Transition/Diversion from Institutions

A competitive grant opportunity designed to assist individuals at risk of nursing home placement & spend down to Medicaid to enable them to continue to live in their community. The initiative encourages the Aging Services Network to modernize and transform funding from the OAA, or other non-Medicaid sources, into flexible consumer-directed service dollars. The grants complement CMS's Money Follows the Person to reach older adults before they enter a nursing home & supports rebalancing efforts.

Administration on Aging (AoA), through the Older Americans Act and other legislation, supports programs that help older adults maintain their independence and dignity in their homes and communities. In addition, AoA provides funding for a range of supports to family caregivers. This webpage provides a brief introduction to the Supportive Services and Senior Centers Program, as well as related resources and links.

All Americans including people with disabilities and seniors should be able to live at home with the supports they need and participating in communities. To help meet these needs, HHS is creating a new organization, the ACL with the goal of increasing access to community supports and full participation, while focusing attention and resources on the unique needs of older Americans and people with disabilities. Visit the website for funding opportunities and announcements.

Residential care facilities, such as assisted living facilities and personal care homes provide housing & supportive services to persons who cannot live independently but do not require the level of care provided by nursing homes. RCFs are not federally regulated; state approaches to regulation vary. Using data from the first nationally representative survey of RCFs with four or more beds, this report presents national estimates of RCFs comparing characteristics and services by facility size.

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration supports state efforts to help Medicaid beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities transition back to community-based residences and to make community-based long-term care services and supports more accessible. This report uses aggregate data from annual financial reports and service claims records submitted by grantees to examine the costs and types of community-based services received by participants in the MFP program.

In the context of “rebalancing” efforts, the authors describe flexible accounting as budgeting practices and contractual language that incentivize the use of less expensive noninstitutional programs and use savings to expand lower-cost services to further reduce the state’s use of institutional care. The authors offer recommendations for California and pay special attention to flexible accounting in Medicaid managed LTSS and identify examples of flexible accounting practices.

One priority for an aging America is to enable older adults to live independently in their homes and communities. For those with limited income or resources, benefits can be a critical resource to receive support and avoid institutionalization. Many miss out on benefits due to lack of awareness, perceived complexity of applications, stigma, & misunderstanding eligibility. The You Gave, Now Save campaign connects eligibles with free & low-cost resources: BenefitsCheckUp & the Eldercare Locator.

This site offers a wealth of information for anyone seeking clarification about the Balancing Incentive Program. It also provides numerous resources States will find useful when pursuing the benefits offered by the Program, including: The Program Application; The Implementation Manual; A user-friendly Work Plan; A user-friendly CSA/CDS crosswalk; Frequently Asked Questions; Webinars; Additional resources on the web; and beyond.

The care transitions challenge aims to stimulate the use of simple, information technology-enabled processes and tools to make transitions easier and safer for patients, caregivers and providers, particularly when a patient is discharged from a hospital. The first health IT challenge, Ensuring Safe Transitions from Hospital to Home, called upon developers to create a web-based application that could empower patients and caregivers to better navigate and manage a transition from a hospital.

The Administration on Aging (AoA) has a new page on its website that highlights program and funding opportunities within the Affordable Care Act that relate to the mission and vision of AoA and the Aging Network. Topics covered include Medicare and Medicaid, prevention, and webinars and technical assistance resources.