Reports

Youth Employment Solutions – Project YES! – is a systems change project funded by the Nebraska Health and Human Services System through Nebraska’s Medicaid Infrastructure Grant. The purpose of Project YES! is to increase the competitive employment of Nebraska’s SSI, SSDI, and CDB eligible youth in transition. A summary of the purpose of Project YES! is included, and the Community Team Summary from 2006 is attached.

This report focuses on adults with severe mental illness served by the public mental health system. It aims to identify and describe the range of self-directed care programs for this group being pursued by states and bring together existing evidence relating to the impact of these programs on individuals and on state resources. In doing so, it attempts to contribute to the ongoing debate about effective strategies for improving the quality and outcomes of the public mental health system.

This document provides background information on the AoA’s involvement in HCBS delivery and briefly describes three of the twelve Nursing Home Diversion demonstration projects it is funding. In 2007, the AoA invited states to submit proposals to modernize both the service and system elements of their diversion efforts. This program was created in response to an Older Americans Act mandate that AoA help expand access to HCBS long-term care options.

This report explores options for a new public-private partnership for long-term care financing. All the proposals presented try to move the partnership away from reliance on out-of-pocket financing by peo¬ple needing long-term care and their families, toward insurance, through which costs are spread across a broad population at risk of needing service, users and nonusers alike. They all rely on government rules or resources to promote that move and assume a mix of public and private financing.

The publication is an evaluation of the disability experience in America by the Life Without Limits Project, formerly known as the Big Sky Project. The primer, an examination and consolidation of current and existing research on the overall state of affairs for individuals with disabilities, includes chapters on disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, housing, and organizing for change. It also includes personal stories and quotes from disability rights advocates and trail blazers.

Since Medicaid is funded by states as well as the federal government, it has a considerable impact on state budgets. When considering Medicaid’s impact on state budgets and other state spending priorities, it is important to distinguish between total spending on Medicaid and spending with state funds. Often this distinction is not made. This brief examines the different measures and provides data on how much each state spends on Medicaid.

This report was authored by PHI for the Health Field Collaborative (HFC) in Michigan to bring attention to its approach to improving retention of entry-level workers in health care and direct-care workers in the long-term care industry. The study explains how HFC created the Opportunity Partnership & Empowerment Network (OPEN) to address a critical local need. It outlines components of the program, reviews outcomes for the pilot phase, and identifies factors for sustaining it in the future.

This report describes the activities of 12 Grantees that received Independence Plus (IP) grants in FY 2003 and are using them to increase self-directed services options for persons of all ages with disabilities or chronic illnesses. Grantees encountered a range of issues while implementing. This report provides information for states and stakeholders planning, implementing, or expanding self-direction programs, whether through solely state-funded programs or the Medicaid program.

Supported by a CES - Medicaid Infrastructure Grant, Minnesota developed a strategic plan to increase competitive employment of people with disabilities, called Pathways to Employment. The strategic plan describes how Pathways to Employment, through its partners and stakeholders, will work together to build a more comprehensive, coordinated system of employment services and supports for Minnesotans with disabilities. Additionally, the brochure and work plans for 2006 and 2007 are included.

Developed by the Comprehensive Employment Opportunities – Medicaid Infrastructure grant, a strategic plan project was initiated to increase the competitive employment of people with disabilities in Minnesota. The report, based on data obtained through individual interviews and focus groups in 2005, is included. Additionally, the Continuation of Funding Application for 2006 is available.