Consumer/Participant Direction

The Compendium contains basic information about each of the Systems Change Grantees. Each section is alphabetical by state. Information for each state includes: the name of the grantee organization, the title of the grant, the type of grant, the amount awarded and fiscal year awarded, the primary contacts for each grant, the target populations to be served under the grant, the primary goals and activities of each grant project, and a brief description of the grant activities.

In this segment of PBS News Hour, an Arkansas program provides new options in health care for the disabled. Independent Choice is a Cash & Counseling program.

The Formative Evaluation of the Real Choice Systems Change Grants evaluates how the Systems Change grantees are progressing towards meeting their goals. The Formative Evaluation identifies problems faced by the grantees and ways that they deal with the problems. This document provides summary information about each of the FY2002 Grantees.

This article reports on Arkansas' telephone survey of consumers and surrogates. The survey focused on consumer satisfaction with current services and consumers’ and surrogates’ perceptions regarding the cash option. Survey data address how Arkansas can reach the most interested consumers and surrogates, what messages Arkansas should emphasize in its communications and marketing, and what issues should be explored further in postsurvey focus groups.

The IndependentChoices Website has been provided for both participants and those looking for information about the program. IndependentChoices is a special project in Arkansas that gives people the opportunity to direct thier own care at home, by providing a monthly allowance in place of "Personal Care Services."

Arkansas is part of a demonstration project to measure the impact of substituting a cash allowance for Medicaid services from provider agencies. This report describes how the participants were randomly assigned to two groups, one that received Medicaid personal care through a provider agency and one that received a monthly cash allowance and services to help them effectively use the allowance, and their respective outcomes.

Reports from the CMS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (formally known as HCFA) Medicaid HCBS Study of the impact of Medicaid home and community based services programs on quality of life, quality of care, utilization and cost. The research project will study the financing and delivery of services to older and younger people with disabilities and the Medicaid financing and delivery of services for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities (MR/DD) in six states.

This paper provides states (both the legislative and executive branches) with background about how to involve stakeholders in planning, program development, and quality improvement related to home and community-based services and supports.

This paper report son the author's forays into Systems Chnage.The system change efforts include the closure of a state operated institution for people with mental retardation in Maine (Pineland Center), the closure of a state operated institution in Arizona (theArizona Training Center in Tucson) and the introduction of consumer selfdirected model also in Arizona.

The Personal Care Assistant pilot project offers individuals enrolled in the Connecticut Home Care Program for Elders (CHCPE) the opportunity to hire and manage their own personal care assistant (PCA) to provide necessary home care services. This Issue Paper provides an evaluation of this program.