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The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) is premiering the documentary film about the history of the decades-long struggle for equal rights for people with disabilities. The film tells the story of the disability rights movement in America, which began after WWII when disabled veterans returned home; and culminated in 1990 with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The website has an Interactive Timeline of the Disability Rights Movement, a talk back section, and footage from the film.

A review of 36 studies of outcomes for nearly 5,000 people with intellectual & developmental disabilities moving from large institutions to community living arrangements found high consistency in positive change in daily living skills. Studies specifically addressing social skill development, language & communication skills development, self-care & domestic skill development & community living skill development also showed positive outcomes associated with leaving large institutions.

With the first wave of 70 million baby boomers turning 65 this year, use of long-term services and supports (LTSS), which include home care, assisted living, and nursing home care, is on the rise. In this podcast, the authors and funders of a new scorecard measuring the performance of state LTSS systems, a resource that should help policymakers and providers identify gaps and develop solutions.

This document is the latest in a series of reports on Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) spending. This year’s report contains newly available data and changes in the services that are included within LTSS. The report explains the changes, summarizes the data, and describes national trends.

This letter provides guidance to States on the implementation of Section 10202 of the Affordable Care Act, which establishes the “State Balancing Incentive Payments Program” hereafter referred to as the Balancing Incentive Program. This letter provides a high-level overview along with the required structural changes and timeframes for implementation. Also review the attached Section 10202 Initial Announcement.

A review of the federal financing mechanisms used by state agencies to implement the evidence-based employment models ( IPS and CE) come with the recognition that the federal financing of employment services for people with serious mental illness is a shared responsibility across multiple federal agencies. Improvements in this shared responsibility can lead to more effective support for these evidence-based employment models at the state and local levels.

Summary presents key findings from a collection of nine studies conducted in 2009–2010, focusing on the employment efforts of working-age (age 18 to full retirement). Three of these reports concern TTW participants and program issues, while the other 6 are studies on more general topics related to beneficiary employment and SSA work supports. These nine studies constitute the fifth report of the Ticket to Work program evaluation.

Report illustrates the need for careful planning on how to address the health disparities experienced by persons with disabilities into the next decade. Because the perception that disability is solely an aging phenomenon, current analysis to people of working age (18-64) is limited. Also, little research compares the health disabilities to that of other racial and ethnic minority groups. The report suggests the time is now for a national plan to address disparities.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 offers a number of options and financial incentives for states seeking to expand their systems of long-term services and supports. Many of these opportunities can be leveraged to work together and to build on existing initiatives. Key provisions of the ACA are summarized, followed by considerations for states seeking to take advantage of these new opportunities.

The latest brief describes Medicaid expenditures in 2009, showing that 45% of its total long-term care dollars nationally were spent on home- and community-based services. The findings in this analysis are based on the CMS Form 64 data published by Thomson Reuters, detailing each state’s Medicaid expenditures.