COVID-19 vaccination

CMS has made vaccination data available in a user-friendly format to help people make informed decisions when choosing a nursing home for themselves or a loved one. CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are using this data to monitor vaccine uptake among residents and staff to identify facilities that may need additional resources or assistance.

On Monday, August 30th, CMS released two State Health Official (SHO) letters and a PowerPoint document that provide guidance regarding a variety of issues, including increases to state FMAP for several activities, opportunities to improve vaccine uptake among providers and beneficiaries, and habilitation services for children with disabilities.

ACL has created a new COVID-19 resource page that houses information to help older adults and people with disabilities access vaccines. The resource page includes facts about COVID-19 vaccinations, information from the CDC about increasing vaccine accessibility, ACL guidance for the aging and disability networks and more.

The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) connects callers to information about how to access the COVID-19 vaccine and related supports for people with disabilities. DIAL connects callers to vaccine sites and provides information related to barriers to vaccination by referring callers to local and national disability resources. acl.gov/dial | 888-677-1199 from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM ET | DIAL@n4a.org

The American Association on Health and Disability released their findings from the AAHD Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Among Adults with Disabilities, an online study of the perspectives of adults with disabilities on the COVID-19 vaccine. Their Vaccine Hesitancy Among Adults with Disabilities Research report explores general vaccine hesitancy, distrust and barriers to vaccine access among adults with disabilities.

ACL issued grants totaling $1.4B to help older adults recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, funded through the American Rescue Plan. These grants will help provide meals and nutrition services, support family caregivers, help older adults connect and engage with others to reduce social isolation, re-open senior centers, and help residents of nursing homes resolve complaints.