Psychiatric Disabilities/Mental Illness

In response to older adults representing the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness, USAging recently released five homelessness prevention case examples featuring different successful AAA programs and partnerships to support housing stability. Agencies can find inspiration and ideas to evolve their own work and partnerships to provide homelessness prevention assistance and housing-related supports for older adults and people with disabilities.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new online resource hub with Medicaid and CHIP Renewal and Transition Resources for Partners. This virtual hub provides key resources in one centralized location so all partners (e.g., states, beneficiary and provider organizations, and advocates among others) can better assist people with Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renew their health coverage or find other coverage options that may be a better fit for them. This hub contains the following resources: Resources to help others with coverage Outreach materials by population category Key government actions taken to support Medicaid renewals and transitions...

In response to the National Institutes of Health recently designating people with disabilities as a population experiencing health disparities, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) proposed rule that would update the requirements for nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, KFF has released a data analysis titled “Working-Age Adults with Disabilities Living in the Community.”...

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) released the 2024 Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) database. This database features 3,300 college students, graduate students, and recent graduates with disabilities seeking federal internships and permanent jobs. Federal Government employees can register to access and search this talent pool. WRP candidates are eligible for expedited hiring under the Schedule A Hiring Authority for Persons with Disabilities, which allows agencies to hire without posting a job announcement or going through the certification process.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently posted a blog highlighting the upcoming changes to Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) programs following the signing of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act in December 2022. These programs serve as financial empowerment tools for Americans living with disabilities, allowing individuals to save money and build financial independence without affecting eligibility for important benefits, like those administered by Social Security. The amendment, effective in 2026, expands ABLE program access to an additional six million Americans, including one million veterans...

Building on interviews with more than 70 stakeholders, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OCED) has released a report exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the labor market. The report highlights the potentially transformative effects of AI in the labor market by outlining 142 AI-powered solutions tailored to assist people with disabilities. However, the report also examines the risks for people with disability posed by the increasing adoption of AI in the labor market and in society at large. The report outlines various governmental strategies aimed at mitigating the potential risks associated with the implementation of AI...

National Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) have released materials from their recent webinar titled "Resources for Supporting Nursing Facility Residents with Mental and/or Behavioral Health Needs." The webinar addressed the growing population of people with mental and/or behavioral health needs living in long-term care facilities and discussed the challenges these facilities encounter in delivering personalized care. Specifically, the discussion centered on the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF), a new free resource established by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in September 2022

The National Council on Disability (NCD) recently released its 2023 Progress Report titled “Toward Economic Security: The Impact of Income and Asset Limits on People with Disabilities.” This report examines the implications of asset limits in government-sponsored social safety net programs on the economic self-sufficiency and financial independence of people with disabilities. The report focuses on four critical areas of public policy: health care, cash benefits provided through Supplemental Security Income (SSI), employment, and asset building and wealth protection. It also offers findings and recommendations for the Administration, Congress, and states in the areas of health, employment, asset building, and wealth protection...

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) recently celebrated International Day of Persons with Disabilities by releasing a new version of their training course titled “Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Operations.” This course replaces the previous version of IS:368 released in 2012. The course is designed for all personnel involved in disaster operations. It provides an introductory overview of information and strategies on how to include people with disabilities during mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts....

On November 16, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a new Language Access Plan, which includes critical actions to improve access to HHS programs and services for people with disabilities and/or limited English proficiency. With provisions that specifically address the effective communication and accessibility requirements found in sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the HHS Language Access Plan is the latest in a series of important actions taken by ACL and our partners across federal government over the last several years to uphold the rights of people with disabilities.