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The manual is a nursing home to community discharge planning manual designed primarily for use in nursing homes and may be of help to others to use in developing manuals for their communities. It is designed to orient the long-term care providers to the nursing home discharge process by defining the roles of the key partners who are involved in returning residents to community living and to document a standard protocol for accessing and maximizing partner resources.

CMS has issued this new letter to provide guidance on the implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act. Section 6036, Improved Enforcement of Documentation Requirements, creates a new subsection 1903(x) of the Social Security Act that requires individuals claiming U.S. citizenship to provide satisfactory documentary evidence of citizenship or nationality when initially applying for Medicaid or upon a recipient’s first Medicaid redetermination on or after July 1, 2006.

The State of Vermont was seeking proposals from individuals or organizations interested in becoming the Medication Assistance Consultant. The deadline for submission of proposals was June 23, 2006. This RFP serves as a great example when seeking out contract work.

How many hoops does a consumer have to jump through to receive services? The goal of service delivery for ADRC is seamless entry into long term supports for consumers. This document outlines basic indicators of streamlining access by looking at different aspects of the process. The Measures Matrix will utilze the Evaluation Plan Highlights document also attached.

One challenge many ADRCs face is how to provide services over large geographic areas with small numbers of staff. Several states have chosen to use kiosks as part of their outreach and marketing or information and referral components. This issue brief explores kiosks in use by ADRC grantees and other organizations and discusses considerations in designing accessible kiosks.

This publication, a series of 5 guides, provides technical assistance to HOME participating jurisdictions (PJ) and their housing partners on the fair housing laws and regulations that apply to HOME Program participants. The series reviews the applicable Federal fair housing requirements, illustrates best practices in promoting fair housing, and highlights PJ responsibilities for ensuring compliance with fair housing requirements.

This report describes the implementation of Personal Preference by synthesizing information from in-person discussions with program staff, a mail survey of program consultants, telephone interviews with consumers in the treatment group, and program records. It discusses the program’s goals and features, the ways consumers managed their program responsibilities and took advantage of increased flexibility, and the degree to which consumers were satisfied with the programs.

To improve long-term care quality, state and federal policymakers are experimenting with positive incentives to reward providers who can demonstrate better quality. Incentive payment systems are part of a broader trend in the health care field, referred to as “pay-for-performance” and may consist of either financial payments or non-financial recognition. This paper describes the challenges involved in designing effective quality incentive payment systems in the long-term care sector.

A new fact sheet and report analysis Medicaid spending and enrollment trends for 2000-2004. Medicaid trends are related to the state of the nation's economy; as the economy has strengthened, increases in enrollment and spending have slowed. Rising enrollment and health care inflation produced most of Medicaid's spending increases. Even with a stronger economy, however, Medicaid's enrollment pressures remain due to demographic trends and continued declines in employer-sponsored insurance.

This article draws on the best practices of consumer-driven health programs for people with disabilities, and offers a Disability-Competent Health System model. The model integrates health and social services to maximize opportunities for independent living and person-centered care. This interdisciplinary approach is a promising framework and an opportunity for the independent living movement to address health-related issues without subscribing to the medical model.