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Are you looking to develop an online person centered planning tool? Check out this one created to help people with disabilities think about their strengths, needs, wants and dreams, and put them in a plan to use to make decisions about their life. The plan is separated into four categories (Home, Community, Health & Work) and is created completely online. It also includes information on looking for services on TheDesk.info (Medicaid Reference Desk).

Review the findings of six listening sessions where participants provided input on more effective ways to increase employment of women, veterans, and minorities with disabilities, the identfication of federal and state systems effectively collaborating to achieve successful employment outcomes, and identification of three top issues on which the federal government should focus to support an increase in labor force participation of people with disabilities.

Check out this guide geared toward the participant/consumer on how to hire and manage personal assistants. Written with the goal of promoting self-determination, this user-friendly guide helps the consumer understand their role as employer and covers topics such as determining the supports they need, finding workers and the role of the Fiscal Intermediary. It includes sample forms, worksheets, checklists, job descriptions, as well as a glossary and tips for helping to keep organized.

How does health reform legislation effect eldercare and disability employers and direct-care workers? Review a chart that summarizes eight health-reform provisions that have either taken effect already, or will do so in the near future. These provisions give direct-care workers and their families numerous opportunities to access more affordable health care before 2014. Find a link to this sheet, as well the Health Care for Health Care Workers website, which contains the full series.

Find an analysis of changes the new law makes to Medicaid, Medicare Part D and Medicare Advantage that impact low income individuals in particular. There is also a brief discussion of the coverage expansion and its potential impact on this population. This brief is part of a series of issue briefs prepared by NSCLC which discuss the impact of the new law on low income older adults.

Wondering how states are organizing and educating their key vocational and employment-related stakeholders? Attached is the agenda of the Consumer Workforce Development Strategic Workgroup Planning Session II, held as part of Hawai‘s Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant. Sections included are group sharing, actionable next steps, and a chance to review purpose and desired outcomes for the day.

The Ask Medicare initiative was developed by CMS to help caregivers navigate challenging issues and find necessary information to make better healthcare decisions for their loved ones. The main feature of Ask Medicare is a one-stop, easy-to-use Web site with targeted information, decision-making resources, and support tools. The Web site also includes a free e-newsletter and instructive, personal stories from caregivers.

Review findings of a study of outcomes of adults with mental illnesses in the Cash & Counseling program compared to those receiving traditional Medicaid services. Such individuals experienced higher satisfaction with their quality of life and with their paid caregivers, fewer unmet needs, no more injuries or other adverse health outcomes than other patients, no significant differences in total expenditures, and were able to successfully manage the cash option.

Read two reports about successful initiatives in outreach efforts. One describes how the SSA and Dept. of Veterans Affairs worked collaboratively to improve data exchange and outreach, thus increasing it’s service to the military community. The other examines two lives in Colorado and Arkansas that have improved as a result of provisions in the MIPPA Act of 2008.

Find out about a pilot program at four affordable housing properties for older adults in Washington, DC. With input from service coordinators, residents, and family caregivers, a two-part workshop was designed to increase caregiver capacity while strengthening the coordination between caregivers and service staff. Caregivers who participated in the workshops reported feeling more confident in their roles as well as more knowledgeable of resources.