Implementation

On February 28, Senators Gillibrand and Casey introduced the Strategic Plan for Aging Act, which would create a new, nationwide grant program to support states in the development and implementation of multisector plans on aging. The act would award grants to states, territories, and tribes to create or continue development of their multisector plans. Awardees would be provided with resources to coordinate, implement, and evaluate cross-agency and private sector plans to improve the lives of older adults. ADvancing States and several other organizations have endorsed the Strategic Plan for Aging Act.

ACL is announcing two new grants to University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDDs) including Community-Based Transitions Planning and Implementation Grants and a National Training Initiative to Support People with IDD Experiencing Co-Occurring Mental/Behavioral Health Issues.

Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Management Associates released a report about implementing coverage and payment initiatives in Medicaid. The data for this report was collected from the 16th annual budget survey completed by the Medicaid directors and Medicaid staff in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Included in the report is information on the policy changes to the Medicaid programs in each state that were implemented in FY 2016 or planned for implementation in FY 2017.

On April 21, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule on managed care in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This document contains a table that serves as a reference guide to the implementation dates for provisions in the final rule.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Community First Choice (CFC) Final Report to Congress. This CFC benefit allows states the option of adding home and community-based attendant services and supports to their State plans. The CFC report is required by the Affordable Care Act. The findings from four states that have implemented the Community First Choice benefit -- California, Montana, Maryland, and Oregon-- are described in the report

Justice in Aging published an issue brief that offers an analysis of the findings from the evaluation of the Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI), commonly known as the dual eligible demonstration. Research Triangle Institute was contracted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to conduct this evaluation, which focused on the first six months of operation of the demonstration in each of the seven states where it was rolled out.

The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a new report on implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and disabilities. This is the second of three reports on the subject. This report includes a review of the literature that studies the impact of ACA implementation on people with disabilities, qualitative interviews with key informants from ten states, an analysis of the ACA implementation choices seen in many states, and recommendations for future research on this topic.

This Primer is a design guide for state policy makers who are considering acuity-based resource allocation. Included in the report is: background information on different HCBS case mix approaches, the steps in the development of a case-mix resource allocation system, essential decision points to consider during the state policy development process, and best practice recommendations. This Primer is recommended as a tool for policy makers, state staff, and stakeholders.