as emerging opportunities in the field.
Click here to see all of our publications and webinars
Initatives
Direct Care Workforce State Resources
Visit our new page, which is home to resources intended for state staff working on direct care workforce issues. Resources include initiatives led by ADvancing States as well as information from various partners.