Reports

This report summarizes information from the WI Department of Health and Family Services, Bureau of Aging and Long Term Care Resources (DHFS-BALTCR) Nursing Home Transition Real Choice Systems Change grant. A survey colleting information is an important initial step to assist county and state-level program and policy planners. This report provides an overview of the ways in which counties purchase direct care and support services for elderly people and people with disabilities.

An analysis of the status of older Americans gleaned from a variety of federal sources covers 37 key indicators divided into five subject areas: population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. The report includes data on population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors, and health care. The data are arrayed in charts and tables with accompanying narrative.

To assist states in preparing for the challenges and opportunities they will face as baby-boomers age, the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practice's (NGA Center) published this report designed to identify current trends and future directions, and to assist state policymakers in creating programs and policies that respond to need. This data book provides information on demographic shifts, health care concerns, & long term care workforce shortages.

When Medicaid was first enacted, payment for long-term services was made solely to institutions such as nursing homes. Medicaid now pays for a comprehensive range of home & community services that provide alternatives to institutional care. Medicaid is a flexible program but it is also a complex program. It is no surprise that there are a host of questions about what is allowable under Medicaid law and regulation. This Primer on Medicaid Home and Community Services serves as a reference guide.

The Sacramento Healthcare Decisions (SHD) engaged Medi-Cal beneficiaries in a project to identify their individual and collective health care priorities. SHD had beneficiaries use \"Choosing Healthplans All Together\" (CHAT), a computerized tool and interactive group. CHAT participants designed their Medi-Cal benefits by making choices from 14 categories of services, each with two or three tiers of benefits. Findings and policy recommendations can be found in this report.

Recent health policy shifts and practice changes have explored consumer-directed health care. The National Council on Disability decided to research & evaluate the evidence base in order to offer a clear picture of the initiatives strengths and weaknesses. This study includes a systematic review of the literature (both print & Web-based) on consumer-directed and -oriented care. The study also addresses questions and researches the variety of models, preferences, outcomes and cost-effectiveness.

The Real Choice Systems Change grant was awarded in 2002 to the Connecticut Department of Social Services. The project has two primary goals: 1) To build the capacity within the state of Connecticut to support informed decision making, independent living, and a meaningful quality of life for persons with disabilities across the life span. 2) To assist three communities in Connecticut to become models of support for opportunities and choices for persons with disabilities across the lifespan.

As represented in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1999 Olmstead decision, our nation’s values and laws have moved to a point where states should be developing community supports and services with people, not for them. Yet many professionals were trained and agency protocols were set in motion in an earlier time period, when the current view was far from predominant. This research looks at how a sample of agencies within the State of Connecticut promotes self-determination.

In October 2003, the Connecticut Department of Social Services, in collaboration with the Real Choice Steering Committee, which includes Consumers, State agencies and the University of Connecticut A.J. Pappanikou Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service, received a three-year grant from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement CHOICE (Connecticut Has Opportunities for Independence, Choice and Empowerment).

Paying personal assistance services (PAS) providers competitive wages and offering them benefits is one of the keys to stopping abuse of people with disabilities by their PAS workers, according to a report from the Center on Self-Determination Oregon Institute on Disability and Development. The report details a leading list of strategies for assisting individuals with disabilities to prevent and stop violence.