All States/Territories

This tool kit was developed at the request of volunteers, advocates, self-advocates, and professionals concerned with preserving the remarkable progress made towards the inclusion of people with cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities into the mainstream of community life in America. To fight disinformation and segregation, this tool kit provides the philosophy, policy and research rationale that supports community supports and services for all people with disabilities.

This report provides a framework and some of the basic data necessary to understand why the future of the United States will not be determined solely by anticipated changes in the size and age distribution of the population. The paper also examines public policies that encourage and facilitate education, basic research, and the application of promising technologies to enhance the well-being of current and future generations of older people.

This fact sheet issued by the AARP Public Policy Institute examines recently published data shedding light on the characteristics of direct care workers, their working conditions, future demand for their services, and efforts to improve recruitment and retention of these workers.

A bill to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to require States to disregard benefits paid under LTC insurance for purposes of determining Medicaid eligibility, to expand partnerships between States and insurers, to amend the IRS Code of 1986 to allow individuals a deduction for qualified LTC insurance premiums, the use of such insurance under cafeteria plans and flexible spending arrangements, and a credit to establish HCBS services as an optional Medicaid benefit.

CMS recently hosted a teleconference to provide an overview of the recently released draft 1915 (c) Medicaid Waiver Application. The presentation offered information on the development of the application including incorporation of comments from states; the protocol for use of the application in its draft form; design and development of the web based application including plans for Beta testing; information on CMS training events and the roll out plan which includes an evaluation component.

ADRC grants are infrastructure grants aimed at creating new or formalizing existing relationships among state and local agencies and public partners; collaboration among these entities is critical for ADRC development. This briefing paper will offer ideas and strategies for building a collaborative environment and building effective partnerships.

Over the last four years, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has been tracking the national development of the three main Medicaid HCBS programs that states can operate: (1) optional 1915(c) HCBS waivers, (2) the mandatory home health benefit, and (3) the optional state plan personal care services benefit. This brief presents expenditures and participant data on all three Medicaid HCBS programs and findings from the survey of policies on 1915(c) waivers.

Over the last decade states have made committed efforts to support individuals living at home with families. One example is the Illinois Home Based Support Services Program (HBSSP) which is a model consumer-directed program for adults with developmental disabilities and their families. This program families with an individualized budget of approximately $1,500 per month to design and direct supports. This paper evaluates the model and answers questions about service utilization.

This tool kit has been designed as a result of three years of collaboration building workshops in 33 different states. The impetus arose from the need to disseminate the latest information on aging and intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and to find ways in which agencies can collaborate to assist caregivers and care recipients. This tool kit is an accumulation of the materials presented at the workshops and provides agencies with resources for forming new partnerships.

This Congressional briefing examined the \"Cash and Counseling\" program, which provides an individualized allowance that Medicaid beneficiaries can use to hire a personal care assistant of their choice - often a family caregiver - or purchase items that help them live independently, such as chair lifts. As policymakers look to the future, what are the lessons learned from the first phase of the cash and counseling program?