Links / Websites

This chart book compiles the median wages for personal care aides (PCAs) in each state between 2000 and 2010. It reports that PCA wages declined in 17 states between 2009 and 2010; overall, PCA wages for the entire U.S. crept downward slightly. The chart book also finds that real median wages for PCAs declined in 26 states between 2000 and 2010. Data for the chart book was gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What is the cost of family caregiving to employers? A new report, “MetLife Caregiving Cost Study: Productivity Losses to U.S. Business” estimates the costs associated with replacing employees, absenteeism, crisis in care, workday interruptions, supervisory time, unpaid leave and reducing hours from full-time to part-time to total $33.6 billion. A new online tool allows employers to estimate the financial impact of family caregiving responsibilities within their own businesses.

A new resource for organizations within the Aging Network that are interested in developing a care transitions program, providing information, tools and case studies. Chapters for the toolkit include: Getting Started, Taking Time to Plan, Developing Effective Partnerships with Health Care Providers, Measuring for Success, Building Organizational Capacity, Implementation and Day-to-Day Operations. The toolkit can be downloaded by sections or in its entirety.

Explore this site to find upcoming and archived training events, news from the Lifespan Respite and Aging networks, and the Center’s newsletter. The Technical Assistance Centers are a partnership between Family Caregiver Alliance and the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center. Find tools needed for the efficient development and delivery of caregiver support services, best practices, policy & advocacy efforts, and to connect with fellow professionals from the aging networks.

This bulletin reviews policy when Medicaid funding is available for certain administrative costs related to activities conducted by state Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) programs that benefit the state's Medicaid program. It also summarizes the basic requirements for Medicaid administrative claiming of LTCO program activities and provides a link where states and LTCO programs can find more information regarding specific program activities that may be eligible for Medicaid administrative funding.

This report describes research conducted on the continuity of enrollment of Medicaid beneficiaries. Continuous enrollment in a health insurance plan promotes chronic disease management and is more cost-effective. The research found that Medicaid beneficiaries are on average enrolled in the program for just 9.7 months out of the year. This disruption in enrollment leads to higher monthly medical costs and interferes with efforts to measure quality of care delivered through Medicaid.

The Affordable Care Act authorized the Medicaid Health Home State Plan Option, which allows states to design health homes to provide comprehensive care coordination for Medicaid beneficiaries with chronic conditions. States will receive enhanced federal funding to support the rollout of this new integrated model of care. This link directs to the Health Home Resource Center that provides technical assistance services for states as they submit their proposals for these health homes to CMS.

An updated fiscal outlook of state and local governments projects an ever increasing gap between receipts and expenditures through 2060, absent any policy changes. The report found that this decline in the state and local government sectors' operating balance is primarily due to rising health related costs of state and local expenditures on Medicaid and the cost of health care compensation for state and local government employees and retirees.

Review a comparative nationwide longitudinal study of public financial commitments and programmatic trends in services and supports for people with IDD which is funded by the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The project maintains a 35-year longitudinal record of revenue, spending, and programmatic trends in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the US. Listen to the webinar for highlights on how to use the interactive website to develop tailored charts.

The ACL website brings together three agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services: Administration on Aging, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Office on Disability. The new website offers resources about programs, services and issues facing persons with disabilities, older adults, and family caregivers. Site features include current issues, assessable icons to learn about ACL programs and information spread to the disability and aging communities.