Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities

This brief describes the evolution of beneficiary-managed home and community-based services since the original demonstration and provides an overview of state activity as of January 2006. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 gives states the option to use this model for an expanded range of home and community based services in their state Medicaid plans without having to obtain a waiver.

This report and tables present Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver expenditures data from Federal Fiscal Years 2003 through 2008. Each HCBS waiver is classified by population served in order to show the distribution of expenditures across long-term care populations. This report includes new target population categories to identify waivers that target particular developmental disabilities such as intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.

This report presents Medicaid long-term care expenditures data in Federal Fiscal Year 2008 (Oct 2007 - Sept 2008). Table 1 shows national data from 1996 - 2008. Other tables present state-by-state data for nursing homes, ICF/MR, state plan personal care, state plan home health, 1915(c) waivers, 1115 waivers that provide HCBS, and other Medicaid services.

This report’s results suggest that surrogates can adequately represent consumer's views about satisfaction with personal assistance, and therefore provide encouragement to continue investigation of the utility of surrogate representatives. The study results also replicate previous findings that persons with cognitive impairments and persons with severe disabilities are able to express their preferences for everyday matters.

In FY07 CMS awarded 13 PCP Implementation Grants. The purpose twofold 1) to change the basic model of care planning from one that is directed by the needs of institutions and provider agencies to one that responds to the needs of the individual, and 2) to assist states and territories in developing ways to identify the strengths, capacities, and preferences. This report presents factors that facilitated and/or impeded progress and how stakeholders were included in development and implementation.

The Job Accommodation Network represents the most comprehensive resource for job accommodations available. JAN's mission is to facilitate the employment and retention of workers with disabilities. Their website is designed to make this happen. The site categorizes employers, individuals, and others separately and includes an Accommodation Search and Disabilities Glossary. Hot topics, Publications & Resources, What’s New? and a Website Tour also facilitate the users access to this information.

This employee survey captures the consumer’s level of disability and if and how it is being addressed in the workplace. The survey is specific to those employed by the state. Use this tool as a template to designing a questionnaire in your program.

In this report, the authors present the results of an assessment that involved review of the literature on emergency preparedness risk communication and public health messaging strategies; the compilation of educational and outreach materials for emergency preparedness communication with vulnerable populations; and site visits in three states and the Washington DC area to identify gaps in the practice of risk communication with vulnerable populations.

Transition to adulthood can be difficult for young people with disabilities, and changes in public policy are needed to give them the support to find meaningful work, stay employed, and reduce their dependency on federal and state benefits. This brief highlights the importance of improving policy, reviews lessons from research, and considers transformative policies and why such changes might be tested. It also discusses an example of the Transition to Economic Self-Sufficiency (TESS) program.

The Stories and Guides demonstrate Think–Plan–Do: how to think about what you want, create a plan to get there, and take action to be successful. These online guides and videos help people with developmental disabilities live self-determined lives. There are 15 topics including Planning and Decision Making, Taking Care of Yourself, Listening and Speaking, and Making Goals Happen.