Physical Disabilities

A national survey of Area Agencies on Aging is conducted every two to three years. The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) has released their 2017 survey report. They surveyed 622 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), with 412 completing the survey, to discover what services they commonly offer, how AAAs address funding, and what their policy priorities are.

The Community Living Policy Center reviewed the effects of the Better care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) should it pass. Upon review, they conclude that had it been implemented in the mid-2000s then it would have reduced Federal reimbursments becuase of the proposed caps.

University Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the University of North Carolina NC Rural Health Research Program (NC RHRP) studies the effects of Medicaid on rural areas and small towns as opposed to dense metropolitan areas. Since the implementation of the ACA, those who are covered by insurance have noticeably increased the number of Americans who are insured.

This report provides a multidimensional look at state performance for the delivery of long-term services and supports (LTSS), based on a uniform set of performance measures and how performance has changed over time. It also includes the role that housing and transportation play in assisting older adults, people with physical disabilities and their family caregivers, as well as promising practices and emerging innovations to foster greater information exchange.

Mathematica Policy Research recently released their Money Follows the Person 2015 Annual Evaluation Report. This report provides basic information about the program, as well as how the program has grown and changed since transitions began in 2007. The Annual Evaluation Report also discusses estimates of program outcomes and is the basis for a report to congress.

On May 26th, 2017 the Congressional Research Service released their report on H.R. 1628: The American Health Care Act (AHCA) that was passed in the House on May 4th, 2017. This report provides an overview of all the AHCA provisions. It also discusses how the bill includes a number of provisions that would repeal or modify parts of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In recognition of a lack of reliable and robust information on the value of state managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) nationally, this report aims to partially fill the gap with data and evidence from a survey of state agencies and a review of relevant outside research, and to also serve as a jumping off point for future study.

The report highlights the commitment of participating states toward measuring and improving the quality of their long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems that serve seniors and adults with physical disabilities.

This report from Truven Health Analytics describes Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) expenditures. The report shows federal fiscal year 2015 data, along with updates for FY 2012 through 2014 spending. Along with discussing trends in Medicaid LTSS expenditures, the report includes numerous data tables that summarize national and state-level expenditures by service category and state.

This report examines Minnesota's home care workforce and highlights trends in the broader sector. The report offers recommendations, including interventions that "elevate the role of the aide," and calls for better wages, higher reimbursement rates in state funding, and improved training, as well as approaches tailored to rural areas, such as new technologies in home care and transportation-related supports.