Data

As state and federal agencies strive to meet the growing needs of people with disabilities while using fewer resources, better disability data are needed for monitoring and improving the health, economic status, and overall well-being of this population. The report identifies limitations in national survey data on disability and outlines a wide range of potential short- and long-term options for addressing them, including developing and fielding a national disability survey.

Using six states as examples, this report illustrates how the DD Network partners, working with each other and in collaboration with state developmental disability agencies and others, have positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities - assuring their rightful place as full community members through advocacy, research, training, and programs that directly support individuals and families.

Two reports look at costs, services, characteristics, and impacts of the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program, which aims to inform beneficiaries with disabilities about work incentive programs, help them increase employment, and reduce their dependence on benefits. The program is serving a select group of beneficiaries who are actively working, seeking employment, using the SSA work incentive provisions, and leaving the disability rolls at relatively high rates.

Research from Mathematica's disability experts offers findings on programs to help move people with disabilities off the beneficiary rolls & into employment. As part of the 7-year evaluation of the Ticket to Work program, a recent report looks at the experiences of employment service providers after the Social Security Administration revised regulations to address challenges in the original program. The SSA successfully educated providers about revised regulations & instituted related supports.

Examine new state-by-state estimates of public and private health spending from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), published in the online journal, Medicare and Medicaid Research Review. Also available, a webcast with an expert panel offering perspectives on the trends within and across states, as well as the outlook for policy efforts to control costs, including provisions of the Affordable Care Act and various state initiatives.

This Guide highlights key disability concerns to officials and experts responsible for emergency planning in their communities. It seeks to assist them in developing plans that will take into account the needs and insights of people with disabilities before, during, and after emergencies. It also is designed to help emergency managers, planners, and responders make the best use of resources in the emergency preparedness planning process.

This Toolkit provides information for communities interested in working together to develop a one-call or one-click service for transportation to fit their own circumstances. On November 9th, the Federal Transit Administration announced $34.6 million would be awarded to 55 communities for resource centers. Review the website for practical guides and tools on implementation. Additionally there are community profiles and webinars to provide best practice examples.

This survey contains daily private-pay rates for private & semi-private rooms in licensed nursing homes, monthly base rates for assisted living communities, hourly rates for home health aides from licensed agencies & agency-provided homemaker companion services, & daily rates for adult day services across the US. Costs for this survey were calculated for each service provider in an area & were aggregated across all providers to compute a statewide average cost.

Medicaid officials in every state are enacting a variety of cost cutting measures as states’ spending is projected to increase 28.7% in FY2012 to make up for the loss of federal stimulus money. The survey finds cost containment actions ranging from restrictions on payments to providers & benefits, to new copayments for beneficiaries & additional efforts to contain the costs of prescription drugs. States are also trying to make their programs more efficient through a number of procedures.

Two new surveys recently released by the National Family Caregivers Association reveals what family caregivers fear most: first, their loved one's general health and physical decline, and second, the fear that Alzheimer's will take away their loved one's ability to communicate. A second survey tinds Family Caregivers are most concerned about respite care, personal health and finances.