All States/Territories

Mathematica Policy Research submitted several reports on proposed methods for developing and testing risk and reliability. The important contribution for this work is the development of a risk adjustment methodology that can be applied to Medicaid quality measures of the HCBS population. These resources include: Risk Adjustment of HCBS Composite Measures- Volumes 1 and 2; Development of an HCBS Pressure Ulcer Measure- Volumes 1 and 2; and Development of HCBS Quality Measures webinar and slides.

The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), with funding from the SCAN Foundation, published a report offering recommendations to improve the financing of long-term care. The BPC published another report in April 2014 that examined the challenges in financing and delivery. This report is a follow up of those findings that offers recommendations to improve these issues.

Justice in Aging, with the support of the Albert and Elaine Borchard Center on Law and Aging, released a new paper, Advocacy Starts at Home: Strengthening Low-Income Older Adults and Caregivers. The paper's structure introduces Margaret and her story of being a family caregiver, discusses the problems as a result of the strain of poverty on low-income family caregivers and then offers solutions to help support older adults and their caregivers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in collaboration with the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability published this month's National Trends on Disability Employment report (nTIDE). Each month this report is published to mark the changes of employment for people with disabilities.

The Compendium is a web-based tool that pools disability statistics published by various federal agencies together in one place. This one-stop tool makes it easier for individuals to find data relating to persons with disabilities. This year's compendium includes aging data for the first time with over 100 tables representing age ranges. Additionally, the 2015 Disability Statistics Annual Report accompanies the Compendium.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released a data book that presents information of dually-eligible beneficiaries. The information includes demographics, other personal characteristics, expenditure, and health care utilization of the dual-eligibles. This data book is the third in a series that serves to create a better understanding of this population and how they tend to use available services.

The National Council on Disability released a new report on implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and disabilities. This is the first of three reports on the subject. While the Affordable Care Act is a significant piece of legislation, people with disabilities were largely left outside of the policy conversation. This report is meant to serve as a "roadmap" for people with disabilities and how it will affect them depending on how it is implemented.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with a group of elder abuse experts, released a new publication, Elder Abuse Surveillance: Uniform Definitions and Recommended Core Data Elements. There is no consistent definition of elder abuse or neglect, which makes comparing data from different states and regions very challenging. This paper serves to establish consistent definitions and data elements to make comparing data easier.

This white paper examines the progress that is being made in the Aging Network. This paper covers key developments that are re-shaping the network as well as efforts to better measure the quality and value of its programs and services. The paper also includes: Case studies highlighting the work of the aging network in Florida, Massachusetts and California, discussion of quality initiatives and congressional actions, and concluding observations.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their monthly report for November 2015 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility, and enrollment data. States provides data to CMS on factors related to key application, eligibility and enrollment processes using the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator Project. The data is then used to inform CMS on the operations of the programs in each state and to share state performance data publicly.