All States/Territories

KFF released an updated version of their "Medicaid Enrollment and Unwinding Tracker" on February 1. This tracker provides state-level data on Medicaid/CHIP enrollment, unwinding, renewals, and other measures. Please note that while the tool includes national data reported by CMS, it has a lag of several months and may not reflect the most current Medicaid enrollment status.

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care recently published the Fall 2023 issue of “The Resident Advocate,” their newsletter for long-term care residents containing news and information on rights, care issues, and updates on national policy. This issue includes: Tips for living with a roommate in a long-term care facility, Staffing issues in long-term care and how you can advocate for change, Steps to take when there is a problem in your nursing home, Reminders for visiting long-term care facilities during the holidays, and Participating in this year’s Residents’ Rights Month.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has recently released the “Disaster Preparedness Guide for Older Adults,” as part of their preparedness campaign that focused on empowering older adults as they prepare for disasters. This guide is intended to support older adults and their caregivers in preparing in three straightforward steps: assessing their needs, creating a plan, and engaging their network. The guide also provides easy-to-read, user-friendly worksheets that walk individuals and caregivers through a self-assessment to identify specific needs and checklists that create a personalized plan.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a draft state critical incident management system (CIMS) survey for public comment. This draft survey will be a follow-up to the state survey conducted in 2019. The purpose of the survey is to identify current methods and new promising practices for identifying, reporting, tracking, and resolving incidents of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. We expect the survey will be finalized and issued for states to complete in spring 2024. Comments are due to CMS by Monday, December 4.

National Consumer Voice's (NCV) new fact sheet, “Advocating for Rights and Better Care in Nursing Homes,” provides tips for residents and families to advocate for change in their nursing facilities and advocacy strategies for impacting long-term care policy. This fact sheet offers practical steps for residents to address concerns within their nursing facilities, including having discussions with nursing home staff, participating in care plan meetings, utilizing the facility's grievance process, engaging with resident or family councils, and more. Additionally, the resource outlines advocacy strategies to impact long-term care policy, such as sharing personal stories, contacting elected officials, reaching out to the media, and participating

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) provides guidance on how employers can address situations where identifying effective accommodations for employees with disabilities becomes challenging within the framework of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). JAN recommends a collaborative approach, involving the employee in discussions, reviewing previous accommodation attempts, and seeking external resources if needed. Employers are advised to explore trial accommodations, assess reassignment to available positions, and conduct individualized assessments to determine whether providing the accommodation would result in undue hardship.JAN also offers real-life examples of successful accommodations to illustrate potential solutions...

The Integrated Care Resource Center (ICRC) recently released a resource titled, “Tips for States on Incorporating D-SNPs into Medicaid Quality Improvement Activities”. This tip sheet describes the Medicare resources available to states to monitor Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) performance, explains how states can leverage those resources for Medicaid managed care quality oversight and improvement, and provides tips for states on incorporating D-SNPs into Medicaid quality improvement activities. D-SNPs are a type of Medicare Advantage plan that enrolls individuals who are entitled to both Medicare and medical assistance from a state plan under Medicaid. States cover some Medicare costs, depending on the state and the individual’s..

The Century Foundation, in collaboration with the CARE Fund, presents key lessons from the American Rescue Plan Act's (ARPA) investments in the care economy. This third brief in the series explores the impact of ARPA in areas such as child care, paid family and medical leave, and home and community-based services (HCBS). The lessons underscore the importance of investing in the care economy, ensuring equitable policy implementation, making incremental progress, fostering community engagement, taking a holistic approach, and recognizing the vital need for robust and permanent funding to address the complex challenges of care infrastructure in the United States.

The "Falls Prevention Best Practice Guide for State Health Departments," developed by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is a comprehensive resource designed to address the public health impact of unintentional falls among older adults.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a temporary rule extending the allowance for physicians and practitioners to prescribe controlled medications to new patients based on a relationship solely established through telemedicine (live video or telephone for buprenorphine) until December 31, 2024. The agency received more than 38,000 comments on its proposed telemedicine rules and recently held two days of public listening sessions related to those rules. The agency noted that it is working to promulgate a final set of telemedicine regulations by the fall of 2024, giving patients and medical practitioners time to plan for, and adapt to, the new rules once issued...