Announcement/Press release

ACL is proposing to amend its regulations for the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). These important amendments to NIDILRR's peer review criteria will allow NIDILRR to better evaluate how grant applicants conduct outreach and hire people with disabilities and others that have been underserved and underrepresented. The amendments also emphasize the need for engineering research and development activities within NIDILRR's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) program.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month is observed every March to hightlight diversity, raise awareness about inclusion, and strengthen communities. The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD) has announced the theme for March 2022 as "Worlds Imagined," to emphasize intersectionality and encourage exploration and collaboration among the community.

President Biden has announced a set of reforms, developed and implemented through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to improve the safety and quality of nursing home care. The reforms are intended to ensure the following: Every nursing home provides a sufficient number of staff who are adequately trained to provide high-quality care; Poorly performing nursing homes are held accountable for improper and unsafe care and immediately improve their services or are cut off from taxpayer dollars; and The public has better information about nursing home conditions so that they can find the best available options.

The White House has released a fact sheet outlining how the Administration has collaborated with the disability community and taken action to address the needs of individuals with disabilities while considering the impacts of the pandemic. The Administration has communicated eight key steps they will take to further ensure that individuals with disabilities, regardless of where they live or the level of community transmission of the virus, have equitable access to COVID-19 testing, masks, and other critical mitigation strategies.

On Thursday, February 24, 2022, CMS released a CMCS Informational Bulletin with the updated 2022 Federal Poverty Level Standards. The 2022 guidelines reflect the 4.7 percent price increase between calendar years 2020 and 2021. After this inflation adjustment, the guidelines are rounded and adjusted to standardize the differences between family and household sizes. The informational bulletin also includes a 2022 Dual Eligible Standards chart that displays the new standards for the Medicare Savings Program categories.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services proposes to reinvest ARPA Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) enhanced funding to implement a statewide grant program with HCBS providers, advocates and stakeholders. These grants will address the workforce crisis, support businesses and programs transition to a model that supports individual with intellectual, developmental, and other significant disabilities find and retain work in competitive integrated employment and other innovative solutions.

On Thursday, February 17, 2022 CMS released a request for information (RFI) regarding access to Medicaid and CHIP Services. The RFI is broad and extends beyond prior CMS access inquiries, which largely focused on eligible beneficiaries ability to receive covered Medicaid services. This RFI includes topics such as how beneficiaries enroll in and maintain access to coverage, access to the actual services, and payment rates.

The National Senior Health & Fitness Day has two dates for 2022: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 and Wednesday, October 26, 2022. On these days, over 1,000 local groups will host health and wellness events for 100,000+ older adults across the country. Local organizations interested in hosting an event must register to legally use the National Senior Health & Fitness Day name and logo. Even registration opens next week and has a fee of $34.95 per location. National Senior Health & Fitness day is also hosting a theme contest to select a slogan for the upcoming events. Adults ages 50+ are welcome to submit theme ideas that are focused on the importance of physical activity for older adults.

FEMA is seeking qualified individuals with expertise on the needs of people with disabilities and older adults for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery to serve on the agency’s National Advisory Council. Selected council members will guide future recommendations on topics including equity, climate, readiness and workforce. Applications are due on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Today, February 4, 2022, The Department of Health & Human Services has issued new guidance to health care providers on civil rights protections for people with disabilities during COVID-19. The guidance, issued by HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, makes it clear that during the public health emergency it is vital that individuals with disabilities are not prevented from receiving needed health care benefits and services, as this violates federal civil rights laws.