Maryland

This guide offers a quick reference on housing resources that can be used to create integrated, affordable, and accessible housing and basic information on how to use these resources. Including community strategies that increase the amount of integrated, affordable, and accessible housing units that usually fall into three general categories: development of housing units; access to existing housing units; and asset development.

The national percentage of Medicaid spending on home and community-based services (HCBS) has more than doubled from 1992 to 2004. This report presents a summary of the main trends to emerge for the three Medicaid HCBS programs and the results of a survey of policies such as eligibility criteria and waiting lists.

This report provides information about family caregivers of older Americans and the state-level programs serving them. The profiles provide information on state demographics and programs related to caregiving. They offer a snapshot of each state's caregiver support programs, services offered, funding sources, eligibility criteria, and options for consumer direction. Also, information about locating grandparent support programs is included along with highlights of recent state legislation.

The purpose of this survey analysis is to provide states with an overview of the implementation of these DRA changes across the country, specifically in terms of Long-Term Care services and the steps the states have taken. Findings address eligibility, Children with Disabilities, Money Follows the Person, HCBS State Plan Amendments, Transition from Institutions, Managed Care, SPA for Personal Care Services, Cash & Counseling, Care Coordination, Disease Management and Long-Term Care Reform.

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) monitored 23 state vocational rehabilitation agencies in fiscal year 2007. These agencies, their stakeholders, and RSA identified promising practices that promote youth with disabilities transitioning from school to employment. Summaries of these practices are on the U.S. Department of Education’s website and include examples of leveraging resources, college and career preparation programs, and collaboration and partnerships among other practices.

Grantees are required to establish measurable performance goals for their programs as well as indicators that enable them to track progress. Relating to consumer and client satisfaction with services, it is important that established goals assess visibility, trust, ease of access and responsiveness of program functions and staff. This summary contains findings of ADRCs assessments of consumer satisfaction relating to performance indicators and reported in the semi-annual report.

The Medicaid Infrastructure Grant Research Assistance to States (MIG-RATS) Center launched a website to provide resources and support to states implementing MIGs. The website is designed to help staff find research reports and resources, learn about MIG-RATS activities and initiatives, and connect with MIG researchers. The website includes info on topics such as Medicaid Buy-In programs, outreach and marketing, and youth in transition and also provides links to tools and a calendar of events.

The annual 50-state survey of state officials on Medicaid and state budget actions reports enrollment in Medicaid declined. This decline was driven primarily by two factors. States reported new citizenship documentation requirements were causing delays in processing applications, affecting individuals already eligible for the program. State officials also cited good economy and lower unemployment for reducing enrollment. 42 states expect to expand coverage to the uninsured in the next year.

HHS announced an $8.8 million investment to help states provide more affordable choices to individuals struggling to remain in their homes and communities as they age. A total of $5.7 million in federal funding was awarded to 12 states for grants for this nursing home diversion program that will improve state efforts to assist individuals avoid unnecessary nursing home placement, impoverishment and spend-down to Medicaid.

This memorandum and tables present data on Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver expenditures from Federal Fiscal Years 2001 through 2006. Each HCBS waiver is classified by population served in order to show the distribution of HCBS waiver expenditures across long term care populations. This year's memo also identifies which waivers exclusively serve children.