Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities

Implementation of ACA will raise a number of issues for working people with disabilities currently receiving Medicaid, especially regarding how the Acts’ provisions will interact with the programs that currently provide them access to care. This brief addresses challenges such as these, succinctly delineating data-supported lessons learned by the MIG grantees in their experience with the program, and future needs associated with them.

Effective return-to-work approaches can help employees work while still recuperating, protecting their earning power and boosting an organization's output. In many instances, work itself plays an important role in the recovery process. The Office of Disability Employment Policy has developed an online toolkit to help both employers and employees understand the return-to-work process and provide resources to assist in getting employees back on the job quickly and smoothly.

Arizona has issued reports detailing work the state has done in supporting individuals with disabilities transitioning to work,and self-sufficiency with work incentives, health care coverage, benefits planning, etc. Attached are documents regarding outreach done for the Medicaid Buy-In program including which individuals were trained to disseminate the information, and data on the increase in work incentive utilization for SSI recipients.

Alaska's Supported Employment Task Force has created a Strategic Action Plan for increasing the number of people with developmental disabilities receiving supported employment services and how to most effectively shape protocol to assist employees and employers. Attached are a proposed funding matrix and a strategic action plan for employment services for individuals with behavioral health disabilities. These sample documents may be useful for other states implementing similar programs.

States play among the most critical roles in responding to and ameliorating disability unemployment. Find examples of state policy related to disabilities, a selection of state programs and initiatives, descriptions of select federal policy, and primary source documents. Topics covered include housing, employment, community integration, long-term care, health, disability awareness and benefits counseling.

Presentations from NASHP's 23rd annual conference held October 4-6 in New Orleans are available online. Included are remarks from CMS Administrator Donald Berwick , and presentations such as Health Care Reform: New Options for Rebalancing Long Term Services and Supports, Integrating Care for Dual Eligibles, Reforming State Long Term Services and Supports Programs through Participant Direction, and numerous others. Review the presentations about vital issues in state health policy.

Disability rates among older Americans have declined, and the ways in which community-dwelling older people with disabilities managed their conditions have substantially changed over the 20 years covered by this survey. Among those receiving human assistance, the vast majority were helped by family caregivers, who are increasingly taking full responsibility for providing care. Find detailed analyses of the data in two research reports that provide insight into the factors driving these changes.

What are the major outcomes and systems improvements stemming from the activities of state MIGs? The MIG program was authorized for eleven years and expires in federal fiscal year 2011. This succinct impact statement highlights key outcomes and impacts related to health care, employment and economic outcomes, Medicaid and employment policy improvements, and service improvements.

Check out New Mexico’s Medicaid Buy-in Program (WDI) website. The program was created in 1999. Collaborative efforts of agencies, employers and consumers statewide continue to build upon the MIG initiatives for a sustainable, streamlined employment support system. See their website which includes marketing materials in both Spanish and English, applications, employment survey, policies, and much more.

The unemployment rate of persons with a disability was well above the rate of those with no disability. Nearly one-third of workers with a disability were employed part time, compared with about one-fifth of those with no disability. Review the findings of this report, as well as a related journal article.