Iowa

In 2017, ADvancing States administered a survey of state agencies that deliver LTSS, including aging and disability agencies as well as Medicaid programs, regarding the significant policy, fiscal, and operational issues occurring within each state. During the survey, we collected detailed information about the structure of agencies, the supports provided, and the populations served by state programs.

The National Association of State Budget Officers has a semi-annual report, with data gathered from all 50 state budget offices, that provides a narrative analysis of the fiscal condition of the states and data summaries of state general fund revenues, expenditures, and balances. The spring edition of the survey of the states details governors' proposed budgets.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of senior population health on a national and state-by-state basis across 34 measures of senior health. The 2017 edition is the fifth publication of this report, which continues to serve as a benchmark of senior health for individuals, community leaders, policymakers, media and public health professionals.

In recognition of a lack of reliable and robust information on the value of state managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) nationally, this report aims to partially fill the gap with data and evidence from a survey of state agencies and a review of relevant outside research, and to also serve as a jumping off point for future study.

The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a new report on implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and disabilities. This is the second of three reports on the subject. This report includes a review of the literature that studies the impact of ACA implementation on people with disabilities, qualitative interviews with key informants from ten states, an analysis of the ACA implementation choices seen in many states, and recommendations for future research on this topic.

This year, the Older Americans Act (OAA) celebrates its 50th year—a golden jubilee for seniors and communities across the country. For this occasion, ADvancing States and Altarum Institute’s Center for Elder Care and Advanced Illness (CECAI) honor outstanding older adults who both volunteer for and benefit from the law’s programs. This booklet highlights the myriad ways that seniors make the United States a great place in which to live, work, and grow old. Email adiaz@advancingstates.org for a hard copy.

The results of the annual survey represent a snapshot of the current status of state government employees, the agencies that administer the programs, and the services that are provided. The 2015 survey revealed that states are continuing to address the same underlying challenges discussed in the previous reports.The report also includes summary tables that outline specific information about each individual state agency and LTSS program. Email adiaz@advancingstates.org to request a hard copy version.

Justice in Aging, in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association, released a new survey of dementia training requirements in each state. The number of Alzheimer's and other dementia diagnoses is on the rise, but there is often little to no training for staff and professionals that work with these populations. This survey was conducted to identify the holes in state law and to find promising practices to inform improvements in the future. The findings are available in a five-paper series.

This is an annual report from United Cerebral Palsy that uses a set of key indicators to investigate data and outcomes of the community living standards for individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the United States. The findings from this report can inform policymakers and advocates on improvements and changes to ensure the best quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) released a report on the Eldercare Locator, a national information and referral resource, funded by the Administration on Aging, that provides assistance to older adults and caregivers. The report draws on data from the locator, breaking the data into different categories.The trends in this data reflect information gathered from 271,234 contacts made with the Eldercare Locator.