Utah

State aging & disability agencies are operating in an era of state agency reorganization, re-conceptualization of state government, & restructuring of long-term services & supports delivery systems & financing. Key elements driving continued change include the economic environment, ACA implementation, uncertainty in the federal budget particularly with the failure of the Congressional Super Committee, changes in state level leadership, & the 2012 elections.

The latest HCBS data from The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and the University of California at San Francisco analysis of The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Form 372 have been added and are available for all states and the nation for 2008. This website allows you to do an interactive search. Review the updated topics including total HCBS waivers, participants by waiver type, home health expenditures, and personal care participants.

This report is the latest in a series on expenditures for Medicaid waivers authorized under Section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act, also known as home and community-based services waivers. For the first time, the tables include state-reported data for 1915(c) waiver services provided through managed care programs that are not identifiable in the state CMS 64 reports. Thomson Reuters collected these data for FY 2008 and FY 2009.

This document is the latest in a series of reports on Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) spending. This year’s report contains newly available data and changes in the services that are included within LTSS. The report explains the changes, summarizes the data, and describes national trends.

The estimated economic value of family caregivers’ unpaid contributions contribution was approximately $450 billion in 2009. If family caregivers were no longer available, the economic cost to the U.S. health care and long-term services and supports systems would increase astronomically. This report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family care using the most current available data, and provides recommendations for taking care of the caregivers.

The Utah Medicaid Work Incentive (MWI) Program began in 2001 as a way to encourage low income people with disabilities to work without fear of losing needed health care services. The program allows people with disabilities to earn above the poverty level to have access to Medicaid as long as their income remains low. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of MWI policy on recipients’ earnings, Medicaid expenditures, and use of other public benefits.

The Alternative State Application Program is a program designed to appoint qualified persons with disabilities through an on-the-job examination period. Attached is a presentation on the program put out by Utah's Work Ability. The presentation includes information on positions available, eligibility, the application process, and more.

This Power Point presentation was put out by Utah's Work Ability for the fall Employer Workshop. The presentation educates consumers, families, and professionals on the Americans with Disabilities Act, available technology, agency services and supports, and more and how they can all be used as valuable resources to help the deaf and hard of hearing.

Contained in these attachments are links to several examples of Webinars broadcasted in the state of Utah and aimed at individuals with disabilities interested in working while keeping their Health Care benefits. Included is information on Medicaid and working, Medicaid Work Incentive, Employment Personal Assistance Services, how employment affects recipients of Medicare and more.

Review this guide that outlines steps in the options counseling process. Find a detailed version of Utah’s Options Counseling Decision Tree, from initial point of contact to follow-up, as well as a one page flowchart representing a condensed view of these processes.