All States/Territories

In light of HIPAA, Aging and Disability Resource Centers face an important challenge. Since an ADRC is designed to be a one-stop shop for consumers for long-term care information, assistance and access to services, it may be subject to HIPAA’s requirements. This Issue Brief, prepared by the National Association of State Units on Aging, reviews the privacy and security provisions of HIPAA and highlights potential implications for ADRCs.

This document provides an overview of essential elements of a non-profit business plan for the ADRC. Sections II and III are written to serve as a template that can be easily adapted by each ADRC. This should only require filling in information in certain sections and modifying text to better fit your effort. Sections IV through VIII contain discussions and tools to complete each of these sections. They will require more effort and original writing to complete.

The ROI calculator allows states to analyze the economic & social impact of additional investment in the wages of direct-care staff working in their personal care services programs. Designed to incorporate a wide range of factors--including the size of a proposed wage increase, staff turnover costs and retention rates, and issues related to implementation design--the calculator provides state policymakers with an easy-to-use tool for identifying the real costs and benefits of a wage increase.

Real Needs-Real Costs With an Eye Toward the Future: A Process for Developing Service Plans and Individual Budgets was presented on October 12, 2004 at a teleconference for CMS Independence Plus Grantees. The presentation draws on 6 years of prior experience in developing Consumer Directed Programs for adults at the Area Agency of Greater Nashua.

Across the nation, people with disabilities, of all ages, are currently facing an affordable housing crisis. This guide provide information and guidance for states as they work collaboratively to develop realistic systems-level strategies to expand housing opportunities for people with disabilities. This guide was developed based on information and approaches detailed at a Regional Housing Forum in Washington, D.C. in Nov. 2002. A link to that meeting notes & presentation is below.

FRCS are an increasingly popular way to provide a variety of support to all types of families where, when and how they need them. Located in communities & designed to be accessible, these centers aim to put into practice much of what practitioners & policymakers have learned about what works best for children and families. The past decade has seen a steady increase in the number of centers because of the creativity and resourcefulness. This report offers ideas and financing options.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2004, Susan Flanagan presented her recent report: Accessing Workers' Compensation Insurance For Consumer-Employed PAS Workers. This study focused on workers’ compensation (WC) laws and systems as they pertain to domestic service workers, and in particular, personal assistance workers, in 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories and the tribal government of the Navajo Nation.

Call hosted by the Community Living Exchange Collaborative at Rutgers Center for State Health Policy with CMS and grantees to explore the potential use of the MDS section Q1 to identify people in nursing homes who want to relocate. We were joined by a member of our National Advisory Committee, Bob Kafka. We invited Money Follows the Person grantees and Nursing Home Transition grantees.

This Policy Research Brief reviews available research on the costs and outcomes of community service provision for people with intellectual disabilities (or “mental retardation”) and developmental disabilities, with a particular emphasis on residential services. It focuses on a number of key issues related not only to public expenditures, but also to funding systems, related policies and regulations, and their impact on service systems, on specific service types, and on service users.

This Impact Newsletter was printed in the Spring of 2004 and the feature is \"Issue on Consumer-Controlled Budgets and Persons with Disabilities\". This issue of focuses on various aspects of and experiences with supporting personal freedom through self-directed supports and individually managed budgets. It includes articles from policy, service, and individual/ family perspectives illustrating what is possible when self-determination guides service provision.