Physical Disabilities

This report explores the role played by managed care organizations delivering Medicaid long term services and support programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report looks at the roles and responsibilities of governments, nursing homes, and MLTSS plans and argues their role in the pandemic response as well as the role of federal funding and data use, should all be examined further to inform future policy.

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at ACL has funded 81 new grants and contract awards in fiscal year 2021, ranging from six-months long Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects building new technology to five-year centers conducting research and training in rehabilitation interventions.

The study examined self-reported data from over 10,200 Medicaid HCBS beneficiaries across 13 states using the NCI-AD survey. Unmet needs for Medicaid HCBS were consistently and significantly associated with poor health outcomes (emergency department visits, hospital stays, and preventative care) and community living outcomes (community participation, relationships with family and friends, satisfaction with how time is spent during the day, and sense of control in life.

The Arc has released two new videos that provide an overview of special needs trusts and ABLE accounts to help educate people with disabilities about these financial options. Each video explains why to consider using each tool, how they work, what they can pay for, and how you can get started. These videos areavailable in English and Spanish.

CHCS senior program officer, Diana Crumley, JD, MPAff, has helped state Medicaid agencies, health plans, and community-based organizations think through issues regarding health-related social needs and social care integration over the last four years. This blog post outlines four lessons from her experience supporting health care stakeholders address health-related social needs and health inequities, while focusing on advanced primary care and Medicaid managed care.

States received approval for temporary changes to their HCBS programs from CMS, within the Department of Health and Human Services to enable states to limit in-person contact to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This GAO report describes the temporary changes to Medicaid HCBS programs and examines CMS’s monitoring and evaluation of the effects of those changes.

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 awarded the 2021 National CDSME Resource Center to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), Inc. The National CDSME Resource Center will provide technical assistance, education, and resources for the national CDSME network to increase the number of older adults and adults with disabilities who participate in evidence-based CDSME and self-management support programs.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides financial support to low income individuals, including children, adults with severe disabilities, and adults ages 65 and older. This brief describes the SSI program and the demographic and economic characteristics of SSI beneficiaries. Additionally, it discusses state programs that supplement federal SSI, reasons some eligible people do not participate in SSI, and some current changes to the program.

This guide synthesizes the findings of a series of NGA Center for Best Practices action labs focused on state policies to increase disability employment. During the labs, state teams developed plans to better coordinate services to support workers with disabilities. This resulting document provides best practices on state policies and actions to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people with disabilities.