District of Columbia

The study compares monthly income for people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to local median incomes and Fair Market Rent rates for modest units across the U.S. In 2008, there were 219 housing markets in 41 states where recipients of SSI, people with long-term disabilities and virtually no assets, would have to pay 100% of their income for a modest one-bedroom unit. Ten years ago there were 44 such markets in 13 states. Policy recommendations are given to reverse this trend.

Follow the link for a comprehensive listing of state statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding the use of emergency or planned physical, chemical, mechanical, or other restraints. Additional documents offer information on positive behavior support guidelines, training manuals, and other policy-related materials. Many emphasize the use of positive or non-aversive interventions. Links are provided to access documents on many state DD agency websites.

Three key issues affecting the understanding of low rates of successful employment outcomes for people with mental illness are explored. These are: lack of a common definition of successful employment; lack of clear, objective, standardized data; and differences among states and programs in measuring client characteristics. Peer critiques to the data and analysis are provided along with tables comparing employment outcomes by state.

Money Follows the Person (MFP) programs only target 0.9% of the people that could be eligible for transitioning out of institutions each year. However, there is a potential to increase rates to 15-40% annually depending on quality of program implementation, who is targeted, and how successful states are in overcoming barriers to transitioning high-needs people. The report looks at grantee states’ potential for accomplishing this rate increase.

This eighth edition of this reference report presents comparable state- and national-level data for more than 140 indicators on long-term services and supports from a wide variety of sources. Published approximately every two years, the series was developed to help inform policy discussions among public and private sector leaders. This publication presents the most up-to-date data available at the time of production, and is displayed in easy-to-use maps, graphics, tables, and state profiles.

Family responsibilities discrimination (FRD) occurs when workers are unfairly penalized based on family responsibilities, such as caring for a family member that is older or disabled. Despite the growing number of workers with such responsibilities and the dramatic increase in FRD lawsuits, policies in most states do not yet address it. Find here more information on FRD, a summary of proposed and existing state laws, and resources for further research.

An interactive map displays how many 1915(c) waivers each state has. Clicking on a state’s name displays number of participant and expenditures by waiver type as compared to nationwide numbers. Participant and expenditure data are also available for personal care, home health, and individualized budget services. Clicking “Compare” in any data area displays a table illustrating selected data for all states. Information is taken from CMS form 372 and is downloadable.

This issue of the "Policy Research Brief" series summarizes the results of a national study on the status, implementation, and degree of consumer control across states. Strategies, challenges, and best practices of consumer-directed services and supports are explored. Information was gathered through interviews with administrators of developmental disabilities services in 42 states.

This website is an on-line query system based on AoA-related data files and surveys, and includes population characteristics from the Census Bureau. The system allows users to produce descriptive information in graphical or tabular form, at the level of detail most suited for their needs. The four options through AGID provide different levels of focus and aggregation of the data from individual data elements within Data-at-a-Glance to full database access within Data Files.

Methods for evaluating MFP are mapped out in detail. The report explains the design of the analyses of implementation, impact, and outcomes. It also describes research questions to be answered and methods for tracking the 31 programs. Finally, the synthesis of information and format of the presentation of findings is discussed.