Michigan

HCBS.org News CLIPS highlights the important work of Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. In each issue, we examine a topic related to home and community-based care by providing an overview of recent papers and publications. The Fall issues provides an overview of the reports available on Money Follows the Person, a program that allows states to rebalance their long-term care support systems to support people in community-based alternatives rather than institutional settings.

A public voice for caregivers, the Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA) offers information education, services, research and advocacy programs to support and sustain the vital work of families caring for loved ones. The website offers fact sheets, audio archives, referrals, newsletters, issue briefs and reports. A newly updated resource map called Caregiving Across the States allows state administrators, policy makers, and caregivers to access state-by-state data from an interactive database.

The annual 50-state survey of Medicaid officials finds an improved economy combined with the implementation of the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has contributed to the lowest rate of Medicaid spending growth in a decade and the fourth consecutive year in which Medicaid spending growth has slowed. Review the news release, read the report, or listen to conference materials and view the presentation slides.

This site offers a unique mix of quantitative and qualitative policy information to assist advocates, researchers, and policymakers interested in improving implementation of federal workforce policies. Data is presented in state by state summaries and interactive databases for Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Pell Grants, Perkins Vocational & Technical Education, Adult Education & Family Literacy, and Wagner-Peyser/Employment Service programs.

This report analyzes the costs and benefits of the State of Michigan increasing the wages of Home Help workers. Home Help is one of several programs that provides for low-income individuals who need long-term care but do not want to move out of their homes. The report analyzes the effect of higher wages by focusing on two types of benefits and costs: public and private. The authors hypothesize that raising wages will reduce turnover and improve care, attracting more clients to the program.

HHS announced on September 15, 2006, the award of $20 million in grants to states to develop programs for people with disabilities or long term illnesses. The eight states receiving a 2006 award are California, Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Kansas. The award will help states and territories “rebalance” their long-term support programs to help people with chronic illness or disabilities to reside in their homes and participate fully in community life.

This report is the first in a series of final reports that RTI will prepare to document the outcomes of the Real Choice Systems Change Grants. The principal sources of data for this report are Grantees semi-annual, annual, and final reports, a 2005 topic paper on the NFT Grantees and Grantee-prepared final reports and evaluation results as well as publications and materials developed under the grant. This report was referenced on page 48 of CMS MFP Demonstration Solicitation Document.

The aim of this policy brief is to offer state planners and program administrators an overview of strategies being used to improve and develop programs to support individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and developmental disabilities.

This report describes grant activities in three major LTC systems areas: Access to Long-Term Care Services and Supports, Services, Supports, and Housing, Administrative and Monitoring Infrastructure. For each of the focus areas the report describes Grantees’ accomplishments, illustrates the challenges and discusses the consumers’ role in the implementation and evaluation of activities. The report uses information provided during the reporting period October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005.

This report highlights the work of nine CMS Money Follows the Persons Grantees, with a focus on Texas and Wisconsin. The report describes the initiatives, and discusses policy and design factors states should consider when developing MFP programs, including developing legislation and budget mechanisms for making transfers of funds, assuring availability of services and housing, identifying potential consumers for transition, developing NFT infrastructure, and monitoring and quality assurance.