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Medicaid for the Working Disabled, South Carolina’s Buy-In program, helps people with disabilities retain healthcare benefits when they get a job or earn more money. The attached brochure highlights program details, eligibility requirements, and application information. It also lists the phone numbers of county DHHS offices. Also included is a handout for Self-Advocates that lists resources on Self-Determination.

This report looks at the overall effect South Carolina’s Medicaid for the Working Disabled program has on the net state revenue. It also examines predicted impacts of changing program characteristics and eligibility requirements. The state data are compared to other states with Buy-In programs.

What barriers remain to employment for people with disabilities? The first report presents the results of a survey asking S.C. business leaders this and other questions regarding benefits, challenges, and supports needed to better employ people with disabilities. The second report asks a broader sample of the business community about their perceptions of workers with disabilities, how they affect the workplace, and what accommodations and incentives they consider to be reasonable and effective.

Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor has funded 20 Customized Employment and 6 Workforce Action demonstration projects to identify policy mechanisms that effectively support customized employment. This report gives the background, key findings, successful strategies, obstacles, and analysis of the different projects. The main work product is a set of local, state, and federal policy recommendations generated by the initiative.

Mathematica researchers examine the effects that the Medicaid Buy-In program has had on participants’ earnings. The first brief looks at whether earnings increase after enrollment. The second profiles the workers that earn the highest wages. The last brief profiles all Buy-In participants and compares earnings data by state. Each brief analyzes the traits of the workers and different state programs to identify successful strategies.

Policy makers and provider organizations continue to struggle to reduce turnover among direct-care workers in the long-term care field. Unfortunately, data elements used to measure turnover vary widely between programs and make it difficult to understand and counteract this problem. The authors discuss these challenges by drawing on their experience with the turnover tracking system of the Better Jobs Better Care Demonstration.

In January 2008, a small group of experts met to discuss challenges and recent changes to the early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment (EPSDT) Medicaid benefit. Their discussion focused on helping states maximize children’s access to EPSDT care. They also covered ways to engage with primary care providers and to improve care coordination and quality measurement.

Flexible Choices (a Cash & Counseling program) is a consumer or surrogate directed home and community based option. The program offers consumers a cash-value allowance with which to purchase their care. Working with a consultant the individual develops a budget which details expenditure of the allowance. This procedure from the Vermont’s LTC program manual details what is allowable for purchase. As states consider the idea of allowing purchased goods and services, this list serves as a guide.

How many people served by home and community-based mental health services in your state are employed? This DataNote explores this question and illustrates a wide variance in outcomes between states, suggesting the need for further research to identify and implement best practices.

Up to 70% of community rehabilitation providers report that individuals with disabilities prefer to stay in facility-based, rather than community-based, employment programs. This edition of the “Customized Employment Corner” series confronts some challenges of helping individuals make informed choices about employment options. The questions and answers address issues of finding jobs that fit individuals’ qualifications and choices, communication, and funding.