Reports

This report looks at the overall effect South Carolina’s Medicaid for the Working Disabled program has on the net state revenue. It also examines predicted impacts of changing program characteristics and eligibility requirements. The state data are compared to other states with Buy-In programs.

What barriers remain to employment for people with disabilities? The first report presents the results of a survey asking S.C. business leaders this and other questions regarding benefits, challenges, and supports needed to better employ people with disabilities. The second report asks a broader sample of the business community about their perceptions of workers with disabilities, how they affect the workplace, and what accommodations and incentives they consider to be reasonable and effective.

Since 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor has funded 20 Customized Employment and 6 Workforce Action demonstration projects to identify policy mechanisms that effectively support customized employment. This report gives the background, key findings, successful strategies, obstacles, and analysis of the different projects. The main work product is a set of local, state, and federal policy recommendations generated by the initiative.

In January 2008, a small group of experts met to discuss challenges and recent changes to the early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment (EPSDT) Medicaid benefit. Their discussion focused on helping states maximize children’s access to EPSDT care. They also covered ways to engage with primary care providers and to improve care coordination and quality measurement.

Up to 70% of community rehabilitation providers report that individuals with disabilities prefer to stay in facility-based, rather than community-based, employment programs. This edition of the “Customized Employment Corner” series confronts some challenges of helping individuals make informed choices about employment options. The questions and answers address issues of finding jobs that fit individuals’ qualifications and choices, communication, and funding.

The author interviewed individuals with serious mental illnesses to illustrate their experiences, motivations, and ambitions in the workplace. The stories and analysis challenge misconceptions about this population’s abilities and willingness to work. Rich work histories show that the career patterns of this group do not vary dramatically from those of people with less severe mental illnesses.

Health care experts from diverse fields give their opinions in this survey. The 196 leaders identified the most pressing long-term care (LTC) issues as development of the workforce, improving quality, and securing financing. 76% believe policymakers must urgently deal with the challenge of forming a sufficient supply of home and community-based services. Other themes dealt with include insurance, financial responsibility, a Medicare LTC benefit, and regulatory action.

NASHP produced this report and webinar to help states provide Medicaid and SCHIP coverage to youth involved with or exiting foster care and juvenile justice systems. The report focuses on simplifying enrollment, enhancing retention through transitions, and integrating services with partners. The webinar slides present the report findings in brief and highlight programs in New Mexico and Washington that focus on the juvenile justice system and youths released from incarceration.

In 2000, Rhode Island launched an initiative called “Rhodes to Independence” (RTI) to promote systems changes that reduce barriers to employment. RTI focuses on health care, transportation, housing, youth transitions, and diversity. Below, find RTI’s 2005 annual report, a recruitment brochure for the RI Business Leadership Network, and brochures in English and Spanish advertising Sherlock, a health insurance program for employed people with disabilities.

Thanks to the steadily increasing demand for home care, the second fastest-growing occupation in the country is that of personal and home care aides (PHCAs). Yet PHCA wages - which were low to begin with - are failing to keep up with inflation nationwide. A new publication looks at the decline in inflation-adjusted wages. Based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, it charts the wages received by personal and home care aides in all 50 states and the nation over a seven-year period.