Consumer/Participant Direction

This report discusses the options for expanding home and community based services in the state of Maryland as required by Bill 594. Should Maryland elect to expand access to Medicaid home- and community-based services(HCBS), it has several possible approaches. This report discusses these options for Maryland in detail; ideas other states designing similar programs might find useful.

This article outlines three potential models which may be adopted by states looking to develop programs designed to serve those individuals who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The article also discusses possible contractual issues important to state Medicaid agencies as well as environmental factors which may influence the choice of models and potential program's prospects for success.

The goal of Rewarding Work is to give people who need support with daily activities choice and control in finding personal assistants. So far, the site has partnered with five states in the Northeast. The searchable database can be used by both people looking to hire help and job seekers. The attached news release describes a special connection these services made possible - the example, a 14-year-old with severe disabilities, and a nursing student looking for a work as PCA.

AARP offers a list of resources to help plan for long-term care. Especially helpful is the “Staying in Your Home” section. Here you can find tools on preparing homes for aging in place, locating quality home and community-based services, and hiring home care workers.

This evaluation assesses the impact of the "Home Health Aide (HHA) Partnering Collaborative" -- a quality improvement initiative implemented at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York -- in three main areas: patient outcomes, patient service use and aide job perceptions and retention.

This paper was used as a handout at a workshop, held as a catalyst for DALTCP's major new initiative to study ways to expand consumer choice and empowerment in obtaining personal assistance services.

This paper reports the findings of a study to document and analyze selected best practices related to state administered home and community based services (HCBS) programs. Examination of the programs provided the context for examining two interrelated areas of policy interest: how states organize and deliver a range of HCBS within fixed budgets; and how eligibility determination, needs assessment, care planning and service authorization functions are structured and linked to one another.

Tips on how to develop successful relationships with independent providers are offered here for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The tool box provides advice around establishing relationships and expectations, recruiting and hiring workers, and problem solving.

This presentation on Medicaid Infrastructure Grants (MIG) presents information regarding what ADRCs need to know about work incentive programs for individuals with disabilities. The presentation was part of the ADRC TA program and was delivered in November 2008. Additionally, a link is included to an informational website for the Ticket to Work Incentives Improvement Act.

The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Projects or WIPAs were funded by 104 new grants awarded throughout the U.S. and the U.S. territories in 2006 to this SSA grantee program. These grants were created to assist SSA disability beneficiaries by providing information about work incentives, benefits planning, and making good choices about work. This website is a resource for consumers, providers and employment and vocational networks.