All States/Territories

Listen to a radio advertisement about New Mexico's Working Disabled Individual (WDI) Program. This program provides health insurance coverage to working individuals with disabilities. English and Spanish versions included.

Over the last eight years, federal, state, and local governments have re-envisioned how to deliver and pay for an ever-growing caseload of elderly individuals and persons with disabilities who need services at home, in the workplace, or in more costly nursing facilities. This discussion provides a vision and a context for HCBS reform consistent with CMS’ vision for reforming post-acute care that focuses on addressing system barriers and informing and empowering health care consumers.

This paper explores the various participant-direction models, existing quality management strategies, and the potential for change that allows participant-directed quality management systems to remain true to the core values they were founded upon. Participant-directed programs face unique challenges in meeting federal requirements while remaining faithful to the principles of participant-direction. Well-defined roles and responsibilities are essential and will directly influence the design.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured supported this focus group project of adults with disabilities in 4 states, who are enrolled in Medicaid Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services programs. This research was undertaken to learn about Medicaid enrollees’ experiences in the program and their opinions about key features of the program including recruitment issues and degree of responsibility over services. Ways to improve upon the programs were also identified.

Maryland's vocational rehabilitation and mental health agencies jointly promote supported employment evidence-based practices (EBP) for people with mental illness. The state provides a payment for EBP services and monitors fidelity to EBP. Training, technical assistance, and small, time-limited grants have assisted providers transitioning to EBP. More than two-thirds of Maryland’s supported employment providers either have adopted EBP or are implementing these practices.

Consumer direction of personal assistance services (CD-PAS) is one model of service delivery that gives Medicaid beneficiaries varying degrees of control over hiring, scheduling, training, and paying personal care attendants. Program administrators, experienced with the programmatic features of CD-PAS in their state, were interviewed. Eligibility criteria, participant support services, and method of financial management used by Medicaid beneficiaries to pay direct care workers are discussed.

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The New Jersey Department of Human Services created this report to design and implement services that support individuals with disabilities as they secure and sustain employment in an integrated setting. The project developed a five-year transportation plan to identify and document transportation barriers to work for people with disabilities and made recommendations related to addressing the barriers and providing enhanced transportation services in a variety of settings throughout the state.

Find a variety of posters, flyers, brochures and registration forms on New Jersey conferences on Transportation Needs and Employment Opportunities for people with disabilities and specifically for people with disabilities in the Latino and African American communities.

CMS was soliciting proposals to develop the infrastructure to support competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Funding is intended to facilitate enhancements to state Medicaid programs and services, to promote linkages between Medicaid and other employment-related service agencies, and to develop a comprehensive system of employment supports. The demonstration period runs Jan–Dec 2008. This prior solicitation acts as a resource for terms, conditions and guidance.