Connecticut

The Medicaid Buy-In program is a key component of the federal effort to make it easier for people with disabilities to work without losing health benefits. This issue brief, the ninth in a series on workers with disabilities, examines the prevalence and characteristics of Medicaid Buy-In participants who leave the program as well as their participation status in other public programs and their employment outcomes after disenrollment.

The purpose of this report is fourfold: 1) to present a brief overview of the results of the Systems Change grants awarded from FY 2001 through FY 2004, 2) to describe the remaining challenges to community living that Grantees identified, 3) to provide Grantees’ recommendations for actions needed at the state and federal level to further improve their long-term care systems, and 4) to discuss the key lessons learned regarding factors that are needed to improve states’ long-term care systems.

Annual survey of all 50 States finds that during this time of recession the number of people on Medicaid is greatly increasing, as is the amount of money being spent on the program by individual States. Despite federal assistance from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), this leads to further strain on already tight State budgets. This trend is expected to continue & States should be expecting a predicted increase of 6.3% on Medicaid spending in the 2010 fiscal year.

This updated resource provides a state-by-state look at wages and wage trends for PHCAs, the second fastest growing occupation in the country, and a key job title within the direct-care workforce. Review wages over a 9-year period. Prepared as a resource guide on wages for advocates and policymakers concerned with the direct-care workforce, the data underscore the problem of low and declining real wages for PHCAs, factors which contribute to workforce.

This issue brief examines the early successes and challenges of MFP. A 2008 survey of 29 states receiving MFP grants turned up several key findings, including that several hundred people have moved from institutional to community settings; that states are providing a broad range of services to facilitate transition; that housing issues for MFP participants are a major challenge for states; and that the severe economic downturn had not yet prompted states to scale back their efforts.

RTI is preparing a series of reports to document outcomes from the Systems Change grants. Divided into six parts, the first four provide an overview of the enduring improvements, continuing challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations of the 48 Research & Demonstration Grantees, organized by the four types of grants: CPASS, MFP, IP, & QA/QI. Part 5 provides summaries of the FTF Grants. Part 6 reviews the Respite for Adults and Children and Community-Based Treatment Alternatives for Children.

This second report in a series focuses on how state variation in level of experience and infrastructure to undertake large-scale transition programs can affect implementation. The authors describe differences in strategies to 1) expand transition coordination capacity 2) locate appropriate housing 3) enhance long-term supports & services 4) change Medicaid HCBS programs/policies to ensure that those who transition can remain in the community after the MFP eligibility period ends.

The key details of the partnership between the Veterans Health Administration and the Administration on Aging, created to provide consumer-directed care to veterans, are given. The document summarizes the partnership structure, standards, and target population. It also discusses the referral, follow-up, and rate setting procedures for the defined set of services and goods to be offered.

The Network consists of 10 regional centers funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a division of the U.S. Department of Education. The mission is to provide information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to individuals, organizations and employers. They provide training materials, referrals, and a searchable database of legal documents, fact sheets and checklists.

Nearly every state provides at least some funds for services for low-income older adults or people with disabilities who have too many assets to qualify for Medicaid. AARP reports on how much each state spends on both multiservice and single-service programs. It also compares funding sources, eligibility criteria, services, cost management strategies, consumer direction, and other characteristics.