Policy alerts, briefs, letters & papers

This week, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) published an article titled, “Community Partnerships: An Effective Inclusion Strategy,” which includes resources, guidance, and successful case studies for inclusion-minded businesses looking to hire, support, and retain employees with disabilities. This resource provides information on diverse avenues for businesses to connect with and support employees with disabilities, including State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, community-based organizations, state and local workforce development systems, and educational institutions and organizations...

On February 6, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) released a final rule to update regulations for implementing its Older Americans Act (OAA) programs. The first substantial update to most OAA program regulations since 1988, the rule aligns regulations to the current statute, addresses issues that have emerged since the last update and clarifies a number of requirements. It aims to better support the national aging network that delivers OAA services and improve program implementation, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that the nation's growing population of older adults can continue to receive the services and supports they need to live — and thrive — in their own homes and communities...

A new brief, “Fostering Financial Empowerment for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities,” published by the Office of Disability Employment Policy’s (ODEP) Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth), provides policy considerations that help youth, young adults, and their families foster financial literacy. These strategies aim to alleviate financial pressures for young individuals as they navigate the transition to employment and adulthood. This brief provides policymakers with key considerations for initiating systemic change to improve financial literacy for youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YADs)...

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released an article providing an overview of the laws that federal agencies must comply with to provide people with disabilities access to accommodations to ensure they are able to participate fully in the workplace. The article focuses on accommodations that improve access to job facilities, physical spaces, and information technology. These include accommodations like automated doors, handrails and stair treads, accessible parking spaces, and adaptive computer hardware and software, providing ASL interpreters, and providing written materials in large print or Braille...

The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education (ED) recently released an updated joint policy statement on supporting the inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood programs. The policy statement reiterates expectations for inclusive early childhood settings and updates recommendations for state and local agencies that implement Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Head Start, child care, home visit, preschool, and public school programs to increase inclusive early learning opportunities for all children. It also includes evidence-based models and examples of inclusion, as well as resources to support high-quality individualized programming and inclusion of children...

On January 5, KFF released a brief examining the characteristics of nursing facilities and the people living in them between 2015 and 2023. This brief utilizes data from Nursing Home Compare, a publicly available dataset that provides a snapshot of information on quality of care in each nursing facility, and CASPER (Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports), a dataset that includes detailed metrics collected by surveyors during nursing facility inspections. This analysis is relevant to aging and disability networks as it coincides with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed rule that would create new requirements for staffing levels in nursing facilities.

Using data from the National Process Evaluation of the Adult Protective Services System report, the Adult Protective Services (APS) Technical Assistance Resource Center (TARC) has released three briefs on APS practice. Supplemented with NAMRS data, the briefs provide background and context for each of the topics and explore them in more depth than in the overall evaluation report.

KFF’s recent issue brief, “Who Uses Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports?,” examines the characteristics of Medicaid enrollees who receive long-term services and supports (LTSS). LTSS can include assistance with activities of daily living (such as eating, bathing, and dressing) and instrumental activities of daily living (such as preparing meals, managing medication, and housekeeping). The issue brief also examines how individuals who use LTSS compare to those who do not use LTSS and how enrollees who use different types of LTSS differ from each other.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently posted a blog highlighting the upcoming changes to Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) programs following the signing of the ABLE Age Adjustment Act in December 2022. These programs serve as financial empowerment tools for Americans living with disabilities, allowing individuals to save money and build financial independence without affecting eligibility for important benefits, like those administered by Social Security. The amendment, effective in 2026, expands ABLE program access to an additional six million Americans, including one million veterans...

On December 14, the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) issued an Informational Bulletin to advise state Medicaid agencies that starting January 1, 2024, Medicare will begin covering and making payments for marriage and family therapists (MFT) and mental health counselors (MHC), and intensive outpatient program (IOP) services provided to dually eligible beneficiaries, or individuals enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid. These provisions were implemented as part of the Calendar Year (CY) 2024 Physician Fee Schedule final rule (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-1784-F, “Revisions to Payment Policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, Quality Payment Program and Other Revisions to Part B for CY 2024”)...