Physical Disabilities

This brief examines employment & program participation patterns of low income adults with disabilities & how well the current safety net meets their needs. It compares low-income across employment, program participation & income status. These comparisons highlight some of the unique challenges & motivate broader discussion of gaps in the safety net. Particularly striking are the conflicting messages regarding work & program participation sent by existing programs & policies.

On 10/7/2004 eleven new states were awarded three-year Cash & Counseling grants, allowing them to replicate and expand on the Cash & Counseling model. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation and the Administration on Aging, the following states will receive approximately $250,000 to implement Cash & Counseling programs: AL, IA, KY, MI, PA, RI, VT, WA, and WV. MN and NM will receive an additional $100,000 to enhance their programs.

On October 5, 2004, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced $31 million in grants to 31 states to help people with disabilities or long-term illnesses live in their homes and participate fully in community life. The grants were awarded under the New freedom Initiative and are known as Real Choice Systems Change Grants. A total of 52 grants were awarded in nine categories. The press release, which describes the grant categories, and list of grantees are available.

This Impact Newsletter was printed in the Spring of 2004 and the feature is \"Issue on Consumer-Controlled Budgets and Persons with Disabilities\". This issue of focuses on various aspects of and experiences with supporting personal freedom through self-directed supports and individually managed budgets. It includes articles from policy, service, and individual/ family perspectives illustrating what is possible when self-determination guides service provision.

The ADRC program calls for aging networks to broaden its target population & closely coordinate with the disability network to establish seamless systems for consumers. This brief provides background information on characteristics of individuals with physical disabilities, describes the major information & service needs & the existing supports & services system. The brief also addresses implications for grantees in serving this population & provides additional resources to facilitate operations.

This bulletin from the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services focuses on the operation of what have come to referred to as \"supports\" waiver programs - i.e., Medicaid home & community-based waiver programs that offer a broad, flexible array of comparatively low cost services and supports that are intended primarily to assist individuals living in their own home or the home of their family to avoid placement in a licensed, out-of-home residential facility.

This Data Digest from the AARP Public Policy Institute, Disability: Federal Survey Definitions, Measurements, and Estimates, examines different ways disability has been defined and measured in national surveys sponsored by the federal government. The brief discusses the sources of some of the variation in disability rates and illustrates how broader definitions of disability yield higher prevalence rates.

One of the most significant barriers to the development of comprehensive home and community-based support systems the availability of affordable, accessible housing. To help persons with disabilities of all ages locate housing, a handful of states have developed information and assistance programs that provider information on rental housing. This brief provides an overview of a sample of existing web-based housing registries in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Tennessee.

This page provides a list of links to Web sites that provide interactive on-line decision tools related to long term supports and services, as well as other topics of interest for seniors and people with disabilities. Links include: Long Term Care Planning Tool; Nursing Home Compare; Home Health Compare; Prescription Drug and Other Assistance Programs; CHEQ: Comprehensive Healthcare and Earnings Query; MN Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities; Care Planner; BenefitsCheckUp

These materials were developed by the Sutton Group and are focused on people over 50 and adults with disabilities. The two handouts provide information on effective ways to market to both of these groups. A link is also provided to the Sutton Group website.