Reports

The American Association on Health and Disability released their findings from the AAHD Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Among Adults with Disabilities, an online study of the perspectives of adults with disabilities on the COVID-19 vaccine. Their Vaccine Hesitancy Among Adults with Disabilities Research report explores general vaccine hesitancy, distrust and barriers to vaccine access among adults with disabilities.

ADvancing States is incredibly pleased to publish this new primer on the Older Americans Act (OAA) – the seminal piece of legislation that established the “aging services network”. The report discusses the historical development, functions, and governance of the Act, its service programs, populations served, and funding. We hope that you find the report useful and share with your partners across the aging and disability networks.

This publication highlights some of the innovative work AAAs and Title VI Aging Programs are doing to tackle the critical issues of brain health and housing and homelessness among older adults in their communities. Based on findings from previous n4a topical polls, this publications shows a few examples of the various ways AAAs and Title VI programs are adapting their programs and services to meet the changing needs of older adults.

ATI Advisory, supported by the Robert Wood Foundation, has conducted research to create a package of recommended legislative and administrative reforms around LTSS and the caregiving workforce. The goal of the reforms is to increase access to HCBS, reduce the institutional bias in Medicaid, and create a strong caregiving workforce.

The Institute for Medicaid Innovation has released a new report on how amendments and waivers are used to support innovative Medicaid program payment and delivery system models. The report is the second release in IMI’s “Introduction to Medicaid” series. The resource outlines 5 ccommon Medicaid waivers including a comparison table of all waivers implemented throughout the country. The report also explores the current use of 1135 waivers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Social Security Advisory Board has released its annual report summarizing their work during fiscal year 2020 and detailing information regarding its accomplishments, including Board publications and commissioned work.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a data report on the employment rates of persons with disability. In 2020, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, down from 19.3 percent in 2019. For persons without a disability, 61.8 percent were employed in 2020, down from 66.3 percent in the prior year. The unemployment rates for persons with and without a disability both increased from 2019 to 2020, to 12.6 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. Read the report for more findings.

OATS, in partnership with the Humana Foundation, released a report in January 2021 that for the first time quantifies the size and degree of the digital isolation crisis among seniors in the United States. OATS reviewed existing literature and reports on digital inclusion and online participation by older adults, along with program and internal research data that OATS has collected over time. Download the report to learn their findings.

This report explores a range of options for connecting American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian (AI/AN/NH) communities to culturally appropriate health and wellness information. NCOA explores the recommended action steps to move toward more inclusive health education, what we can learn from existing evidence-based programs, and how this intersects with health disparities and limited access to care among indigenous communities.

Prior work has shown that home health providers strategically provided therapy visits and recertified episodes in order to maximize payment under traditional Medicare (TM). However, Medicare Advantage (MA) has more flexibility in terms of how they pay for home health care. This mixed-methods study examines changes in patterns of post-acute and community-admitted home health care use between 2011 and 2016, focusing on differences between MA and TM and across MA contract types.