Community Inclusion

Many states are undergoing long-term services & supports (LTSS) transformations. The lagging economy & increased demand for publicly funded LTSS are placing pressure on state policymakers to find solutions. As a result, many states either have or plan to implement Medicaid Managed LTSS, with 12 states having existing programs & another 11 with plans for implementation. Many states used the economic downturn as an opportunity to balance services from institutional to non-institutional settings.

PHI, in partnership with Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Elders (SAGE) created a “train the trainer” curriculum for long term care providers and other aging organizations. These trainings are available through the National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. These trainings assist organizations in creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for their elders who are LGBT and provide best practices and knowledge of LGBT elder issues, concerns, and fears.

Existing national disability-related survey & administrative data are limited in their ability to meet needs of federal programs & policy makers. One potential response to these shortcomings is the fielding of a national disability survey. This report was prepared to assess the need for developing & fielding another national disability survey data collection effort. It presents findings from one of the project’s major activities designed to review the disability-related information.

As state and federal agencies strive to meet the growing needs of people with disabilities while using fewer resources, better disability data are needed for monitoring and improving the health, economic status, and overall well-being of this population. The report identifies limitations in national survey data on disability and outlines a wide range of potential short- and long-term options for addressing them, including developing and fielding a national disability survey.

A new technical assistance brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies provides a brief outline of the Money Follows the Person, Balanced Incentives Payment Program, the Community First Choice Option, and the modified Home and Community-Based State Plan option. For each program, the authors outline the budget impact/FMAP opportunity, application process, participant eligibility, care coordination/plans, and data reporting/evaluation.

The MO HealthNet Division administers the MFP program called My Life, My Way, My Community. This site is an example of how this state presents material to the community about the program. See samples of the Initial Application, Operational Protocol, Brochure and Participation Agreement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires that quality of life surveys be conducted for Money Follows the Person participants transitioning from habilitation centers and nursing facilities into the community. Review this survey as a potential template for your MFP program. This website recruits potential surveyor applicants and offers a sample Surveyor Letter, Application, Confidentiality Statement, Screening and Vendor Input Form.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) new toolkit includes discussion guides and answers to frequently-asked-questions for people looking for jobs, employers, community employment agencies and others. Integrated employment places both youth and adults in regular jobs in their communities, along with any needed supports, so they can earn a decent wage. In an integrated employment setting, most of the employees are not persons with disabilities.

This Toolkit provides information for communities interested in working together to develop a one-call or one-click service for transportation to fit their own circumstances. On November 9th, the Federal Transit Administration announced $34.6 million would be awarded to 55 communities for resource centers. Review the website for practical guides and tools on implementation. Additionally there are community profiles and webinars to provide best practice examples.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, along with Mission Analytics Group & Human Services Research Institute, created an implementation manual for the Balancing Incentive Program. The Program encourages states to increase the percentage of long-term care dollars going to home & community-based services through making additional Federal Medical Assistance Percentages available to States that are currently lower performing. This manual aims to help States make the most of this Program.