ADvancing States

President Obama’s proposed budget outlines the Administration’s fiscal and program priorities for FY13. ADvancing States’s preliminary analysis is framed by an interest in aging and disability program funding. The analysis reveals the proposal’s requests for food and nutrition services, independent living, caregiver support, protection of vulnerable adults, and Medicare and Medicaid. The accompanying chart shows the President’s FY12 and FY13 requests for relevant aging and disability programs.

ADvancing States conducted a survey of state agencies on aging and disability to determine if they conducted participant experience surveys to ensure quality. This asked four basic questions: if the state conducts participants experience survey; the frequency of conducting the survey; how the survey was completed; and who conducts the survey. The appendices include sample participant experience surveys from various states.

This document is designed to enable new State Unit on Aging (SUA) Directors to quickly understand the unique role of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (SLTCOP). The Older Americans Act (OAA) establishes this program with responsibilities that make it different from other aging programs. Within the network of services provided under the OAA, the LTCOP has some mandates that set it apart from other services.

This document provides citations from the Older Americans Act that are supportive of, and outline opportunities for coordination efforts between State/Area Agencies on Aging and State/local health care systems.

The AoA reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA) in 2011 was preceded by a series of listening sessions and online input forums representing thousands of consumers of OAA services. This document provides a summary of some of the common input received during this process. Some of the consistent views on OAA services were broad while others were more specific, e.g. expanding Long-Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) services to all nursing home residents regardless of age.

Alabama’s Department of Senior Services (ADSS) launched a project to promote civil service by integrating AmeriCorps Members into its State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program. This innovative means to increase benefits assistance and enrollment has proven successful, especially for programs such as Medicare Savings Programs (MSP). This report describes AmeriCorps programs generally as well as the positive results of ADSS’s AmeriCorps project.

This presentation at the 2012 Aging in America Conference provides an overview of the basics of Medicaid and traces the major trends in reform, including the Olmstead decision and subsequent move toward home and community-based services; the promulgation of Medicaid Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS); and a focus on “dual eligibles”.

This is a summary of the results of a mini-survey conducted in January 2012. The purpose of this survey was to gain insight on different states’ requirements for Medicaid-funded personal care attendants (PCAs). The results from 24 respondent states showed variation in requirements, from required background checks to CPR training and other educational and health requirements.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program is the only federally mandated job training program that explicitly serves low-income adults, age 55 and older, to promote economic self-sufficiency and community service. This paper provides an overview of the program’s goals, its structure in different states, its funding, and the relationship between stakeholders. The mission of the SCSEP serves to empower older individuals by making them more employable in both the public and private sectors.

There are many questions surrounding the debt ceiling. This Q & A answers many of the questions State Units on Aging Directors and their staffs have had regarding the debt ceiling, the federal government’s obligations, and implications for obligations such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It is a guide to understanding the basics of the debt ceiling and the implications for not increasing it.