Assessments

Alabama’s Department of Senior Services (ADSS) launched a project to promote civil service by integrating AmeriCorps Members into its State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program. This innovative means to increase benefits assistance and enrollment has proven successful, especially for programs such as Medicare Savings Programs (MSP). This report describes AmeriCorps programs generally as well as the positive results of ADSS’s AmeriCorps project.

This chart shows the projected fiscal impact for FY2013 on Older Americans Act programs (such as HCBS Supportive Services, Home-Delivered Nutrition, Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, and Preventive Health Services) after the passage of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. The chart displays calculated estimates of fiscal impact from both the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP). Both the CBO and the CBPP estimates show cuts to all programs.

The debate surrounding the deficit reduction and the debt ceiling for FY 2012 has many implications for aging and disability policies, especially Older Americans Act (OAA) services. This brief outlines the current negotiations and proposals put forth to reach a long-term, bipartisan budget reduction agreement, including the McConnell Plan; the McConnell-Reid Plan; the Gang of Six; the Coburn Plan; and the Senate Budget Resolution. The Congressional Appropriations process is also discussed.

Bowles and Simpson, the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform drafted their recommendations to achieve fiscal sustainability. This analysis provides an overview of the commission’s formation, its structure and recommendations, and its potential impact on the aging and disability networks. The report’s legislative recommendations have implications for Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS), and more.

This analysis of the President’s $3.73 trillion proposed budget for FY12 includes an outline of each funding recommendation for discretionary, appropriated programs. Included in the analysis is a comparison of HR1, the GOP-backed budget resolution that reduces spending via broad cuts, with the President’s proposed budget; a good indicator of what sorts of budgetary windows may be necessary for bipartisan support and how the budget may affect the fiscal health of aging and disabilities programs.

Governors’ State of the State addresses reveal policy and programmatic trends. This document tracks those comments made in such addresses that indicate wider policy initiatives that impact older adults and people with disabilities. A state-by-state analysis of 43 State addresses and budgets helps to illuminate overall trends in aging and disability policies, such as Medicaid changes and the restructuring of state departments and programs affecting long-term services and supports (LTSS).

This report is the product of a dialogue concerning the role of the Ombudsman program as representation for residents of long-term care facilities in a system that is moving towards home and community-based long-term care. The report follows three key areas in which Ombudsmen can play a role—HCBS, diversion from nursing homes, and transition from institutional care—and considered the program’s resources, federal limitations, and conflicts of interest.

In 2009, television stations ceased to broadcast in analog and became digital. Adults over the age of 65 are more likely to have analog television sets and therefore are likely to require assistance into digital transition. This brief helps highlight some important facts about analog to digital transition, including options available to analog consumers and rebate and discount programs. This brief also identifies the different ways in which state governments have prepared to address this issue.

This report summarizes the May 2009 Senate Finance Committee’s proposed option for reforming health care financing. The three areas of proposed funding reforms are reductions in current health care spending; reevaluation of health tax subsidies; and changes in non-health tax provisions, such as imposing alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverage excise taxes. The proposed option reveals what areas the Finance Committee prioritizes during health care finance reform and where cuts are recommended.

This training manual guides Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) grantees in the implementation of local CDBG programs. This manual covers essential topics ranging from CDBG's national objectives to the details of administration. The manual includes 20 topical chapters that clearly delineate the application process, eligible grant activities, various CDBG programs and their standards, as well as performance measurement and reporting.