Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG)

Find seven practical,person-centered planning tools for transition planning for youths with disabilities. This toolkit is for youths with disabilities ages 12-18+, with the ultimate goal of easing the transition from junior high school into high school, then on to college and/or employment. Included is information on developing Individualized Education Programs, 504 plans, Individual Transition Plans and more.

Arizona has issued reports detailing work the state has done in supporting individuals with disabilities transitioning to work,and self-sufficiency with work incentives, health care coverage, benefits planning, etc. Attached are documents regarding outreach done for the Medicaid Buy-In program including which individuals were trained to disseminate the information, and data on the increase in work incentive utilization for SSI recipients.

Written for the APSE newsletter, this article details successes for individuals with disabilities in finding employment in rural Alaska. It states that, especially in rural communities, self employment, or creating your own job, makes the most sense. Options for people with disabilities are more advantageous in self employment, especially if they are receiving Social Security benefits.

Alaska's Supported Employment Task Force has created a Strategic Action Plan for increasing the number of people with developmental disabilities receiving supported employment services and how to most effectively shape protocol to assist employees and employers. Attached are a proposed funding matrix and a strategic action plan for employment services for individuals with behavioral health disabilities. These sample documents may be useful for other states implementing similar programs.

How is Alabama providing its disabled population with important information on topics such as employment and health care? Attached are a brochure and newsletter with information on help available for individuals receiving benefits who want to work without losing their cash benefits and health care and the new health care laws' expected impact on people with disabilities.

The term Personal Assistance Services (PAS) refers to help provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for daily living. Review a seminar developed by the State of Alabama Medicaid Infrastructure Grant designed to educate users on the usage of PAS in the workplace: how the Americans with Disability Act protects it as being a reasonable accommodation, how to combine it with assistive technology, how to secure funding, and more.

States play among the most critical roles in responding to and ameliorating disability unemployment. Find examples of state policy related to disabilities, a selection of state programs and initiatives, descriptions of select federal policy, and primary source documents. Topics covered include housing, employment, community integration, long-term care, health, disability awareness and benefits counseling.

What are the major outcomes and systems improvements stemming from the activities of state MIGs? The MIG program was authorized for eleven years and expires in federal fiscal year 2011. This succinct impact statement highlights key outcomes and impacts related to health care, employment and economic outcomes, Medicaid and employment policy improvements, and service improvements.

Learn about how Medicaid Buy-In participants with severe mental illness compare to other program participants. Their characteristics, employment experiences, and medical expenditures are profiled in this issue brief. It is shown that these individuals have lower medical expenditures and better employment outcomes than participants with other disabling conditions, at least in the short to medium term. Research results, policy implications and next steps are discussed.

Review a brief that profiles Medicaid Buy-In participants with severe mental illness and compares their characteristics, employment experiences, and medical expenditures with those of other program participants. Findings show that Buy-In participants had lower medical expenditures, were more likely to be employed and to increase their earnings over time.