Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities

A 2020 study, developed and led by people with disabilities, examined member engagement and outcomes in the Massachusetts One Care Program, which provides comprehensive, integrated, coordinated care for dually eligible individuals under 65. The Better Care Playbook spoke with Dennis Heaphy, MPH, MEd, MDiv, a policy analyst and health justice advocate at the Massachusetts Disability Policy Consortium and a One Care member, to learn more about the findings of the One Care study. This blog post highlights the impact of engaging members with disabilities in care planning and strategies that health systems and payers can use to advance health equity through improved engagement with people with disabilities.

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Home and Community-Based Services has released their first issue brief. The brief explores the medical, social, and biopsychosocial models of disability, their relationship with evolving frameworks of person-centeredness, and implications for providers and others who deliver services and supports.

The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium provides summaries of statistics about people with disabilities and government programs that serve them. The Compendium presents key overall statistics on topics including the prevalence of disability, employment among persons with disabilities, rates of participation in disability income and social insurance programs, and more. The 2021 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium includes a new section on Voting and Registration, which explores voting and registration of people with and without disabilities in the 2020 presidential elections.

The Office of Disability Employment Policy released the report, “Employment of Persons with a Disability: Analysis of Trends during the COVID-19 Pandemic– Findings in Brief.” This report examines workforce changes during COVID-19. It draws on data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey to provide insight into key labor force statistics, employment across industries and occupations, and the effect of the easing of social distancing and the ability to telework on occupational employment change.

This brief shares data on state policy choices about Medicaid HCBS, including target populations, functional eligibility criteria, financial eligibility criteria, waiver waiting lists, benefit packages, out-of-pocket costs, use of capitated managed care, self-direction opportunities, covered provider types, electronic visit verification systems, and provider reimbursement rates.

The brief from the KKF shares state-level data on HCBS spending and the number of people receiving Medicaid in FY 2020. The data were collected in KFF’s 19th survey of state officials administering Medicaid HCBS programs in all 50 states and DC.

This NRP article discusses the delay many states are experiencing in regard to accessing funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, signed into law in March 2021. The increased funding could be used by states to boost wages, move people off waiting lists for disability services, train more workers, and expand covered services for older adults and people with disabilities, however the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must provide approval before states can fully access their funds.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is observed every March to hightlight diversity, raise awareness about inclusion, and strengthen communities. The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) has announced the theme for March 2022 as "Worlds Imagined," to emphasize intersectionality and encourage exploration and collaboration among the community.

The White House has released a fact sheet outlining how the Administration has collaborated with the disability community and taken action to address the needs of individuals with disabilities while considering the impacts of the pandemic. The Administration has communicated eight key steps they will take to further ensure that individuals with disabilities, regardless of where they live or the level of community transmission of the virus, have equitable access to COVID-19 testing, masks, and other critical mitigation strategies.

On Thursday, February 24, 2022, CMS released a CMCS Informational Bulletin with the updated 2022 Federal Poverty Level Standards. The 2022 guidelines reflect the 4.7 percent price increase between calendar years 2020 and 2021. After this inflation adjustment, the guidelines are rounded and adjusted to standardize the differences between family and household sizes. The informational bulletin also includes a 2022 Dual Eligible Standards chart that displays the new standards for the Medicare Savings Program categories.