Implementation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided guidance during their recent All-State Call, hosted by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS). CMCS announced that the 41 states and territories receiving Money Follows the Person (MFP) funding will be required to begin reporting on a subset of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measures Set, which was released in July 2022 (SMDL 22-003). Importantly, these states must report on all their section 1915(c), (i), (j), and (k) programs and section 1115 demonstrations that include HCBS services for major population groups, not just those programs that would enroll MFP participants. Reporting will be required in September 2026 for measures collected in 2025...

On February 6, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) released a final rule to update regulations for implementing its Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The first substantial update to most OAA program regulations since 1988, the rule aligns regulations to the current statute, addresses issues that have emerged since the last update and clarifies a number of requirements. It aims to better support the national aging network that delivers OAA services and improve program implementation, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that the nation's growing population of older adults can continue to receive the services and supports they need to live — and thrive — in their own homes and communities...