Policy alerts, briefs, letters & papers

This report presents budgeting and contractual strategies used in Arizona, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. In different ways, these states have made substantial progress in transforming their LTSS systems by developing flexible accounting policies that have reduced NF utilization and captured the savings to support their HCBS programs.

Residential care facilities, such as assisted living facilities and personal care homes provide housing & supportive services to persons who cannot live independently but do not require the level of care provided by nursing homes. RCFs are not federally regulated; state approaches to regulation vary. Using data from the first nationally representative survey of RCFs with four or more beds, this report presents national estimates of RCFs comparing characteristics and services by facility size.

How can our mainstream aging organization provide inclusive and welcoming services to older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults? Aging service providers should be aware that the effects of a lifetime of stigma, discrimination, rejection and ridicule puts LGBT older adults at greater risk for physical & mental illnesses, and other issues including: social isolation; depression & anxiety; poverty; chronic illnesses &; premature mortality.

MITA provides a common framework for all Medicaid stakeholders to focus on opportunities to build common and shared services by decoupling legacy systems and processes, and liberating data previously stored and contained in inaccessible silos. The newest version takes into account new legislative requirements outlined in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, and the Affordable Care Act.

States serve a large number of people with dementia & caregivers in their Aging Networks & LTSS systems. This involves accommodating the needs of a population experiencing a variety of physical, cognitive, & behavioral symptoms from dementia, along with other medical conditions. This brief discusses why states should be concerned about dementia capability in their LTSS systems, describes the components of model dementia-capable systems, & reports how states have addressed dementia capability.

This report reviews the available literature & conducted interviews with people with Alzheimer’s & other dementias who live alone, caregivers, health care & social service professionals to obtain their views about the need and effective ways to meet those needs. Programs are also described that have been tested by community agencies as well as discussions related to public policy and practice implications.

State Medicaid agencies fund supports & services for individuals with disabilities. As national public policy recognizes & emphasizes the ability of individuals with disabilities to work, states are integrating employment supports into the continuum of long-term care in Medicaid. This brief discusses federal legislative & regulatory framework for funding employment supports in Medicaid, highlights examples of state innovations & best practices to promote positive employment outcomes.

The Exchange website offers busy health professionals and researchers a variety of opportunities to share, learn about, and ultimately adopt evidence-based innovations and tools suitable for a range of health care settings and populations. The site has the following components: Searchable innovations; Searchable QualityTools; Learning opportunities and Networking opportunities.

A growing number of beneficiaries with disabilities are being enrolled in risk-based managed care arrangements. Further growth in managed care is expected in 2014, when the Affordable Care Act expands Medicaid eligibility to many uninsured low-income adults, including those with disabilities. This issue brief looks at issues related to the development and implementation of managed care programs with the capacity to serve Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities.

In 2008, Congress revised the regulations for Ticket to Work, a federal program created to improve incentives and supports for people who receive disability benefits to seek employment. This issue brief discusses how Ticket to Work participation by service providers and beneficiaries has changed under the revised regulations. It also describes providers' early experiences with these regulations.