Montana

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.

The Montana Choice program created this booklet for individuals receiving personal assistance services in their home or would like to begin receiving services. The handout provides users with the resources needed to manage their care under the self-directed personal assistance program.

This booklet can assist individuals when they need help to remain in their own homes as a result of an accident, prolonged illness, disability or frailty that comes with age. It also provides individuals with the basic tips designed to walk through the many facets of hiring in-home help or what many consider a \"consumer-buying guide\" for a certain type of care.

This booklet was created by the Montana Choice program for people who are either receiving personal assistance services in their home or those persons who deliver personal assistance services in the home setting. The content focuses on the relationship between the personal assistant and the consumer. The booklet is divided into two sections: What is Personal Assistance and Am I a Good Personal Assistant?

HCBS.org News CLIPS highlights the important work of Real Choice Systems Change Grantees. In this issue, we have interviewed 3 grantees (Tracy Warren from Idaho, Abby Hulme from Montana and Diane King from Colorado) to discuss the implementation of their Independence Plus Programs. Learn more about outreach and enrollment techniques, consumer involvement, on-line training tools, peer consultants, and improving emergency back up procedures.

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.

Family to Family Centers provide information and other supports both to family members and to professionals who serve children and youth with special health care needs. This topic paper highlights innovative strategies developed by individual Family to Family Centers to develop partnerships to expand their reach, to enhance outreach to parents, to serve a culturally diverse clientele, to help youth prepare for transition, and to ensure organizational sustainability.

The new consumer-directed Medicaid program in Montana, Big Sky Bonanza (BSB) program has created the following products provided to new enrollees. The Waiver Orientation manual contains a program overview, roles and responsibilities and training process. My Support Services Plan is an 18 page worksheet to help consumers develop goal statements, capture personal, health, and spending plan, create an emergency back-up plan and list medical information.