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Tennessee
“On behalf of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) of Tennessee, I am privileged to present the 2019 SRC Annual Report to provide an update on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and to highlight the work of the SRC during the past year. We address the key accomplishments of the VR...
Currently displaying 100 records.
The Top 10 Reasons for Visiting the DRIVE Website
June 29, 2020 | story
WIOA Disability-Related Reporting: DRIVE is the only website where you can retrieve WIOA Reporting data related to people with disabilities in your state, county, or Employment & Training Administration (ETA) region. National Disability & ...
Understanding Medicaid Buy-in: A Tool to Advance Employment for People with Disabilities
July 23, 2019 | resource
This document was initially distributed through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) listserve. LEAD Center worked with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and ACL on this document. ACL, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Senate Finance Committee Announces Bipartisan Hearings on Health Care in September
August 31, 2017 | story
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) has announced that it will hold bipartisan hearings on how to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market during the first week of September. According to Senator Lamar ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
August 31, 2017 | story
Kentucky Receives Final Approval for Its HCBS Transition Plan On June 13, 2017, Kentucky received final approval for its home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plan from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Final approval was ...
Kentucky Submits Amendment to add a Work Requirement to its Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
August 31, 2017 | story
On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment to its Section 1115 waiver proposal, Kentucky HEALTH, which would make changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion. The proposal with its amendment would require all adults covered by the Medicaid expansion, as ...
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Truyven Health Analytics Release Report on Medicaid-Funded Long-term Services and Supports Expenditures for FY 2015
August 31, 2017 | story
Truyven Health Analytics, a division of IBM Watson Health Business, produces annual reports each year of Medicaid long-term services and supports expenditures and how they change over time. Truyven recently released its latest report, “Medicaid Expenditures ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Extends Deadline for Full Implementation of Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule to March 17, 2022
May 31, 2017 | story
On May 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that extends the compliance deadline for all settings subject to CMS’s home and community-based services (HCBS) Final Rule. The new deadline is ...
Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Releases Issue Brief on Proposed Work Requirements Advanced in State Medicaid Programs
May 31, 2017 | story
On March 23, 2017, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on publishing research and information on health care issues in America, published an issue brief that discusses proposed work requirements as part of different ...
Council on Quality and Leadership Releases Study on Supported Employment Services in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
May 31, 2017 | story
The Council on Quality and Leadership, an organization dedicated to measuring the quality of community life for people with disabilities, released the results of a study that examined how Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services waivers provided ...
CMS RFI Seeks Information on How to Accelerate Access to Home and Community-Based Services
November 29, 2016 | story
On November 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Medicaid Program Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality ...
CMS Releases National Data Report for 2012 on Demographics of Beneficiaries Receiving Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Services and Support
November 29, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its report “Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries in 2012,” which describes the 2012 population who were receiving Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services and Supports ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
September HCBS Transition Plan Update
October 03, 2016 | story
In September, the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania were granted initial approval of their HCBS Transition Plans by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The state of Florida released a revised version of its HCBS Transition Plan and posted it ...
Research on Disability Releases Monthly nTIDE Report and Webinar which Shows Rising Disability Employment
September 30, 2016 | story
On September 2, 2016, Research on Disability, a coalition of disability-focused research projects at the Institute on Disability and University of New Hampshire, released their latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and “Lunch and ...
CMS Releases Report on Medicaid LTSS Expenditures
August 30, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a report on changes to long-term services and supports (LTSS), “Improving the Balance: The Evolution of Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), FY ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Update on Select Plans
August 30, 2016 | story
During the months of July and August, the states of Missouri, Massachusetts, and Arkansas released revised versions of their home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plans and posted them for public comment. The state of Delaware was granted ...
HCBS Advocacy
August 07, 2016 | resource
In January 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final regulations on acceptable and unacceptable home and community based services (HCBS) settings. This website, supported by Association of Unversity Centers on ...
CMS Grants Initial Approval to HCBS Transition Plans for Kentucky and Ohio
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plans of Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky and Ohio are now the second and third states to receive initial ...
Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Release Memo Detailing Major Changes to Authorization of Facility-Based Day Services Under Its Section 1915(c) Intellectual Disability Waivers
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 20, 2016, Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, released a memo detailing major changes to the way in which the state will authorize facility-based day services, including employment ...
CMS Releases Its Final Rule Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS), including Employment LTSS, Under Managed Care Plans
May 31, 2016 | story
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a comprehensive Final Rule on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. The rule is the first major overhaul of the managed care rules in ...
CMS Releases Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements in HCBS Settings Requirements Compliance Toolkit
May 31, 2016 | story
CMS has recently released a new section of its Settings Requirements Compliance toolkit, titled Frequently Asked Questions on Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements. The resource addresses a number of questions that people have had, ...
Unclear Language in Iowa’s Health Care Budget Bill Prevents $750,000 from Being Spent on Supported Employment
May 31, 2016 | story
Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 9, 2016 that, due to an unclear statement of how money was to be spent in a 2015 health care budget bill, $750,000 initially allocated to increase supported employment has not been spent. The ...
CMS & ACL Partner with Tennessee To Host Webinar for Advocates and External Stakeholders on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan
May 31, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) partnered with the state of Tennessee on May 26th to host a webinar on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan titled, HCBS Implementation and the Statewide ...
CMS Finalizes Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Rules, Providing Access to Behavioral Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
April 29, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released final regulations on mental health and substance abuse disorder parity for people in Medicaid Managed Care Organization, (MCOs), Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans (ABPs), and Children’s ...
Department of Health and Human Services Releases Report on the Benefits of Expanding Medicaid to Cover More Behavioral Health Programs, Including Its Impact on Employee Productiveness
April 29, 2016 | story
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report on how expanding Medicaid could provide more Americans with access to both health insurance and behavioral health services. According to DHHS, people who need behavioral health services make ...
Congress Considering Bills that Would Expand the Amount Working People with Disabilities Can Save in ABLE Accounts
April 29, 2016 | story
Three bills were recently introduced in Congress that would expand the flexibility and the number of people who have access to the tax-advantaged savings accounts created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). The bills are the ABLE To Work Act ...
Kansas State Officials “Sending Mixed Messages” on Disability-Related Medicaid Waiver Integration
April 29, 2016 | story
As reported in the Salina Post (04/05/16), Kansas state officials are giving conflicting timelines for when a massive change (i.e., waiver integration) in the way Kansans with disabilities receive Medicaid-funded services will occur. The planned waiver ...
CMS Approves Tennessee’s HCBS Transition Plan, Including Supported Employment Provisions
April 29, 2016 | story
On April 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted final approval for Tennessee’s Statewide Transition Plan, designed to bring the state into compliance with CMS’ final rules on home and community-based services (HCBS). CMS has ...
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Releases Its Recommendations for Improving Financing for Long-Term Services and Supports, Including Supported Employment
March 30, 2016 | story
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization founded by Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to promote bipartisan collaboration, recently released a report, Initial Recommendations to Improve the Financing of ...
Wisconsin: Update on Wisconsin’s Overhaul of Its Medicaid Program, IRIS, and Supported Employment Program
March 30, 2016 | story
Following several months of public forums (See October 2015’s Employment, Health, and Disability Update for some of the LEAD Center’s earlier coverage on Wisconsin), Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services has decided to replace its eight regional ...
Iowa’s Medicaid Program Moves to Managed Care for Its Services
March 30, 2016 | story
After more than a year of debate, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the state of Iowa’s plan to transition all of its Medicaid-funded services, including supported employment, to managed care, effective April 1, 2016. The new ...
Disability Advocates Create Comprehensive Toolkit Calling for Strong Implementation of the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule
February 29, 2016 | story
The HCBS Advocacy Coalition has released a three-part toolkit that explains the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule and its potential to promote the full integration of people with ...
EconSys and ODEP Release State Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates and Employment First Brief on Federal Resources
February 29, 2016 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Economic Systems, Inc. (EconSys) have jointly released a 50-state review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers for supported employment and ...
Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
February 29, 2016 | story
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered ...
EconSys and ODEP Release Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates for Supported Employment and Integrated Day Services across All 50 States
January 29, 2016 | story
In January 2016, the O ce of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) contracted with Economic Systems, Inc. and jointly released a review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers for supported ...
NASUAD Publishes Tip Sheets for Increasing MIPPA Outreach
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 2, 2015, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability (NASUAD) published two tip sheets designed to increase the number of low-income seniors and people with disabilities that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and ...
Oregon Court Approves Settlement in Lane v. Brown
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 29, 2015, the Department of Human Services was informed that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the final settlement in the historic Lane v. Brown community integration lawsuit in Oregon. The Final Settlement Agreement requires a ...
ANCOR and Disability Advocates Call for CMS to Consider Supported Employment and HCBS Services in Its Managed Care Network Adequacy Rulemaking
January 29, 2016 | story
The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and a coalition of disability rights advocates are urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider both supported employment and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) ...
Open Enrollment For The Affordable Care Act Began November 1st
December 31, 2015 | story
Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace began November 1, 2015 and will end on January 31, 2016. Consumers must sign up by December 15th if they wish to begin January 2016 with Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. The ...
Capitol Hill Budget Deal Avoids Premium Hikes and Budget Cuts in Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance
December 31, 2015 | story
The White House has proposed an FY2016 budget deal that would prevent the double-digit premium increases feared by many Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Specifically, the deal will stave off a 52 percent premium increase ...
CMS Issues Guidance on Non-Residential Settings for Home and Community-Based Services
December 22, 2015 | story
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued updated guidance on the effect of new home and community-based services (HCBS) regulations on non-residential settings. The new rule, which took effect in March 2014, prohibits states from ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Additional Updates And Concerns
December 15, 2015 | story
As the states continue to release home and community-based services (HCBS) transition plans, it has become clear that each state interprets the HCBS regulations in a different manner. Some of these interpretations classify a certain type of setting as meeting ...
ODEP and Administration for Community Living Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Expand Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL), building on a partnership between the two organizations that began in 2012, recently signed a memorandum of ...
Minnesota: New Olmstead Plan Addresses Barriers to Living in the Community Faced by People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 29, 2015, United States District Judge Donovan Frank, pursuant to an existing settlement agreement, approved a plan detailing Minnesota’s strategy to achieve compliance with Olmstead. Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., ...
Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Releases Interim Report
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 15, 2015, the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) released its Interim Report to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and ...
CMS Responds to Statewide HCBS Transition Plans
October 29, 2015 | story
As of October 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has sent 42 states Clarifications and/or Modifications Required for Initial Approval (CMIA) letters in response to each state’s published Statewide Transition Plan. These plans describe a ...
Kansas: State Delays Changes to Medicare/Medicaid System Until January 2017
October 29, 2015 | story
Kansas’ Department of Health and Environment and Department of Aging and Disability Services, after receiving feedback from stakeholders in the community (e.g., health care providers, people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, ...
CMS’ New HCBS Regulations Opens the Door to Competitive Employment for People with Disabilities
October 09, 2015 | blog
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), it is important that we take account of the incredible progress that has been made in the fight to ensure all people, including people with disabilities, have access to gainful and ...
Opportunity for Public Input into IRS’ Proposed Regulations for Implementing ABLE Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On June 19, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) its recommended approach for implementing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create ...
CMS Announces Performance-Based Payment Options for Employment Services
September 25, 2015 | story
At the annual Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Conference, hosted by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new performance-based options for ...
Department of Health and Human Services Proposes Revisions to the Non-Discrimination Policy of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed regulations to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination by health programs based on race, color, national origin, ...
Minnesota: Plaintiffs in Minnesota Lawsuit Claim Department of Human Services Underspent $1 Billion in Medicaid Disability Waiver Funds
September 25, 2015 | story
Minnesota attorneys, representing a group of plaintiffs with disabilities, are arguing that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services mismanaged money set aside for Medicaid HCBS waivers, leading to the plaintiffs’ placement on waiting lists for waivers ...
Utah: The Need for Healthcare Reform
September 25, 2015 | story
Disability rights advocates in Utah are expressing concern about a failed plan to expand Medicaid coverage by the end of this past July. The expansion, authorized under the Affordable Care Act, would have provided Medicaid coverage to all adults earning less ...
CMS Responds to State Transition Plans
August 26, 2015 | story
Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) took effect in the beginning of 2014, each state has had to produce a transition plan outlining a schedule and strategy for bringing all services ...
State Medicaid Integration Tracker Update Published for July
August 26, 2015 | story
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has published the July 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. NASUAD’s State Medicaid Integration Tracker is a monthly report summarizing changes in each state on ...
National Quality Forum Publishes Interim Report on HCBS, Convenes Stakeholder Committee on Quality Measurement
August 26, 2015 | story
Over the past several months, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a stakeholder committee to develop recommendations to improve quality measurement for Medicaid Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS). NQF recently released its interim report ...
Massachusetts: University Of Massachusetts Medical School Partners with State to Increase Employment of People With Disabilities
August 26, 2015 | story
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine Disability, Health and Employment Policy unit hosts a program that assists people with disabilities seeking employment. In July, the UMass Medical School announced a new partnership ...
New Jersey: Governor’s Medicaid Proposal Would Shift Costs to New Jersey Taxpayers and Health Care Providers
August 26, 2015 | story
Governor Chris Christie has announced a proposal to curtail federal funding for Medicaid as part of a per capita cap that would remove $15 billion in federal funds over eight years. The proposal would be the largest Medicaid funding reduction in New ...
Alaska: Governor Announces Alaska to Become the 30th State to Expand Medicaid
August 26, 2015 | story
Following 29 other states and the District of Columbia, Alaskan Governor Bill Walker has announced that the state will be accepting additional federal funds to expand Medicaid, which will bring $146 million to the state in its first year and provide health ...
New Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Changes and Updated State Plan Amendments in Washington State, Tennessee And Indiana
July 31, 2015 | story
States have continued to submit transition plans to bring their Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs into compliance with new rules for community integration of HCBS settings. Washington State has submitted transition plans for ...
Massachusetts Home Health Workers Win Wage Hike to $15 Per Hour
July 31, 2015 | story
In the wake of national advocacy to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour across all labor sectors, home health workers who provide care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the clients they serve, have been at the forefront of low-paid ...
KANCARE Not Working for People with Disabilities, Advocates Say
July 31, 2015 | story
During a public listening session hosted by the National Council on Disability (NCD) earlier this month, disability rights advocates, including representatives from the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, spoke on concerns about the capacity of KanCare, the ...
Senator Grassley Introduces New Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Community-Based Options
June 30, 2015 | story
Late last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced a measure to provide financial incentives to states for increasing communitybased services for people with disabilities. The Transition to Independence Act ...
Changes Recommended for Medicaid Managed Care
June 30, 2015 | story
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released draft rules on network adequacy for privatized Medicaid, also known as managed care. The network adequacy guidance include quality ratings, profit guidelines, and safeguards to protect members with ...
IRS Releases Proposed ABLE Act Regulations
June 30, 2015 | story
On Friday June 19th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The NPRM stipulates the proposed rules and regulations by which the program ...
Kaiser Releases New Analysis Detailing Potential Impact of King V. Burwell
June 30, 2015 | story
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced a new analysis and interactive maps showing the potential impact of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging whether low- and moderate-income ...
Connecticut: Budget Would Cut Health, Social Services, But Less Than Original Plan
June 30, 2015 | story
The budget deal between Connecticut’s Democratic legislators and Governor Dan Malloy will cut millions from healthcare programs serving people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, but aims to decrease the overall amount of cuts originally ...
Ohio: Developmental Disabilities Service Delivery System Changing
June 30, 2015 | story
Ohio state law began to mandate county boards for developmental disabilities in 1967 in order to create options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive community-based services instead of being placed in state-run institutions. ...
Virginia is First State to Pass ABLE Act Implementation Legislation to Lessen Financial Strains for Those with Disabilities
May 29, 2015 | story
In April, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law the state’s Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which permits certain people with disabilities to maintain tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover a variety of expenses, including ...
Special Commission Finds Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit New Hampshire’s Economy
May 29, 2015 | story
New Hampshire has convened a special commission to study the potential consequences of expanding the state’s Medicaid budget. Preliminary evidence indicates that expansion would benefit around 58,000 low-income residents7 . New Hampshire’s Department of ...
New Proposed Rule on Mental Health Parity in Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule in April 2015 that applies mental health parity requirements to publicly-funded health plans. The rule would eliminate hard limits on coverage (such as caps on the number of ...
Mathematica Releases Annual Report on Money Follows the Person Program
April 30, 2015 | story
Mathematica Policy Research released its fifth annual evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report examined the experiences of 19,877 MFP participants in 30 states. The ...
Minnesota Must Submit Statewide Olmstead Plan Following 2011 Settlement
April 30, 2015 | story
In response to a 2011 settlement agreement over violations of the 1999 Olmstead decision requiring services to be offered in the most integrated setting possible, the State of Minnesota created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to produce a statewide plan for ...
New Hampshire Bill Proposes Ending Medicaid Expansion
April 30, 2015 | story
The new budget recommended by New Hampshire’s House Finance Committee includes a proposal to end the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP), which is the state’s Medicaid expansion program created through bipartisan legislation last year. NHHPP ...
New York Bill Proposes Expansion of Home Health Workforce
April 30, 2015 | story
The New York Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team has proposed a new bill to permit home health aides to perform certain tasks that they are currently prohibited from providing, such as administering medications. The proposal creates a new designation of ...
Montana Republican Unveils New Bill to Expand Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Montana legislature passed a bill that will expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL), as outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will also require enrollees to pay monthly premiums and ...
LEAD Center Hosts Webinar on CMS Guidance on Non-Residential Services and Its Implications for Employment
March 31, 2015 | story
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National LEAD Center, hosted a webinar entitled, “Redefining Home ...
FEATURED AGENCY Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
March 31, 2015 | story
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes several new and exciting mandates aimed at increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the American workforce. Among those mandates is the establishment of the “Advisory ...
New Study on Employer Compliance with Mental Health Parity Laws
March 30, 2015 | story
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, based on surveys of human resources and disability professionals of diverse employers from across the nation. Of the 314 employers who responded ...
New Mathematica Policy Article on Long-Term Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports for Supplemental Security Income Recipients
March 30, 2015 | story
Professional staff from the Mathematica Policy Research’s Center for Studying Disability Policy has published a new article in the Social Security Bulletin exploring long-term cumulative statistics on work and employment supports used by Supplemental ...
State Transition Plan Highlight: New Jersey Transition Plan Would Improve Day, Employment and Housing Services
March 30, 2015 | story
New Jersey’s state transition plan, to bring programs and services for people with disabilities into compliance with the CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), includes major changes to day, employment and housing services. Each state ...
NDI Unveils ABLE Resource Center and Update on ABLE Implementation
February 27, 2015 | story
National Disability Institute (NDI) announced a new Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Resource Center to consolidate information, resources and advocacy materials on state implementation of the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act enables individuals with ...
New Guide on Mental Health Parity in Workplaces
February 27, 2015 | story
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health released a new guide on employer compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Act aims to equalize insurance-related financial requirements and treatment options for employees with mental ...
North Carolina Services for People with Disabilities at Heart of Class-Action Settlement
February 27, 2015 | story
Five families settled a class-action suit against North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services and Piedmont Behavioral Health (now Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions) originally filed in 2011. The managed care organization had ...
California Agrees to Transform Employment Services for People with Disabilities - Many Paid Through Medicaid
February 27, 2015 | story
Three California agencies and the state protection and advocacy system have announced a new collaboration on a six-month blueprint to encourage competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The blueprint will ...
Open Enrollment Ends February 15
January 30, 2015 | story
Workers with disabilities seeking individual health insurance coverage will be able to enroll in plans via healthcare.org until February 15, 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace must be ...
Judge Strikes Down New Overtime Rules for Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has recently issued two decisions striking down aspects of a Department of Labor regulation governing overtime pay for home care workers for people with disabilities. The regulation made most home care workers for people ...
Proposed Virginia Medicaid Budget Caps Hours of Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposed Medicaid budget contains language forbidding some home health workers for working for more than one family as well as capping overtime hours for workers paid under certain waivers.7 The proposed changes may limit workers ...
Delaware 1915(I) Plan Starting January 2015 Will Focus on Employment Supports for Workers with Disabilities
January 30, 2015 | story
Delaware’s Pathways to Employment program, which will provide a variety of employment services to people with targeted disabilities, came into effect on January 1, 2015.8 Under the program, employment and transition services for people with intellectual ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Release New Regulations on Home and Community-Based Settings
March 30, 2014 | story
On Jan. 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations governing home and community-based services (HCBS) provided through state Medicaid programs. The regulations clarify that, in order to receive federal HCBS funding for ...
Medicaid Managed Care for People with Disabilities
March 18, 2013 | resource
According to a recent state-by-state survey, more than half of U.S. states are planning to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans in an attempt to slow the growth rate of federal-state spending and improve the quality and ...
Promoting Leadership: Effective Strategies for Integrating Employment Outcomes and Services into Managed Care Models
December 31, 1969 | webinar
During this webinar we will provide a brief overview on the emergence of managed care as the preferred model for delivering Medicaid-funded long-term supports to individuals with disabilities. We will discuss a variety of strategies for embedding integrated ...
Innovative Strategies for Using Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Options to Promote Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings – The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Medicaid Managed Care and Its Implications on Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
As states continue to transition their Medicaid systems into managed care models, numerous opportunities and risks to Medicaid-financed employment services have emerged. This webinar will provide an overview of Medicaid Managed Care and its potential ...
New CMS Regulation on HCBS Settings: Implications for Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
In the aftermath of CMS' recent regulation defining acceptable and unacceptable settings for Home and Community Based Services, states and stakeholders are now considering how to transition their service-provision systems into compliance with the new CMS ...
Using Medicaid Buy-In to Support Employment and Economic Advancement
December 31, 1969 | webinar
Medicaid Buy-In (MBI), also known as Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities, breaks down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. It allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid-funded services not available through other insurers. Most ...
WIOA Implementation Partnerships: The Important Role of Centers for Independent Living
December 31, 1969 | webinar
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides new opportunities for American Job Centers (AJCs) to partner with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) leading to improved employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. To support these ...
Most Integrated Employment Settings: Tools to Advance System Outcomes in Your State
December 31, 1969 | webinar
ODEP developed the Most Integrated Employment Settings (MIES) State Self-Assessment to promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems. This user-friendly tool will help states pinpoint where they may need to focus more ...
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Tennessee
“On behalf of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) of Tennessee, I am privileged to present the 2019 SRC Annual Report to provide an update on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and to highlight the work of the SRC during the past year. We address the key accomplishments of the VR...
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Currently displaying 100 records.
The Top 10 Reasons for Visiting the DRIVE Website
June 29, 2020 | story
WIOA Disability-Related Reporting: DRIVE is the only website where you can retrieve WIOA Reporting data related to people with disabilities in your state, county, or Employment & Training Administration (ETA) region. National Disability & ...
Understanding Medicaid Buy-in: A Tool to Advance Employment for People with Disabilities
July 23, 2019 | resource
This document was initially distributed through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) listserve. LEAD Center worked with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and ACL on this document. ACL, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Senate Finance Committee Announces Bipartisan Hearings on Health Care in September
August 31, 2017 | story
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) has announced that it will hold bipartisan hearings on how to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market during the first week of September. According to Senator Lamar ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
August 31, 2017 | story
Kentucky Receives Final Approval for Its HCBS Transition Plan On June 13, 2017, Kentucky received final approval for its home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plan from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Final approval was ...
Kentucky Submits Amendment to add a Work Requirement to its Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
August 31, 2017 | story
On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment to its Section 1115 waiver proposal, Kentucky HEALTH, which would make changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion. The proposal with its amendment would require all adults covered by the Medicaid expansion, as ...
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Truyven Health Analytics Release Report on Medicaid-Funded Long-term Services and Supports Expenditures for FY 2015
August 31, 2017 | story
Truyven Health Analytics, a division of IBM Watson Health Business, produces annual reports each year of Medicaid long-term services and supports expenditures and how they change over time. Truyven recently released its latest report, “Medicaid Expenditures ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Extends Deadline for Full Implementation of Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule to March 17, 2022
May 31, 2017 | story
On May 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that extends the compliance deadline for all settings subject to CMS’s home and community-based services (HCBS) Final Rule. The new deadline is ...
Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Releases Issue Brief on Proposed Work Requirements Advanced in State Medicaid Programs
May 31, 2017 | story
On March 23, 2017, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on publishing research and information on health care issues in America, published an issue brief that discusses proposed work requirements as part of different ...
Council on Quality and Leadership Releases Study on Supported Employment Services in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
May 31, 2017 | story
The Council on Quality and Leadership, an organization dedicated to measuring the quality of community life for people with disabilities, released the results of a study that examined how Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services waivers provided ...
CMS RFI Seeks Information on How to Accelerate Access to Home and Community-Based Services
November 29, 2016 | story
On November 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Medicaid Program Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality ...
CMS Releases National Data Report for 2012 on Demographics of Beneficiaries Receiving Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Services and Support
November 29, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its report “Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries in 2012,” which describes the 2012 population who were receiving Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services and Supports ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
September HCBS Transition Plan Update
October 03, 2016 | story
In September, the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania were granted initial approval of their HCBS Transition Plans by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The state of Florida released a revised version of its HCBS Transition Plan and posted it ...
Research on Disability Releases Monthly nTIDE Report and Webinar which Shows Rising Disability Employment
September 30, 2016 | story
On September 2, 2016, Research on Disability, a coalition of disability-focused research projects at the Institute on Disability and University of New Hampshire, released their latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and “Lunch and ...
CMS Releases Report on Medicaid LTSS Expenditures
August 30, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a report on changes to long-term services and supports (LTSS), “Improving the Balance: The Evolution of Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), FY ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Update on Select Plans
August 30, 2016 | story
During the months of July and August, the states of Missouri, Massachusetts, and Arkansas released revised versions of their home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plans and posted them for public comment. The state of Delaware was granted ...
HCBS Advocacy
August 07, 2016 | resource
In January 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final regulations on acceptable and unacceptable home and community based services (HCBS) settings. This website, supported by Association of Unversity Centers on ...
CMS Grants Initial Approval to HCBS Transition Plans for Kentucky and Ohio
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plans of Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky and Ohio are now the second and third states to receive initial ...
Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Release Memo Detailing Major Changes to Authorization of Facility-Based Day Services Under Its Section 1915(c) Intellectual Disability Waivers
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 20, 2016, Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, released a memo detailing major changes to the way in which the state will authorize facility-based day services, including employment ...
CMS Releases Its Final Rule Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS), including Employment LTSS, Under Managed Care Plans
May 31, 2016 | story
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a comprehensive Final Rule on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. The rule is the first major overhaul of the managed care rules in ...
CMS Releases Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements in HCBS Settings Requirements Compliance Toolkit
May 31, 2016 | story
CMS has recently released a new section of its Settings Requirements Compliance toolkit, titled Frequently Asked Questions on Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements. The resource addresses a number of questions that people have had, ...
Unclear Language in Iowa’s Health Care Budget Bill Prevents $750,000 from Being Spent on Supported Employment
May 31, 2016 | story
Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 9, 2016 that, due to an unclear statement of how money was to be spent in a 2015 health care budget bill, $750,000 initially allocated to increase supported employment has not been spent. The ...
CMS & ACL Partner with Tennessee To Host Webinar for Advocates and External Stakeholders on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan
May 31, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) partnered with the state of Tennessee on May 26th to host a webinar on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan titled, HCBS Implementation and the Statewide ...
CMS Finalizes Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Rules, Providing Access to Behavioral Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
April 29, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released final regulations on mental health and substance abuse disorder parity for people in Medicaid Managed Care Organization, (MCOs), Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans (ABPs), and Children’s ...
Department of Health and Human Services Releases Report on the Benefits of Expanding Medicaid to Cover More Behavioral Health Programs, Including Its Impact on Employee Productiveness
April 29, 2016 | story
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report on how expanding Medicaid could provide more Americans with access to both health insurance and behavioral health services. According to DHHS, people who need behavioral health services make ...
Congress Considering Bills that Would Expand the Amount Working People with Disabilities Can Save in ABLE Accounts
April 29, 2016 | story
Three bills were recently introduced in Congress that would expand the flexibility and the number of people who have access to the tax-advantaged savings accounts created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). The bills are the ABLE To Work Act ...
Kansas State Officials “Sending Mixed Messages” on Disability-Related Medicaid Waiver Integration
April 29, 2016 | story
As reported in the Salina Post (04/05/16), Kansas state officials are giving conflicting timelines for when a massive change (i.e., waiver integration) in the way Kansans with disabilities receive Medicaid-funded services will occur. The planned waiver ...
CMS Approves Tennessee’s HCBS Transition Plan, Including Supported Employment Provisions
April 29, 2016 | story
On April 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted final approval for Tennessee’s Statewide Transition Plan, designed to bring the state into compliance with CMS’ final rules on home and community-based services (HCBS). CMS has ...
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Releases Its Recommendations for Improving Financing for Long-Term Services and Supports, Including Supported Employment
March 30, 2016 | story
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization founded by Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to promote bipartisan collaboration, recently released a report, Initial Recommendations to Improve the Financing of ...
Wisconsin: Update on Wisconsin’s Overhaul of Its Medicaid Program, IRIS, and Supported Employment Program
March 30, 2016 | story
Following several months of public forums (See October 2015’s Employment, Health, and Disability Update for some of the LEAD Center’s earlier coverage on Wisconsin), Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services has decided to replace its eight regional ...
Iowa’s Medicaid Program Moves to Managed Care for Its Services
March 30, 2016 | story
After more than a year of debate, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the state of Iowa’s plan to transition all of its Medicaid-funded services, including supported employment, to managed care, effective April 1, 2016. The new ...
Disability Advocates Create Comprehensive Toolkit Calling for Strong Implementation of the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule
February 29, 2016 | story
The HCBS Advocacy Coalition has released a three-part toolkit that explains the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule and its potential to promote the full integration of people with ...
EconSys and ODEP Release State Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates and Employment First Brief on Federal Resources
February 29, 2016 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Economic Systems, Inc. (EconSys) have jointly released a 50-state review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers for supported employment and ...
Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
February 29, 2016 | story
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered ...
EconSys and ODEP Release Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates for Supported Employment and Integrated Day Services across All 50 States
January 29, 2016 | story
In January 2016, the O ce of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) contracted with Economic Systems, Inc. and jointly released a review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers for supported ...
NASUAD Publishes Tip Sheets for Increasing MIPPA Outreach
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 2, 2015, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability (NASUAD) published two tip sheets designed to increase the number of low-income seniors and people with disabilities that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and ...
Oregon Court Approves Settlement in Lane v. Brown
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 29, 2015, the Department of Human Services was informed that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the final settlement in the historic Lane v. Brown community integration lawsuit in Oregon. The Final Settlement Agreement requires a ...
ANCOR and Disability Advocates Call for CMS to Consider Supported Employment and HCBS Services in Its Managed Care Network Adequacy Rulemaking
January 29, 2016 | story
The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and a coalition of disability rights advocates are urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider both supported employment and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) ...
Open Enrollment For The Affordable Care Act Began November 1st
December 31, 2015 | story
Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace began November 1, 2015 and will end on January 31, 2016. Consumers must sign up by December 15th if they wish to begin January 2016 with Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. The ...
Capitol Hill Budget Deal Avoids Premium Hikes and Budget Cuts in Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance
December 31, 2015 | story
The White House has proposed an FY2016 budget deal that would prevent the double-digit premium increases feared by many Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Specifically, the deal will stave off a 52 percent premium increase ...
CMS Issues Guidance on Non-Residential Settings for Home and Community-Based Services
December 22, 2015 | story
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued updated guidance on the effect of new home and community-based services (HCBS) regulations on non-residential settings. The new rule, which took effect in March 2014, prohibits states from ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Additional Updates And Concerns
December 15, 2015 | story
As the states continue to release home and community-based services (HCBS) transition plans, it has become clear that each state interprets the HCBS regulations in a different manner. Some of these interpretations classify a certain type of setting as meeting ...
ODEP and Administration for Community Living Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Expand Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL), building on a partnership between the two organizations that began in 2012, recently signed a memorandum of ...
Minnesota: New Olmstead Plan Addresses Barriers to Living in the Community Faced by People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 29, 2015, United States District Judge Donovan Frank, pursuant to an existing settlement agreement, approved a plan detailing Minnesota’s strategy to achieve compliance with Olmstead. Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., ...
Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Releases Interim Report
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 15, 2015, the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) released its Interim Report to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and ...
CMS Responds to Statewide HCBS Transition Plans
October 29, 2015 | story
As of October 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has sent 42 states Clarifications and/or Modifications Required for Initial Approval (CMIA) letters in response to each state’s published Statewide Transition Plan. These plans describe a ...
Kansas: State Delays Changes to Medicare/Medicaid System Until January 2017
October 29, 2015 | story
Kansas’ Department of Health and Environment and Department of Aging and Disability Services, after receiving feedback from stakeholders in the community (e.g., health care providers, people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, ...
CMS’ New HCBS Regulations Opens the Door to Competitive Employment for People with Disabilities
October 09, 2015 | blog
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), it is important that we take account of the incredible progress that has been made in the fight to ensure all people, including people with disabilities, have access to gainful and ...
Opportunity for Public Input into IRS’ Proposed Regulations for Implementing ABLE Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On June 19, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) its recommended approach for implementing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create ...
CMS Announces Performance-Based Payment Options for Employment Services
September 25, 2015 | story
At the annual Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Conference, hosted by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new performance-based options for ...
Department of Health and Human Services Proposes Revisions to the Non-Discrimination Policy of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed regulations to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination by health programs based on race, color, national origin, ...
Minnesota: Plaintiffs in Minnesota Lawsuit Claim Department of Human Services Underspent $1 Billion in Medicaid Disability Waiver Funds
September 25, 2015 | story
Minnesota attorneys, representing a group of plaintiffs with disabilities, are arguing that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services mismanaged money set aside for Medicaid HCBS waivers, leading to the plaintiffs’ placement on waiting lists for waivers ...
Utah: The Need for Healthcare Reform
September 25, 2015 | story
Disability rights advocates in Utah are expressing concern about a failed plan to expand Medicaid coverage by the end of this past July. The expansion, authorized under the Affordable Care Act, would have provided Medicaid coverage to all adults earning less ...
CMS Responds to State Transition Plans
August 26, 2015 | story
Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) took effect in the beginning of 2014, each state has had to produce a transition plan outlining a schedule and strategy for bringing all services ...
State Medicaid Integration Tracker Update Published for July
August 26, 2015 | story
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has published the July 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. NASUAD’s State Medicaid Integration Tracker is a monthly report summarizing changes in each state on ...
National Quality Forum Publishes Interim Report on HCBS, Convenes Stakeholder Committee on Quality Measurement
August 26, 2015 | story
Over the past several months, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a stakeholder committee to develop recommendations to improve quality measurement for Medicaid Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS). NQF recently released its interim report ...
Massachusetts: University Of Massachusetts Medical School Partners with State to Increase Employment of People With Disabilities
August 26, 2015 | story
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine Disability, Health and Employment Policy unit hosts a program that assists people with disabilities seeking employment. In July, the UMass Medical School announced a new partnership ...
New Jersey: Governor’s Medicaid Proposal Would Shift Costs to New Jersey Taxpayers and Health Care Providers
August 26, 2015 | story
Governor Chris Christie has announced a proposal to curtail federal funding for Medicaid as part of a per capita cap that would remove $15 billion in federal funds over eight years. The proposal would be the largest Medicaid funding reduction in New ...
Alaska: Governor Announces Alaska to Become the 30th State to Expand Medicaid
August 26, 2015 | story
Following 29 other states and the District of Columbia, Alaskan Governor Bill Walker has announced that the state will be accepting additional federal funds to expand Medicaid, which will bring $146 million to the state in its first year and provide health ...
New Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Changes and Updated State Plan Amendments in Washington State, Tennessee And Indiana
July 31, 2015 | story
States have continued to submit transition plans to bring their Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs into compliance with new rules for community integration of HCBS settings. Washington State has submitted transition plans for ...
Massachusetts Home Health Workers Win Wage Hike to $15 Per Hour
July 31, 2015 | story
In the wake of national advocacy to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour across all labor sectors, home health workers who provide care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the clients they serve, have been at the forefront of low-paid ...
KANCARE Not Working for People with Disabilities, Advocates Say
July 31, 2015 | story
During a public listening session hosted by the National Council on Disability (NCD) earlier this month, disability rights advocates, including representatives from the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, spoke on concerns about the capacity of KanCare, the ...
Senator Grassley Introduces New Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Community-Based Options
June 30, 2015 | story
Late last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced a measure to provide financial incentives to states for increasing communitybased services for people with disabilities. The Transition to Independence Act ...
Changes Recommended for Medicaid Managed Care
June 30, 2015 | story
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released draft rules on network adequacy for privatized Medicaid, also known as managed care. The network adequacy guidance include quality ratings, profit guidelines, and safeguards to protect members with ...
IRS Releases Proposed ABLE Act Regulations
June 30, 2015 | story
On Friday June 19th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The NPRM stipulates the proposed rules and regulations by which the program ...
Kaiser Releases New Analysis Detailing Potential Impact of King V. Burwell
June 30, 2015 | story
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced a new analysis and interactive maps showing the potential impact of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging whether low- and moderate-income ...
Connecticut: Budget Would Cut Health, Social Services, But Less Than Original Plan
June 30, 2015 | story
The budget deal between Connecticut’s Democratic legislators and Governor Dan Malloy will cut millions from healthcare programs serving people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, but aims to decrease the overall amount of cuts originally ...
Ohio: Developmental Disabilities Service Delivery System Changing
June 30, 2015 | story
Ohio state law began to mandate county boards for developmental disabilities in 1967 in order to create options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive community-based services instead of being placed in state-run institutions. ...
Virginia is First State to Pass ABLE Act Implementation Legislation to Lessen Financial Strains for Those with Disabilities
May 29, 2015 | story
In April, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law the state’s Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which permits certain people with disabilities to maintain tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover a variety of expenses, including ...
Special Commission Finds Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit New Hampshire’s Economy
May 29, 2015 | story
New Hampshire has convened a special commission to study the potential consequences of expanding the state’s Medicaid budget. Preliminary evidence indicates that expansion would benefit around 58,000 low-income residents7 . New Hampshire’s Department of ...
New Proposed Rule on Mental Health Parity in Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule in April 2015 that applies mental health parity requirements to publicly-funded health plans. The rule would eliminate hard limits on coverage (such as caps on the number of ...
Mathematica Releases Annual Report on Money Follows the Person Program
April 30, 2015 | story
Mathematica Policy Research released its fifth annual evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report examined the experiences of 19,877 MFP participants in 30 states. The ...
Minnesota Must Submit Statewide Olmstead Plan Following 2011 Settlement
April 30, 2015 | story
In response to a 2011 settlement agreement over violations of the 1999 Olmstead decision requiring services to be offered in the most integrated setting possible, the State of Minnesota created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to produce a statewide plan for ...
New Hampshire Bill Proposes Ending Medicaid Expansion
April 30, 2015 | story
The new budget recommended by New Hampshire’s House Finance Committee includes a proposal to end the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP), which is the state’s Medicaid expansion program created through bipartisan legislation last year. NHHPP ...
New York Bill Proposes Expansion of Home Health Workforce
April 30, 2015 | story
The New York Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team has proposed a new bill to permit home health aides to perform certain tasks that they are currently prohibited from providing, such as administering medications. The proposal creates a new designation of ...
Montana Republican Unveils New Bill to Expand Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Montana legislature passed a bill that will expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL), as outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will also require enrollees to pay monthly premiums and ...
LEAD Center Hosts Webinar on CMS Guidance on Non-Residential Services and Its Implications for Employment
March 31, 2015 | story
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National LEAD Center, hosted a webinar entitled, “Redefining Home ...
FEATURED AGENCY Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
March 31, 2015 | story
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes several new and exciting mandates aimed at increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the American workforce. Among those mandates is the establishment of the “Advisory ...
New Study on Employer Compliance with Mental Health Parity Laws
March 30, 2015 | story
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, based on surveys of human resources and disability professionals of diverse employers from across the nation. Of the 314 employers who responded ...
New Mathematica Policy Article on Long-Term Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports for Supplemental Security Income Recipients
March 30, 2015 | story
Professional staff from the Mathematica Policy Research’s Center for Studying Disability Policy has published a new article in the Social Security Bulletin exploring long-term cumulative statistics on work and employment supports used by Supplemental ...
State Transition Plan Highlight: New Jersey Transition Plan Would Improve Day, Employment and Housing Services
March 30, 2015 | story
New Jersey’s state transition plan, to bring programs and services for people with disabilities into compliance with the CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), includes major changes to day, employment and housing services. Each state ...
NDI Unveils ABLE Resource Center and Update on ABLE Implementation
February 27, 2015 | story
National Disability Institute (NDI) announced a new Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Resource Center to consolidate information, resources and advocacy materials on state implementation of the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act enables individuals with ...
New Guide on Mental Health Parity in Workplaces
February 27, 2015 | story
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health released a new guide on employer compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Act aims to equalize insurance-related financial requirements and treatment options for employees with mental ...
North Carolina Services for People with Disabilities at Heart of Class-Action Settlement
February 27, 2015 | story
Five families settled a class-action suit against North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services and Piedmont Behavioral Health (now Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions) originally filed in 2011. The managed care organization had ...
California Agrees to Transform Employment Services for People with Disabilities - Many Paid Through Medicaid
February 27, 2015 | story
Three California agencies and the state protection and advocacy system have announced a new collaboration on a six-month blueprint to encourage competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The blueprint will ...
Open Enrollment Ends February 15
January 30, 2015 | story
Workers with disabilities seeking individual health insurance coverage will be able to enroll in plans via healthcare.org until February 15, 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace must be ...
Judge Strikes Down New Overtime Rules for Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has recently issued two decisions striking down aspects of a Department of Labor regulation governing overtime pay for home care workers for people with disabilities. The regulation made most home care workers for people ...
Proposed Virginia Medicaid Budget Caps Hours of Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposed Medicaid budget contains language forbidding some home health workers for working for more than one family as well as capping overtime hours for workers paid under certain waivers.7 The proposed changes may limit workers ...
Delaware 1915(I) Plan Starting January 2015 Will Focus on Employment Supports for Workers with Disabilities
January 30, 2015 | story
Delaware’s Pathways to Employment program, which will provide a variety of employment services to people with targeted disabilities, came into effect on January 1, 2015.8 Under the program, employment and transition services for people with intellectual ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Release New Regulations on Home and Community-Based Settings
March 30, 2014 | story
On Jan. 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations governing home and community-based services (HCBS) provided through state Medicaid programs. The regulations clarify that, in order to receive federal HCBS funding for ...
Medicaid Managed Care for People with Disabilities
March 18, 2013 | resource
According to a recent state-by-state survey, more than half of U.S. states are planning to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans in an attempt to slow the growth rate of federal-state spending and improve the quality and ...
Promoting Leadership: Effective Strategies for Integrating Employment Outcomes and Services into Managed Care Models
December 31, 1969 | webinar
During this webinar we will provide a brief overview on the emergence of managed care as the preferred model for delivering Medicaid-funded long-term supports to individuals with disabilities. We will discuss a variety of strategies for embedding integrated ...
Innovative Strategies for Using Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Options to Promote Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings – The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Medicaid Managed Care and Its Implications on Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
As states continue to transition their Medicaid systems into managed care models, numerous opportunities and risks to Medicaid-financed employment services have emerged. This webinar will provide an overview of Medicaid Managed Care and its potential ...
New CMS Regulation on HCBS Settings: Implications for Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
In the aftermath of CMS' recent regulation defining acceptable and unacceptable settings for Home and Community Based Services, states and stakeholders are now considering how to transition their service-provision systems into compliance with the new CMS ...
Using Medicaid Buy-In to Support Employment and Economic Advancement
December 31, 1969 | webinar
Medicaid Buy-In (MBI), also known as Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities, breaks down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. It allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid-funded services not available through other insurers. Most ...
WIOA Implementation Partnerships: The Important Role of Centers for Independent Living
December 31, 1969 | webinar
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides new opportunities for American Job Centers (AJCs) to partner with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) leading to improved employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. To support these ...
Most Integrated Employment Settings: Tools to Advance System Outcomes in Your State
December 31, 1969 | webinar
ODEP developed the Most Integrated Employment Settings (MIES) State Self-Assessment to promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems. This user-friendly tool will help states pinpoint where they may need to focus more ...
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“On behalf of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) of Tennessee, I am privileged to present the 2019 SRC Annual Report to provide an update on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and to highlight the work of the SRC during the past year. We address the key accomplishments of the VR...
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The Top 10 Reasons for Visiting the DRIVE Website
June 29, 2020 | story
WIOA Disability-Related Reporting: DRIVE is the only website where you can retrieve WIOA Reporting data related to people with disabilities in your state, county, or Employment & Training Administration (ETA) region. National Disability & ...
Understanding Medicaid Buy-in: A Tool to Advance Employment for People with Disabilities
July 23, 2019 | resource
This document was initially distributed through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) listserve. LEAD Center worked with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and ACL on this document. ACL, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Senate Finance Committee Announces Bipartisan Hearings on Health Care in September
August 31, 2017 | story
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) has announced that it will hold bipartisan hearings on how to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market during the first week of September. According to Senator Lamar ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
August 31, 2017 | story
Kentucky Receives Final Approval for Its HCBS Transition Plan On June 13, 2017, Kentucky received final approval for its home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plan from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Final approval was ...
Kentucky Submits Amendment to add a Work Requirement to its Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
August 31, 2017 | story
On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment to its Section 1115 waiver proposal, Kentucky HEALTH, which would make changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion. The proposal with its amendment would require all adults covered by the Medicaid expansion, as ...
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Truyven Health Analytics Release Report on Medicaid-Funded Long-term Services and Supports Expenditures for FY 2015
August 31, 2017 | story
Truyven Health Analytics, a division of IBM Watson Health Business, produces annual reports each year of Medicaid long-term services and supports expenditures and how they change over time. Truyven recently released its latest report, “Medicaid Expenditures ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Extends Deadline for Full Implementation of Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule to March 17, 2022
May 31, 2017 | story
On May 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that extends the compliance deadline for all settings subject to CMS’s home and community-based services (HCBS) Final Rule. The new deadline is ...
Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Releases Issue Brief on Proposed Work Requirements Advanced in State Medicaid Programs
May 31, 2017 | story
On March 23, 2017, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on publishing research and information on health care issues in America, published an issue brief that discusses proposed work requirements as part of different ...
Council on Quality and Leadership Releases Study on Supported Employment Services in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
May 31, 2017 | story
The Council on Quality and Leadership, an organization dedicated to measuring the quality of community life for people with disabilities, released the results of a study that examined how Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services waivers provided ...
CMS RFI Seeks Information on How to Accelerate Access to Home and Community-Based Services
November 29, 2016 | story
On November 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Medicaid Program Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality ...
CMS Releases National Data Report for 2012 on Demographics of Beneficiaries Receiving Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Services and Support
November 29, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its report “Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries in 2012,” which describes the 2012 population who were receiving Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services and Supports ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
September HCBS Transition Plan Update
October 03, 2016 | story
In September, the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania were granted initial approval of their HCBS Transition Plans by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The state of Florida released a revised version of its HCBS Transition Plan and posted it ...
Research on Disability Releases Monthly nTIDE Report and Webinar which Shows Rising Disability Employment
September 30, 2016 | story
On September 2, 2016, Research on Disability, a coalition of disability-focused research projects at the Institute on Disability and University of New Hampshire, released their latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and “Lunch and ...
CMS Releases Report on Medicaid LTSS Expenditures
August 30, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a report on changes to long-term services and supports (LTSS), “Improving the Balance: The Evolution of Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), FY ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Update on Select Plans
August 30, 2016 | story
During the months of July and August, the states of Missouri, Massachusetts, and Arkansas released revised versions of their home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plans and posted them for public comment. The state of Delaware was granted ...
HCBS Advocacy
August 07, 2016 | resource
In January 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final regulations on acceptable and unacceptable home and community based services (HCBS) settings. This website, supported by Association of Unversity Centers on ...
CMS Grants Initial Approval to HCBS Transition Plans for Kentucky and Ohio
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plans of Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky and Ohio are now the second and third states to receive initial ...
Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Release Memo Detailing Major Changes to Authorization of Facility-Based Day Services Under Its Section 1915(c) Intellectual Disability Waivers
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 20, 2016, Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, released a memo detailing major changes to the way in which the state will authorize facility-based day services, including employment ...
CMS Releases Its Final Rule Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS), including Employment LTSS, Under Managed Care Plans
May 31, 2016 | story
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a comprehensive Final Rule on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. The rule is the first major overhaul of the managed care rules in ...
CMS Releases Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements in HCBS Settings Requirements Compliance Toolkit
May 31, 2016 | story
CMS has recently released a new section of its Settings Requirements Compliance toolkit, titled Frequently Asked Questions on Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements. The resource addresses a number of questions that people have had, ...
Unclear Language in Iowa’s Health Care Budget Bill Prevents $750,000 from Being Spent on Supported Employment
May 31, 2016 | story
Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 9, 2016 that, due to an unclear statement of how money was to be spent in a 2015 health care budget bill, $750,000 initially allocated to increase supported employment has not been spent. The ...
CMS & ACL Partner with Tennessee To Host Webinar for Advocates and External Stakeholders on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan
May 31, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) partnered with the state of Tennessee on May 26th to host a webinar on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan titled, HCBS Implementation and the Statewide ...
CMS Finalizes Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Rules, Providing Access to Behavioral Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
April 29, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released final regulations on mental health and substance abuse disorder parity for people in Medicaid Managed Care Organization, (MCOs), Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans (ABPs), and Children’s ...
Department of Health and Human Services Releases Report on the Benefits of Expanding Medicaid to Cover More Behavioral Health Programs, Including Its Impact on Employee Productiveness
April 29, 2016 | story
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report on how expanding Medicaid could provide more Americans with access to both health insurance and behavioral health services. According to DHHS, people who need behavioral health services make ...
Congress Considering Bills that Would Expand the Amount Working People with Disabilities Can Save in ABLE Accounts
April 29, 2016 | story
Three bills were recently introduced in Congress that would expand the flexibility and the number of people who have access to the tax-advantaged savings accounts created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). The bills are the ABLE To Work Act ...
Kansas State Officials “Sending Mixed Messages” on Disability-Related Medicaid Waiver Integration
April 29, 2016 | story
As reported in the Salina Post (04/05/16), Kansas state officials are giving conflicting timelines for when a massive change (i.e., waiver integration) in the way Kansans with disabilities receive Medicaid-funded services will occur. The planned waiver ...
CMS Approves Tennessee’s HCBS Transition Plan, Including Supported Employment Provisions
April 29, 2016 | story
On April 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted final approval for Tennessee’s Statewide Transition Plan, designed to bring the state into compliance with CMS’ final rules on home and community-based services (HCBS). CMS has ...
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Releases Its Recommendations for Improving Financing for Long-Term Services and Supports, Including Supported Employment
March 30, 2016 | story
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization founded by Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to promote bipartisan collaboration, recently released a report, Initial Recommendations to Improve the Financing of ...
Wisconsin: Update on Wisconsin’s Overhaul of Its Medicaid Program, IRIS, and Supported Employment Program
March 30, 2016 | story
Following several months of public forums (See October 2015’s Employment, Health, and Disability Update for some of the LEAD Center’s earlier coverage on Wisconsin), Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services has decided to replace its eight regional ...
Iowa’s Medicaid Program Moves to Managed Care for Its Services
March 30, 2016 | story
After more than a year of debate, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the state of Iowa’s plan to transition all of its Medicaid-funded services, including supported employment, to managed care, effective April 1, 2016. The new ...
Disability Advocates Create Comprehensive Toolkit Calling for Strong Implementation of the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule
February 29, 2016 | story
The HCBS Advocacy Coalition has released a three-part toolkit that explains the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule and its potential to promote the full integration of people with ...
EconSys and ODEP Release State Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates and Employment First Brief on Federal Resources
February 29, 2016 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Economic Systems, Inc. (EconSys) have jointly released a 50-state review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers for supported employment and ...
Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
February 29, 2016 | story
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered ...
EconSys and ODEP Release Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates for Supported Employment and Integrated Day Services across All 50 States
January 29, 2016 | story
In January 2016, the O ce of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) contracted with Economic Systems, Inc. and jointly released a review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers for supported ...
NASUAD Publishes Tip Sheets for Increasing MIPPA Outreach
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 2, 2015, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability (NASUAD) published two tip sheets designed to increase the number of low-income seniors and people with disabilities that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and ...
Oregon Court Approves Settlement in Lane v. Brown
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 29, 2015, the Department of Human Services was informed that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the final settlement in the historic Lane v. Brown community integration lawsuit in Oregon. The Final Settlement Agreement requires a ...
ANCOR and Disability Advocates Call for CMS to Consider Supported Employment and HCBS Services in Its Managed Care Network Adequacy Rulemaking
January 29, 2016 | story
The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and a coalition of disability rights advocates are urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider both supported employment and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) ...
Open Enrollment For The Affordable Care Act Began November 1st
December 31, 2015 | story
Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace began November 1, 2015 and will end on January 31, 2016. Consumers must sign up by December 15th if they wish to begin January 2016 with Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. The ...
Capitol Hill Budget Deal Avoids Premium Hikes and Budget Cuts in Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance
December 31, 2015 | story
The White House has proposed an FY2016 budget deal that would prevent the double-digit premium increases feared by many Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Specifically, the deal will stave off a 52 percent premium increase ...
CMS Issues Guidance on Non-Residential Settings for Home and Community-Based Services
December 22, 2015 | story
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued updated guidance on the effect of new home and community-based services (HCBS) regulations on non-residential settings. The new rule, which took effect in March 2014, prohibits states from ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Additional Updates And Concerns
December 15, 2015 | story
As the states continue to release home and community-based services (HCBS) transition plans, it has become clear that each state interprets the HCBS regulations in a different manner. Some of these interpretations classify a certain type of setting as meeting ...
ODEP and Administration for Community Living Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Expand Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL), building on a partnership between the two organizations that began in 2012, recently signed a memorandum of ...
Minnesota: New Olmstead Plan Addresses Barriers to Living in the Community Faced by People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 29, 2015, United States District Judge Donovan Frank, pursuant to an existing settlement agreement, approved a plan detailing Minnesota’s strategy to achieve compliance with Olmstead. Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., ...
Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Releases Interim Report
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 15, 2015, the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) released its Interim Report to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and ...
CMS Responds to Statewide HCBS Transition Plans
October 29, 2015 | story
As of October 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has sent 42 states Clarifications and/or Modifications Required for Initial Approval (CMIA) letters in response to each state’s published Statewide Transition Plan. These plans describe a ...
Kansas: State Delays Changes to Medicare/Medicaid System Until January 2017
October 29, 2015 | story
Kansas’ Department of Health and Environment and Department of Aging and Disability Services, after receiving feedback from stakeholders in the community (e.g., health care providers, people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, ...
CMS’ New HCBS Regulations Opens the Door to Competitive Employment for People with Disabilities
October 09, 2015 | blog
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), it is important that we take account of the incredible progress that has been made in the fight to ensure all people, including people with disabilities, have access to gainful and ...
Opportunity for Public Input into IRS’ Proposed Regulations for Implementing ABLE Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On June 19, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) its recommended approach for implementing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create ...
CMS Announces Performance-Based Payment Options for Employment Services
September 25, 2015 | story
At the annual Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Conference, hosted by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new performance-based options for ...
Department of Health and Human Services Proposes Revisions to the Non-Discrimination Policy of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed regulations to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination by health programs based on race, color, national origin, ...
Minnesota: Plaintiffs in Minnesota Lawsuit Claim Department of Human Services Underspent $1 Billion in Medicaid Disability Waiver Funds
September 25, 2015 | story
Minnesota attorneys, representing a group of plaintiffs with disabilities, are arguing that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services mismanaged money set aside for Medicaid HCBS waivers, leading to the plaintiffs’ placement on waiting lists for waivers ...
Utah: The Need for Healthcare Reform
September 25, 2015 | story
Disability rights advocates in Utah are expressing concern about a failed plan to expand Medicaid coverage by the end of this past July. The expansion, authorized under the Affordable Care Act, would have provided Medicaid coverage to all adults earning less ...
CMS Responds to State Transition Plans
August 26, 2015 | story
Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) took effect in the beginning of 2014, each state has had to produce a transition plan outlining a schedule and strategy for bringing all services ...
State Medicaid Integration Tracker Update Published for July
August 26, 2015 | story
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has published the July 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. NASUAD’s State Medicaid Integration Tracker is a monthly report summarizing changes in each state on ...
National Quality Forum Publishes Interim Report on HCBS, Convenes Stakeholder Committee on Quality Measurement
August 26, 2015 | story
Over the past several months, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a stakeholder committee to develop recommendations to improve quality measurement for Medicaid Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS). NQF recently released its interim report ...
Massachusetts: University Of Massachusetts Medical School Partners with State to Increase Employment of People With Disabilities
August 26, 2015 | story
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine Disability, Health and Employment Policy unit hosts a program that assists people with disabilities seeking employment. In July, the UMass Medical School announced a new partnership ...
New Jersey: Governor’s Medicaid Proposal Would Shift Costs to New Jersey Taxpayers and Health Care Providers
August 26, 2015 | story
Governor Chris Christie has announced a proposal to curtail federal funding for Medicaid as part of a per capita cap that would remove $15 billion in federal funds over eight years. The proposal would be the largest Medicaid funding reduction in New ...
Alaska: Governor Announces Alaska to Become the 30th State to Expand Medicaid
August 26, 2015 | story
Following 29 other states and the District of Columbia, Alaskan Governor Bill Walker has announced that the state will be accepting additional federal funds to expand Medicaid, which will bring $146 million to the state in its first year and provide health ...
New Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Changes and Updated State Plan Amendments in Washington State, Tennessee And Indiana
July 31, 2015 | story
States have continued to submit transition plans to bring their Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs into compliance with new rules for community integration of HCBS settings. Washington State has submitted transition plans for ...
Massachusetts Home Health Workers Win Wage Hike to $15 Per Hour
July 31, 2015 | story
In the wake of national advocacy to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour across all labor sectors, home health workers who provide care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the clients they serve, have been at the forefront of low-paid ...
KANCARE Not Working for People with Disabilities, Advocates Say
July 31, 2015 | story
During a public listening session hosted by the National Council on Disability (NCD) earlier this month, disability rights advocates, including representatives from the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, spoke on concerns about the capacity of KanCare, the ...
Senator Grassley Introduces New Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Community-Based Options
June 30, 2015 | story
Late last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced a measure to provide financial incentives to states for increasing communitybased services for people with disabilities. The Transition to Independence Act ...
Changes Recommended for Medicaid Managed Care
June 30, 2015 | story
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released draft rules on network adequacy for privatized Medicaid, also known as managed care. The network adequacy guidance include quality ratings, profit guidelines, and safeguards to protect members with ...
IRS Releases Proposed ABLE Act Regulations
June 30, 2015 | story
On Friday June 19th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The NPRM stipulates the proposed rules and regulations by which the program ...
Kaiser Releases New Analysis Detailing Potential Impact of King V. Burwell
June 30, 2015 | story
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced a new analysis and interactive maps showing the potential impact of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging whether low- and moderate-income ...
Connecticut: Budget Would Cut Health, Social Services, But Less Than Original Plan
June 30, 2015 | story
The budget deal between Connecticut’s Democratic legislators and Governor Dan Malloy will cut millions from healthcare programs serving people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, but aims to decrease the overall amount of cuts originally ...
Ohio: Developmental Disabilities Service Delivery System Changing
June 30, 2015 | story
Ohio state law began to mandate county boards for developmental disabilities in 1967 in order to create options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive community-based services instead of being placed in state-run institutions. ...
Virginia is First State to Pass ABLE Act Implementation Legislation to Lessen Financial Strains for Those with Disabilities
May 29, 2015 | story
In April, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law the state’s Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which permits certain people with disabilities to maintain tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover a variety of expenses, including ...
Special Commission Finds Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit New Hampshire’s Economy
May 29, 2015 | story
New Hampshire has convened a special commission to study the potential consequences of expanding the state’s Medicaid budget. Preliminary evidence indicates that expansion would benefit around 58,000 low-income residents7 . New Hampshire’s Department of ...
New Proposed Rule on Mental Health Parity in Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule in April 2015 that applies mental health parity requirements to publicly-funded health plans. The rule would eliminate hard limits on coverage (such as caps on the number of ...
Mathematica Releases Annual Report on Money Follows the Person Program
April 30, 2015 | story
Mathematica Policy Research released its fifth annual evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report examined the experiences of 19,877 MFP participants in 30 states. The ...
Minnesota Must Submit Statewide Olmstead Plan Following 2011 Settlement
April 30, 2015 | story
In response to a 2011 settlement agreement over violations of the 1999 Olmstead decision requiring services to be offered in the most integrated setting possible, the State of Minnesota created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to produce a statewide plan for ...
New Hampshire Bill Proposes Ending Medicaid Expansion
April 30, 2015 | story
The new budget recommended by New Hampshire’s House Finance Committee includes a proposal to end the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP), which is the state’s Medicaid expansion program created through bipartisan legislation last year. NHHPP ...
New York Bill Proposes Expansion of Home Health Workforce
April 30, 2015 | story
The New York Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team has proposed a new bill to permit home health aides to perform certain tasks that they are currently prohibited from providing, such as administering medications. The proposal creates a new designation of ...
Montana Republican Unveils New Bill to Expand Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Montana legislature passed a bill that will expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL), as outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will also require enrollees to pay monthly premiums and ...
LEAD Center Hosts Webinar on CMS Guidance on Non-Residential Services and Its Implications for Employment
March 31, 2015 | story
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National LEAD Center, hosted a webinar entitled, “Redefining Home ...
FEATURED AGENCY Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
March 31, 2015 | story
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes several new and exciting mandates aimed at increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the American workforce. Among those mandates is the establishment of the “Advisory ...
New Study on Employer Compliance with Mental Health Parity Laws
March 30, 2015 | story
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, based on surveys of human resources and disability professionals of diverse employers from across the nation. Of the 314 employers who responded ...
New Mathematica Policy Article on Long-Term Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports for Supplemental Security Income Recipients
March 30, 2015 | story
Professional staff from the Mathematica Policy Research’s Center for Studying Disability Policy has published a new article in the Social Security Bulletin exploring long-term cumulative statistics on work and employment supports used by Supplemental ...
State Transition Plan Highlight: New Jersey Transition Plan Would Improve Day, Employment and Housing Services
March 30, 2015 | story
New Jersey’s state transition plan, to bring programs and services for people with disabilities into compliance with the CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), includes major changes to day, employment and housing services. Each state ...
NDI Unveils ABLE Resource Center and Update on ABLE Implementation
February 27, 2015 | story
National Disability Institute (NDI) announced a new Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Resource Center to consolidate information, resources and advocacy materials on state implementation of the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act enables individuals with ...
New Guide on Mental Health Parity in Workplaces
February 27, 2015 | story
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health released a new guide on employer compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Act aims to equalize insurance-related financial requirements and treatment options for employees with mental ...
North Carolina Services for People with Disabilities at Heart of Class-Action Settlement
February 27, 2015 | story
Five families settled a class-action suit against North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services and Piedmont Behavioral Health (now Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions) originally filed in 2011. The managed care organization had ...
California Agrees to Transform Employment Services for People with Disabilities - Many Paid Through Medicaid
February 27, 2015 | story
Three California agencies and the state protection and advocacy system have announced a new collaboration on a six-month blueprint to encourage competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The blueprint will ...
Open Enrollment Ends February 15
January 30, 2015 | story
Workers with disabilities seeking individual health insurance coverage will be able to enroll in plans via healthcare.org until February 15, 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace must be ...
Judge Strikes Down New Overtime Rules for Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has recently issued two decisions striking down aspects of a Department of Labor regulation governing overtime pay for home care workers for people with disabilities. The regulation made most home care workers for people ...
Proposed Virginia Medicaid Budget Caps Hours of Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposed Medicaid budget contains language forbidding some home health workers for working for more than one family as well as capping overtime hours for workers paid under certain waivers.7 The proposed changes may limit workers ...
Delaware 1915(I) Plan Starting January 2015 Will Focus on Employment Supports for Workers with Disabilities
January 30, 2015 | story
Delaware’s Pathways to Employment program, which will provide a variety of employment services to people with targeted disabilities, came into effect on January 1, 2015.8 Under the program, employment and transition services for people with intellectual ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Release New Regulations on Home and Community-Based Settings
March 30, 2014 | story
On Jan. 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations governing home and community-based services (HCBS) provided through state Medicaid programs. The regulations clarify that, in order to receive federal HCBS funding for ...
Medicaid Managed Care for People with Disabilities
March 18, 2013 | resource
According to a recent state-by-state survey, more than half of U.S. states are planning to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans in an attempt to slow the growth rate of federal-state spending and improve the quality and ...
Promoting Leadership: Effective Strategies for Integrating Employment Outcomes and Services into Managed Care Models
December 31, 1969 | webinar
During this webinar we will provide a brief overview on the emergence of managed care as the preferred model for delivering Medicaid-funded long-term supports to individuals with disabilities. We will discuss a variety of strategies for embedding integrated ...
Innovative Strategies for Using Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Options to Promote Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings – The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Medicaid Managed Care and Its Implications on Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
As states continue to transition their Medicaid systems into managed care models, numerous opportunities and risks to Medicaid-financed employment services have emerged. This webinar will provide an overview of Medicaid Managed Care and its potential ...
New CMS Regulation on HCBS Settings: Implications for Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
In the aftermath of CMS' recent regulation defining acceptable and unacceptable settings for Home and Community Based Services, states and stakeholders are now considering how to transition their service-provision systems into compliance with the new CMS ...
Using Medicaid Buy-In to Support Employment and Economic Advancement
December 31, 1969 | webinar
Medicaid Buy-In (MBI), also known as Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities, breaks down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. It allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid-funded services not available through other insurers. Most ...
WIOA Implementation Partnerships: The Important Role of Centers for Independent Living
December 31, 1969 | webinar
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides new opportunities for American Job Centers (AJCs) to partner with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) leading to improved employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. To support these ...
Most Integrated Employment Settings: Tools to Advance System Outcomes in Your State
December 31, 1969 | webinar
ODEP developed the Most Integrated Employment Settings (MIES) State Self-Assessment to promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems. This user-friendly tool will help states pinpoint where they may need to focus more ...
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“On behalf of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) of Tennessee, I am privileged to present the 2019 SRC Annual Report to provide an update on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and to highlight the work of the SRC during the past year. We address the key accomplishments of the VR...
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The Top 10 Reasons for Visiting the DRIVE Website
June 29, 2020 | story
WIOA Disability-Related Reporting: DRIVE is the only website where you can retrieve WIOA Reporting data related to people with disabilities in your state, county, or Employment & Training Administration (ETA) region. National Disability & ...
Understanding Medicaid Buy-in: A Tool to Advance Employment for People with Disabilities
July 23, 2019 | resource
This document was initially distributed through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) listserve. LEAD Center worked with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and ACL on this document. ACL, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Senate Finance Committee Announces Bipartisan Hearings on Health Care in September
August 31, 2017 | story
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) has announced that it will hold bipartisan hearings on how to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market during the first week of September. According to Senator Lamar ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
August 31, 2017 | story
Kentucky Receives Final Approval for Its HCBS Transition Plan On June 13, 2017, Kentucky received final approval for its home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plan from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Final approval was ...
Kentucky Submits Amendment to add a Work Requirement to its Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
August 31, 2017 | story
On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment to its Section 1115 waiver proposal, Kentucky HEALTH, which would make changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion. The proposal with its amendment would require all adults covered by the Medicaid expansion, as ...
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Truyven Health Analytics Release Report on Medicaid-Funded Long-term Services and Supports Expenditures for FY 2015
August 31, 2017 | story
Truyven Health Analytics, a division of IBM Watson Health Business, produces annual reports each year of Medicaid long-term services and supports expenditures and how they change over time. Truyven recently released its latest report, “Medicaid Expenditures ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Extends Deadline for Full Implementation of Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule to March 17, 2022
May 31, 2017 | story
On May 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that extends the compliance deadline for all settings subject to CMS’s home and community-based services (HCBS) Final Rule. The new deadline is ...
Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Releases Issue Brief on Proposed Work Requirements Advanced in State Medicaid Programs
May 31, 2017 | story
On March 23, 2017, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on publishing research and information on health care issues in America, published an issue brief that discusses proposed work requirements as part of different ...
Council on Quality and Leadership Releases Study on Supported Employment Services in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
May 31, 2017 | story
The Council on Quality and Leadership, an organization dedicated to measuring the quality of community life for people with disabilities, released the results of a study that examined how Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services waivers provided ...
CMS RFI Seeks Information on How to Accelerate Access to Home and Community-Based Services
November 29, 2016 | story
On November 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Medicaid Program Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality ...
CMS Releases National Data Report for 2012 on Demographics of Beneficiaries Receiving Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Services and Support
November 29, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its report “Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries in 2012,” which describes the 2012 population who were receiving Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services and Supports ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
September HCBS Transition Plan Update
October 03, 2016 | story
In September, the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania were granted initial approval of their HCBS Transition Plans by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The state of Florida released a revised version of its HCBS Transition Plan and posted it ...
Research on Disability Releases Monthly nTIDE Report and Webinar which Shows Rising Disability Employment
September 30, 2016 | story
On September 2, 2016, Research on Disability, a coalition of disability-focused research projects at the Institute on Disability and University of New Hampshire, released their latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and “Lunch and ...
CMS Releases Report on Medicaid LTSS Expenditures
August 30, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a report on changes to long-term services and supports (LTSS), “Improving the Balance: The Evolution of Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), FY ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Update on Select Plans
August 30, 2016 | story
During the months of July and August, the states of Missouri, Massachusetts, and Arkansas released revised versions of their home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plans and posted them for public comment. The state of Delaware was granted ...
HCBS Advocacy
August 07, 2016 | resource
In January 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final regulations on acceptable and unacceptable home and community based services (HCBS) settings. This website, supported by Association of Unversity Centers on ...
CMS Grants Initial Approval to HCBS Transition Plans for Kentucky and Ohio
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plans of Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky and Ohio are now the second and third states to receive initial ...
Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Release Memo Detailing Major Changes to Authorization of Facility-Based Day Services Under Its Section 1915(c) Intellectual Disability Waivers
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 20, 2016, Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, released a memo detailing major changes to the way in which the state will authorize facility-based day services, including employment ...
CMS Releases Its Final Rule Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS), including Employment LTSS, Under Managed Care Plans
May 31, 2016 | story
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a comprehensive Final Rule on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. The rule is the first major overhaul of the managed care rules in ...
CMS Releases Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements in HCBS Settings Requirements Compliance Toolkit
May 31, 2016 | story
CMS has recently released a new section of its Settings Requirements Compliance toolkit, titled Frequently Asked Questions on Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements. The resource addresses a number of questions that people have had, ...
Unclear Language in Iowa’s Health Care Budget Bill Prevents $750,000 from Being Spent on Supported Employment
May 31, 2016 | story
Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 9, 2016 that, due to an unclear statement of how money was to be spent in a 2015 health care budget bill, $750,000 initially allocated to increase supported employment has not been spent. The ...
CMS & ACL Partner with Tennessee To Host Webinar for Advocates and External Stakeholders on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan
May 31, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) partnered with the state of Tennessee on May 26th to host a webinar on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan titled, HCBS Implementation and the Statewide ...
CMS Finalizes Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Rules, Providing Access to Behavioral Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
April 29, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released final regulations on mental health and substance abuse disorder parity for people in Medicaid Managed Care Organization, (MCOs), Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans (ABPs), and Children’s ...
Department of Health and Human Services Releases Report on the Benefits of Expanding Medicaid to Cover More Behavioral Health Programs, Including Its Impact on Employee Productiveness
April 29, 2016 | story
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report on how expanding Medicaid could provide more Americans with access to both health insurance and behavioral health services. According to DHHS, people who need behavioral health services make ...
Congress Considering Bills that Would Expand the Amount Working People with Disabilities Can Save in ABLE Accounts
April 29, 2016 | story
Three bills were recently introduced in Congress that would expand the flexibility and the number of people who have access to the tax-advantaged savings accounts created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). The bills are the ABLE To Work Act ...
Kansas State Officials “Sending Mixed Messages” on Disability-Related Medicaid Waiver Integration
April 29, 2016 | story
As reported in the Salina Post (04/05/16), Kansas state officials are giving conflicting timelines for when a massive change (i.e., waiver integration) in the way Kansans with disabilities receive Medicaid-funded services will occur. The planned waiver ...
CMS Approves Tennessee’s HCBS Transition Plan, Including Supported Employment Provisions
April 29, 2016 | story
On April 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted final approval for Tennessee’s Statewide Transition Plan, designed to bring the state into compliance with CMS’ final rules on home and community-based services (HCBS). CMS has ...
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Releases Its Recommendations for Improving Financing for Long-Term Services and Supports, Including Supported Employment
March 30, 2016 | story
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization founded by Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to promote bipartisan collaboration, recently released a report, Initial Recommendations to Improve the Financing of ...
Wisconsin: Update on Wisconsin’s Overhaul of Its Medicaid Program, IRIS, and Supported Employment Program
March 30, 2016 | story
Following several months of public forums (See October 2015’s Employment, Health, and Disability Update for some of the LEAD Center’s earlier coverage on Wisconsin), Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services has decided to replace its eight regional ...
Iowa’s Medicaid Program Moves to Managed Care for Its Services
March 30, 2016 | story
After more than a year of debate, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the state of Iowa’s plan to transition all of its Medicaid-funded services, including supported employment, to managed care, effective April 1, 2016. The new ...
Disability Advocates Create Comprehensive Toolkit Calling for Strong Implementation of the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule
February 29, 2016 | story
The HCBS Advocacy Coalition has released a three-part toolkit that explains the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule and its potential to promote the full integration of people with ...
EconSys and ODEP Release State Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates and Employment First Brief on Federal Resources
February 29, 2016 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Economic Systems, Inc. (EconSys) have jointly released a 50-state review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers for supported employment and ...
Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
February 29, 2016 | story
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered ...
EconSys and ODEP Release Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates for Supported Employment and Integrated Day Services across All 50 States
January 29, 2016 | story
In January 2016, the O ce of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) contracted with Economic Systems, Inc. and jointly released a review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers for supported ...
NASUAD Publishes Tip Sheets for Increasing MIPPA Outreach
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 2, 2015, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability (NASUAD) published two tip sheets designed to increase the number of low-income seniors and people with disabilities that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and ...
Oregon Court Approves Settlement in Lane v. Brown
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 29, 2015, the Department of Human Services was informed that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the final settlement in the historic Lane v. Brown community integration lawsuit in Oregon. The Final Settlement Agreement requires a ...
ANCOR and Disability Advocates Call for CMS to Consider Supported Employment and HCBS Services in Its Managed Care Network Adequacy Rulemaking
January 29, 2016 | story
The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and a coalition of disability rights advocates are urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider both supported employment and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) ...
Open Enrollment For The Affordable Care Act Began November 1st
December 31, 2015 | story
Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace began November 1, 2015 and will end on January 31, 2016. Consumers must sign up by December 15th if they wish to begin January 2016 with Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. The ...
Capitol Hill Budget Deal Avoids Premium Hikes and Budget Cuts in Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance
December 31, 2015 | story
The White House has proposed an FY2016 budget deal that would prevent the double-digit premium increases feared by many Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Specifically, the deal will stave off a 52 percent premium increase ...
CMS Issues Guidance on Non-Residential Settings for Home and Community-Based Services
December 22, 2015 | story
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued updated guidance on the effect of new home and community-based services (HCBS) regulations on non-residential settings. The new rule, which took effect in March 2014, prohibits states from ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Additional Updates And Concerns
December 15, 2015 | story
As the states continue to release home and community-based services (HCBS) transition plans, it has become clear that each state interprets the HCBS regulations in a different manner. Some of these interpretations classify a certain type of setting as meeting ...
ODEP and Administration for Community Living Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Expand Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL), building on a partnership between the two organizations that began in 2012, recently signed a memorandum of ...
Minnesota: New Olmstead Plan Addresses Barriers to Living in the Community Faced by People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 29, 2015, United States District Judge Donovan Frank, pursuant to an existing settlement agreement, approved a plan detailing Minnesota’s strategy to achieve compliance with Olmstead. Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., ...
Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Releases Interim Report
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 15, 2015, the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) released its Interim Report to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and ...
CMS Responds to Statewide HCBS Transition Plans
October 29, 2015 | story
As of October 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has sent 42 states Clarifications and/or Modifications Required for Initial Approval (CMIA) letters in response to each state’s published Statewide Transition Plan. These plans describe a ...
Kansas: State Delays Changes to Medicare/Medicaid System Until January 2017
October 29, 2015 | story
Kansas’ Department of Health and Environment and Department of Aging and Disability Services, after receiving feedback from stakeholders in the community (e.g., health care providers, people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, ...
CMS’ New HCBS Regulations Opens the Door to Competitive Employment for People with Disabilities
October 09, 2015 | blog
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), it is important that we take account of the incredible progress that has been made in the fight to ensure all people, including people with disabilities, have access to gainful and ...
Opportunity for Public Input into IRS’ Proposed Regulations for Implementing ABLE Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On June 19, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) its recommended approach for implementing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create ...
CMS Announces Performance-Based Payment Options for Employment Services
September 25, 2015 | story
At the annual Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Conference, hosted by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new performance-based options for ...
Department of Health and Human Services Proposes Revisions to the Non-Discrimination Policy of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed regulations to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination by health programs based on race, color, national origin, ...
Minnesota: Plaintiffs in Minnesota Lawsuit Claim Department of Human Services Underspent $1 Billion in Medicaid Disability Waiver Funds
September 25, 2015 | story
Minnesota attorneys, representing a group of plaintiffs with disabilities, are arguing that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services mismanaged money set aside for Medicaid HCBS waivers, leading to the plaintiffs’ placement on waiting lists for waivers ...
Utah: The Need for Healthcare Reform
September 25, 2015 | story
Disability rights advocates in Utah are expressing concern about a failed plan to expand Medicaid coverage by the end of this past July. The expansion, authorized under the Affordable Care Act, would have provided Medicaid coverage to all adults earning less ...
CMS Responds to State Transition Plans
August 26, 2015 | story
Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) took effect in the beginning of 2014, each state has had to produce a transition plan outlining a schedule and strategy for bringing all services ...
State Medicaid Integration Tracker Update Published for July
August 26, 2015 | story
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has published the July 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. NASUAD’s State Medicaid Integration Tracker is a monthly report summarizing changes in each state on ...
National Quality Forum Publishes Interim Report on HCBS, Convenes Stakeholder Committee on Quality Measurement
August 26, 2015 | story
Over the past several months, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a stakeholder committee to develop recommendations to improve quality measurement for Medicaid Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS). NQF recently released its interim report ...
Massachusetts: University Of Massachusetts Medical School Partners with State to Increase Employment of People With Disabilities
August 26, 2015 | story
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine Disability, Health and Employment Policy unit hosts a program that assists people with disabilities seeking employment. In July, the UMass Medical School announced a new partnership ...
New Jersey: Governor’s Medicaid Proposal Would Shift Costs to New Jersey Taxpayers and Health Care Providers
August 26, 2015 | story
Governor Chris Christie has announced a proposal to curtail federal funding for Medicaid as part of a per capita cap that would remove $15 billion in federal funds over eight years. The proposal would be the largest Medicaid funding reduction in New ...
Alaska: Governor Announces Alaska to Become the 30th State to Expand Medicaid
August 26, 2015 | story
Following 29 other states and the District of Columbia, Alaskan Governor Bill Walker has announced that the state will be accepting additional federal funds to expand Medicaid, which will bring $146 million to the state in its first year and provide health ...
New Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Changes and Updated State Plan Amendments in Washington State, Tennessee And Indiana
July 31, 2015 | story
States have continued to submit transition plans to bring their Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs into compliance with new rules for community integration of HCBS settings. Washington State has submitted transition plans for ...
Massachusetts Home Health Workers Win Wage Hike to $15 Per Hour
July 31, 2015 | story
In the wake of national advocacy to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour across all labor sectors, home health workers who provide care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the clients they serve, have been at the forefront of low-paid ...
KANCARE Not Working for People with Disabilities, Advocates Say
July 31, 2015 | story
During a public listening session hosted by the National Council on Disability (NCD) earlier this month, disability rights advocates, including representatives from the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, spoke on concerns about the capacity of KanCare, the ...
Senator Grassley Introduces New Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Community-Based Options
June 30, 2015 | story
Late last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced a measure to provide financial incentives to states for increasing communitybased services for people with disabilities. The Transition to Independence Act ...
Changes Recommended for Medicaid Managed Care
June 30, 2015 | story
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released draft rules on network adequacy for privatized Medicaid, also known as managed care. The network adequacy guidance include quality ratings, profit guidelines, and safeguards to protect members with ...
IRS Releases Proposed ABLE Act Regulations
June 30, 2015 | story
On Friday June 19th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The NPRM stipulates the proposed rules and regulations by which the program ...
Kaiser Releases New Analysis Detailing Potential Impact of King V. Burwell
June 30, 2015 | story
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced a new analysis and interactive maps showing the potential impact of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging whether low- and moderate-income ...
Connecticut: Budget Would Cut Health, Social Services, But Less Than Original Plan
June 30, 2015 | story
The budget deal between Connecticut’s Democratic legislators and Governor Dan Malloy will cut millions from healthcare programs serving people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, but aims to decrease the overall amount of cuts originally ...
Ohio: Developmental Disabilities Service Delivery System Changing
June 30, 2015 | story
Ohio state law began to mandate county boards for developmental disabilities in 1967 in order to create options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive community-based services instead of being placed in state-run institutions. ...
Virginia is First State to Pass ABLE Act Implementation Legislation to Lessen Financial Strains for Those with Disabilities
May 29, 2015 | story
In April, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law the state’s Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which permits certain people with disabilities to maintain tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover a variety of expenses, including ...
Special Commission Finds Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit New Hampshire’s Economy
May 29, 2015 | story
New Hampshire has convened a special commission to study the potential consequences of expanding the state’s Medicaid budget. Preliminary evidence indicates that expansion would benefit around 58,000 low-income residents7 . New Hampshire’s Department of ...
New Proposed Rule on Mental Health Parity in Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule in April 2015 that applies mental health parity requirements to publicly-funded health plans. The rule would eliminate hard limits on coverage (such as caps on the number of ...
Mathematica Releases Annual Report on Money Follows the Person Program
April 30, 2015 | story
Mathematica Policy Research released its fifth annual evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report examined the experiences of 19,877 MFP participants in 30 states. The ...
Minnesota Must Submit Statewide Olmstead Plan Following 2011 Settlement
April 30, 2015 | story
In response to a 2011 settlement agreement over violations of the 1999 Olmstead decision requiring services to be offered in the most integrated setting possible, the State of Minnesota created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to produce a statewide plan for ...
New Hampshire Bill Proposes Ending Medicaid Expansion
April 30, 2015 | story
The new budget recommended by New Hampshire’s House Finance Committee includes a proposal to end the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP), which is the state’s Medicaid expansion program created through bipartisan legislation last year. NHHPP ...
New York Bill Proposes Expansion of Home Health Workforce
April 30, 2015 | story
The New York Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team has proposed a new bill to permit home health aides to perform certain tasks that they are currently prohibited from providing, such as administering medications. The proposal creates a new designation of ...
Montana Republican Unveils New Bill to Expand Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Montana legislature passed a bill that will expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL), as outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will also require enrollees to pay monthly premiums and ...
LEAD Center Hosts Webinar on CMS Guidance on Non-Residential Services and Its Implications for Employment
March 31, 2015 | story
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National LEAD Center, hosted a webinar entitled, “Redefining Home ...
FEATURED AGENCY Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
March 31, 2015 | story
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes several new and exciting mandates aimed at increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the American workforce. Among those mandates is the establishment of the “Advisory ...
New Study on Employer Compliance with Mental Health Parity Laws
March 30, 2015 | story
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, based on surveys of human resources and disability professionals of diverse employers from across the nation. Of the 314 employers who responded ...
New Mathematica Policy Article on Long-Term Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports for Supplemental Security Income Recipients
March 30, 2015 | story
Professional staff from the Mathematica Policy Research’s Center for Studying Disability Policy has published a new article in the Social Security Bulletin exploring long-term cumulative statistics on work and employment supports used by Supplemental ...
State Transition Plan Highlight: New Jersey Transition Plan Would Improve Day, Employment and Housing Services
March 30, 2015 | story
New Jersey’s state transition plan, to bring programs and services for people with disabilities into compliance with the CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), includes major changes to day, employment and housing services. Each state ...
NDI Unveils ABLE Resource Center and Update on ABLE Implementation
February 27, 2015 | story
National Disability Institute (NDI) announced a new Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Resource Center to consolidate information, resources and advocacy materials on state implementation of the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act enables individuals with ...
New Guide on Mental Health Parity in Workplaces
February 27, 2015 | story
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health released a new guide on employer compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Act aims to equalize insurance-related financial requirements and treatment options for employees with mental ...
North Carolina Services for People with Disabilities at Heart of Class-Action Settlement
February 27, 2015 | story
Five families settled a class-action suit against North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services and Piedmont Behavioral Health (now Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions) originally filed in 2011. The managed care organization had ...
California Agrees to Transform Employment Services for People with Disabilities - Many Paid Through Medicaid
February 27, 2015 | story
Three California agencies and the state protection and advocacy system have announced a new collaboration on a six-month blueprint to encourage competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The blueprint will ...
Open Enrollment Ends February 15
January 30, 2015 | story
Workers with disabilities seeking individual health insurance coverage will be able to enroll in plans via healthcare.org until February 15, 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace must be ...
Judge Strikes Down New Overtime Rules for Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has recently issued two decisions striking down aspects of a Department of Labor regulation governing overtime pay for home care workers for people with disabilities. The regulation made most home care workers for people ...
Proposed Virginia Medicaid Budget Caps Hours of Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposed Medicaid budget contains language forbidding some home health workers for working for more than one family as well as capping overtime hours for workers paid under certain waivers.7 The proposed changes may limit workers ...
Delaware 1915(I) Plan Starting January 2015 Will Focus on Employment Supports for Workers with Disabilities
January 30, 2015 | story
Delaware’s Pathways to Employment program, which will provide a variety of employment services to people with targeted disabilities, came into effect on January 1, 2015.8 Under the program, employment and transition services for people with intellectual ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Release New Regulations on Home and Community-Based Settings
March 30, 2014 | story
On Jan. 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations governing home and community-based services (HCBS) provided through state Medicaid programs. The regulations clarify that, in order to receive federal HCBS funding for ...
Medicaid Managed Care for People with Disabilities
March 18, 2013 | resource
According to a recent state-by-state survey, more than half of U.S. states are planning to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans in an attempt to slow the growth rate of federal-state spending and improve the quality and ...
Promoting Leadership: Effective Strategies for Integrating Employment Outcomes and Services into Managed Care Models
December 31, 1969 | webinar
During this webinar we will provide a brief overview on the emergence of managed care as the preferred model for delivering Medicaid-funded long-term supports to individuals with disabilities. We will discuss a variety of strategies for embedding integrated ...
Innovative Strategies for Using Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Options to Promote Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings – The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Medicaid Managed Care and Its Implications on Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
As states continue to transition their Medicaid systems into managed care models, numerous opportunities and risks to Medicaid-financed employment services have emerged. This webinar will provide an overview of Medicaid Managed Care and its potential ...
New CMS Regulation on HCBS Settings: Implications for Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
In the aftermath of CMS' recent regulation defining acceptable and unacceptable settings for Home and Community Based Services, states and stakeholders are now considering how to transition their service-provision systems into compliance with the new CMS ...
Using Medicaid Buy-In to Support Employment and Economic Advancement
December 31, 1969 | webinar
Medicaid Buy-In (MBI), also known as Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities, breaks down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. It allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid-funded services not available through other insurers. Most ...
WIOA Implementation Partnerships: The Important Role of Centers for Independent Living
December 31, 1969 | webinar
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides new opportunities for American Job Centers (AJCs) to partner with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) leading to improved employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. To support these ...
Most Integrated Employment Settings: Tools to Advance System Outcomes in Your State
December 31, 1969 | webinar
ODEP developed the Most Integrated Employment Settings (MIES) State Self-Assessment to promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems. This user-friendly tool will help states pinpoint where they may need to focus more ...
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“On behalf of the State Rehabilitation Council (SRC) of Tennessee, I am privileged to present the 2019 SRC Annual Report to provide an update on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation Program and to highlight the work of the SRC during the past year. We address the key accomplishments of the VR...
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The Top 10 Reasons for Visiting the DRIVE Website
June 29, 2020 | story
WIOA Disability-Related Reporting: DRIVE is the only website where you can retrieve WIOA Reporting data related to people with disabilities in your state, county, or Employment & Training Administration (ETA) region. National Disability & ...
Understanding Medicaid Buy-in: A Tool to Advance Employment for People with Disabilities
July 23, 2019 | resource
This document was initially distributed through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) listserve. LEAD Center worked with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and ACL on this document. ACL, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Senate Finance Committee Announces Bipartisan Hearings on Health Care in September
August 31, 2017 | story
The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) has announced that it will hold bipartisan hearings on how to “stabilize and strengthen” the individual insurance market during the first week of September. According to Senator Lamar ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
August 31, 2017 | story
Kentucky Receives Final Approval for Its HCBS Transition Plan On June 13, 2017, Kentucky received final approval for its home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plan from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Final approval was ...
Kentucky Submits Amendment to add a Work Requirement to its Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver
August 31, 2017 | story
On July 3, 2017, Kentucky submitted an amendment to its Section 1115 waiver proposal, Kentucky HEALTH, which would make changes to Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion. The proposal with its amendment would require all adults covered by the Medicaid expansion, as ...
Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Truyven Health Analytics Release Report on Medicaid-Funded Long-term Services and Supports Expenditures for FY 2015
August 31, 2017 | story
Truyven Health Analytics, a division of IBM Watson Health Business, produces annual reports each year of Medicaid long-term services and supports expenditures and how they change over time. Truyven recently released its latest report, “Medicaid Expenditures ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Extends Deadline for Full Implementation of Medicaid HCBS Settings Rule to March 17, 2022
May 31, 2017 | story
On May 9, 2017, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin that extends the compliance deadline for all settings subject to CMS’s home and community-based services (HCBS) Final Rule. The new deadline is ...
Henry J. Kaiser Foundation Releases Issue Brief on Proposed Work Requirements Advanced in State Medicaid Programs
May 31, 2017 | story
On March 23, 2017, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on publishing research and information on health care issues in America, published an issue brief that discusses proposed work requirements as part of different ...
Council on Quality and Leadership Releases Study on Supported Employment Services in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Waivers
May 31, 2017 | story
The Council on Quality and Leadership, an organization dedicated to measuring the quality of community life for people with disabilities, released the results of a study that examined how Medicaid-funded Home and Community-Based Services waivers provided ...
CMS RFI Seeks Information on How to Accelerate Access to Home and Community-Based Services
November 29, 2016 | story
On November 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Request for Information (RFI) entitled, “Medicaid Program Request for Information (RFI): Federal Government Interventions to Ensure the Provision of Timely and Quality ...
CMS Releases National Data Report for 2012 on Demographics of Beneficiaries Receiving Medicaid-Funded Long-Term Services and Support
November 29, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its report “Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries in 2012,” which describes the 2012 population who were receiving Medicaid-funded Long-Term Services and Supports ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
HCBS Transition Plans Update
November 29, 2016 | story
Arkansas On November 7, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval for the Arkansas HCBS Transition Plan. CMS stated that they granted initial approval because the state completed its systemic assessment and clearly ...
September HCBS Transition Plan Update
October 03, 2016 | story
In September, the states of Iowa and Pennsylvania were granted initial approval of their HCBS Transition Plans by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The state of Florida released a revised version of its HCBS Transition Plan and posted it ...
Research on Disability Releases Monthly nTIDE Report and Webinar which Shows Rising Disability Employment
September 30, 2016 | story
On September 2, 2016, Research on Disability, a coalition of disability-focused research projects at the Institute on Disability and University of New Hampshire, released their latest National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE) report and “Lunch and ...
CMS Releases Report on Medicaid LTSS Expenditures
August 30, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a report on changes to long-term services and supports (LTSS), “Improving the Balance: The Evolution of Medicaid Expenditures for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), FY ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Update on Select Plans
August 30, 2016 | story
During the months of July and August, the states of Missouri, Massachusetts, and Arkansas released revised versions of their home and community-based services (HCBS) Transition Plans and posted them for public comment. The state of Delaware was granted ...
HCBS Advocacy
August 07, 2016 | resource
In January 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued final regulations on acceptable and unacceptable home and community based services (HCBS) settings. This website, supported by Association of Unversity Centers on ...
CMS Grants Initial Approval to HCBS Transition Plans for Kentucky and Ohio
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 2, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted initial approval to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Transition Plans of Kentucky and Ohio. Kentucky and Ohio are now the second and third states to receive initial ...
Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Release Memo Detailing Major Changes to Authorization of Facility-Based Day Services Under Its Section 1915(c) Intellectual Disability Waivers
June 29, 2016 | story
On June 20, 2016, Tennessee’s Bureau of TennCare and the Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, released a memo detailing major changes to the way in which the state will authorize facility-based day services, including employment ...
CMS Releases Its Final Rule Addressing Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS), including Employment LTSS, Under Managed Care Plans
May 31, 2016 | story
On April 25, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a comprehensive Final Rule on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. The rule is the first major overhaul of the managed care rules in ...
CMS Releases Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements in HCBS Settings Requirements Compliance Toolkit
May 31, 2016 | story
CMS has recently released a new section of its Settings Requirements Compliance toolkit, titled Frequently Asked Questions on Planned Construction and Person-Centered Planning Requirements. The resource addresses a number of questions that people have had, ...
Unclear Language in Iowa’s Health Care Budget Bill Prevents $750,000 from Being Spent on Supported Employment
May 31, 2016 | story
Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 9, 2016 that, due to an unclear statement of how money was to be spent in a 2015 health care budget bill, $750,000 initially allocated to increase supported employment has not been spent. The ...
CMS & ACL Partner with Tennessee To Host Webinar for Advocates and External Stakeholders on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan
May 31, 2016 | story
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Community Living (ACL) partnered with the state of Tennessee on May 26th to host a webinar on Tennessee’s State HCBS Transition Plan titled, HCBS Implementation and the Statewide ...
CMS Finalizes Medicaid and CHIP Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Rules, Providing Access to Behavioral Health and Vocational Rehabilitation Services
April 29, 2016 | story
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released final regulations on mental health and substance abuse disorder parity for people in Medicaid Managed Care Organization, (MCOs), Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans (ABPs), and Children’s ...
Department of Health and Human Services Releases Report on the Benefits of Expanding Medicaid to Cover More Behavioral Health Programs, Including Its Impact on Employee Productiveness
April 29, 2016 | story
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report on how expanding Medicaid could provide more Americans with access to both health insurance and behavioral health services. According to DHHS, people who need behavioral health services make ...
Congress Considering Bills that Would Expand the Amount Working People with Disabilities Can Save in ABLE Accounts
April 29, 2016 | story
Three bills were recently introduced in Congress that would expand the flexibility and the number of people who have access to the tax-advantaged savings accounts created by the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE). The bills are the ABLE To Work Act ...
Kansas State Officials “Sending Mixed Messages” on Disability-Related Medicaid Waiver Integration
April 29, 2016 | story
As reported in the Salina Post (04/05/16), Kansas state officials are giving conflicting timelines for when a massive change (i.e., waiver integration) in the way Kansans with disabilities receive Medicaid-funded services will occur. The planned waiver ...
CMS Approves Tennessee’s HCBS Transition Plan, Including Supported Employment Provisions
April 29, 2016 | story
On April 13, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) granted final approval for Tennessee’s Statewide Transition Plan, designed to bring the state into compliance with CMS’ final rules on home and community-based services (HCBS). CMS has ...
Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Releases Its Recommendations for Improving Financing for Long-Term Services and Supports, Including Supported Employment
March 30, 2016 | story
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), a nonprofit organization founded by Senators Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell to promote bipartisan collaboration, recently released a report, Initial Recommendations to Improve the Financing of ...
Wisconsin: Update on Wisconsin’s Overhaul of Its Medicaid Program, IRIS, and Supported Employment Program
March 30, 2016 | story
Following several months of public forums (See October 2015’s Employment, Health, and Disability Update for some of the LEAD Center’s earlier coverage on Wisconsin), Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services has decided to replace its eight regional ...
Iowa’s Medicaid Program Moves to Managed Care for Its Services
March 30, 2016 | story
After more than a year of debate, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the state of Iowa’s plan to transition all of its Medicaid-funded services, including supported employment, to managed care, effective April 1, 2016. The new ...
Disability Advocates Create Comprehensive Toolkit Calling for Strong Implementation of the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule
February 29, 2016 | story
The HCBS Advocacy Coalition has released a three-part toolkit that explains the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings rule and its potential to promote the full integration of people with ...
EconSys and ODEP Release State Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates and Employment First Brief on Federal Resources
February 29, 2016 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and Economic Systems, Inc. (EconSys) have jointly released a 50-state review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers for supported employment and ...
Update on HCBS Transition Plans: Washington State
February 29, 2016 | story
Washington State’s newly revised HCBS Transition Plan makes a number of important steps towards the full integration of people with disabilities into the community. It proposes a four-year plan to transition the state away from the use of sheltered ...
EconSys and ODEP Release Review of HCBS Reimbursement Rates for Supported Employment and Integrated Day Services across All 50 States
January 29, 2016 | story
In January 2016, the O ce of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) contracted with Economic Systems, Inc. and jointly released a review of the reimbursement rates and methodologies used in home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers for supported ...
NASUAD Publishes Tip Sheets for Increasing MIPPA Outreach
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 2, 2015, the National Association of States United for Aging and Disability (NASUAD) published two tip sheets designed to increase the number of low-income seniors and people with disabilities that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and ...
Oregon Court Approves Settlement in Lane v. Brown
January 29, 2016 | story
On December 29, 2015, the Department of Human Services was informed that U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice Stewart approved the final settlement in the historic Lane v. Brown community integration lawsuit in Oregon. The Final Settlement Agreement requires a ...
ANCOR and Disability Advocates Call for CMS to Consider Supported Employment and HCBS Services in Its Managed Care Network Adequacy Rulemaking
January 29, 2016 | story
The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) and a coalition of disability rights advocates are urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider both supported employment and Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) ...
Open Enrollment For The Affordable Care Act Began November 1st
December 31, 2015 | story
Open Enrollment for 2016 coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace began November 1, 2015 and will end on January 31, 2016. Consumers must sign up by December 15th if they wish to begin January 2016 with Health Insurance Marketplace coverage. The ...
Capitol Hill Budget Deal Avoids Premium Hikes and Budget Cuts in Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance
December 31, 2015 | story
The White House has proposed an FY2016 budget deal that would prevent the double-digit premium increases feared by many Medicaid and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries. Specifically, the deal will stave off a 52 percent premium increase ...
CMS Issues Guidance on Non-Residential Settings for Home and Community-Based Services
December 22, 2015 | story
On December 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued updated guidance on the effect of new home and community-based services (HCBS) regulations on non-residential settings. The new rule, which took effect in March 2014, prohibits states from ...
HCBS Transition Plans: Additional Updates And Concerns
December 15, 2015 | story
As the states continue to release home and community-based services (HCBS) transition plans, it has become clear that each state interprets the HCBS regulations in a different manner. Some of these interpretations classify a certain type of setting as meeting ...
ODEP and Administration for Community Living Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Expand Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL), building on a partnership between the two organizations that began in 2012, recently signed a memorandum of ...
Minnesota: New Olmstead Plan Addresses Barriers to Living in the Community Faced by People with Disabilities
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 29, 2015, United States District Judge Donovan Frank, pursuant to an existing settlement agreement, approved a plan detailing Minnesota’s strategy to achieve compliance with Olmstead. Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L.C., ...
Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive, Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities Releases Interim Report
October 29, 2015 | story
On September 15, 2015, the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID) released its Interim Report to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and ...
CMS Responds to Statewide HCBS Transition Plans
October 29, 2015 | story
As of October 2015, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has sent 42 states Clarifications and/or Modifications Required for Initial Approval (CMIA) letters in response to each state’s published Statewide Transition Plan. These plans describe a ...
Kansas: State Delays Changes to Medicare/Medicaid System Until January 2017
October 29, 2015 | story
Kansas’ Department of Health and Environment and Department of Aging and Disability Services, after receiving feedback from stakeholders in the community (e.g., health care providers, people with disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, ...
CMS’ New HCBS Regulations Opens the Door to Competitive Employment for People with Disabilities
October 09, 2015 | blog
As we celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), it is important that we take account of the incredible progress that has been made in the fight to ensure all people, including people with disabilities, have access to gainful and ...
Opportunity for Public Input into IRS’ Proposed Regulations for Implementing ABLE Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On June 19, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) posted in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) its recommended approach for implementing the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014. The ABLE Act allows people with disabilities to create ...
CMS Announces Performance-Based Payment Options for Employment Services
September 25, 2015 | story
At the annual Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Conference, hosted by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new performance-based options for ...
Department of Health and Human Services Proposes Revisions to the Non-Discrimination Policy of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act
September 25, 2015 | story
On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed regulations to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which prohibits discrimination by health programs based on race, color, national origin, ...
Minnesota: Plaintiffs in Minnesota Lawsuit Claim Department of Human Services Underspent $1 Billion in Medicaid Disability Waiver Funds
September 25, 2015 | story
Minnesota attorneys, representing a group of plaintiffs with disabilities, are arguing that Minnesota’s Department of Human Services mismanaged money set aside for Medicaid HCBS waivers, leading to the plaintiffs’ placement on waiting lists for waivers ...
Utah: The Need for Healthcare Reform
September 25, 2015 | story
Disability rights advocates in Utah are expressing concern about a failed plan to expand Medicaid coverage by the end of this past July. The expansion, authorized under the Affordable Care Act, would have provided Medicaid coverage to all adults earning less ...
CMS Responds to State Transition Plans
August 26, 2015 | story
Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) took effect in the beginning of 2014, each state has had to produce a transition plan outlining a schedule and strategy for bringing all services ...
State Medicaid Integration Tracker Update Published for July
August 26, 2015 | story
The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has published the July 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker. NASUAD’s State Medicaid Integration Tracker is a monthly report summarizing changes in each state on ...
National Quality Forum Publishes Interim Report on HCBS, Convenes Stakeholder Committee on Quality Measurement
August 26, 2015 | story
Over the past several months, the National Quality Forum (NQF) has convened a stakeholder committee to develop recommendations to improve quality measurement for Medicaid Home and CommunityBased Services (HCBS). NQF recently released its interim report ...
Massachusetts: University Of Massachusetts Medical School Partners with State to Increase Employment of People With Disabilities
August 26, 2015 | story
The University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Commonwealth Medicine Disability, Health and Employment Policy unit hosts a program that assists people with disabilities seeking employment. In July, the UMass Medical School announced a new partnership ...
New Jersey: Governor’s Medicaid Proposal Would Shift Costs to New Jersey Taxpayers and Health Care Providers
August 26, 2015 | story
Governor Chris Christie has announced a proposal to curtail federal funding for Medicaid as part of a per capita cap that would remove $15 billion in federal funds over eight years. The proposal would be the largest Medicaid funding reduction in New ...
Alaska: Governor Announces Alaska to Become the 30th State to Expand Medicaid
August 26, 2015 | story
Following 29 other states and the District of Columbia, Alaskan Governor Bill Walker has announced that the state will be accepting additional federal funds to expand Medicaid, which will bring $146 million to the state in its first year and provide health ...
New Home and Community-Based Services Waiver Changes and Updated State Plan Amendments in Washington State, Tennessee And Indiana
July 31, 2015 | story
States have continued to submit transition plans to bring their Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver programs into compliance with new rules for community integration of HCBS settings. Washington State has submitted transition plans for ...
Massachusetts Home Health Workers Win Wage Hike to $15 Per Hour
July 31, 2015 | story
In the wake of national advocacy to raise minimum wage to $15 per hour across all labor sectors, home health workers who provide care for seniors and people with disabilities, as well as the clients they serve, have been at the forefront of low-paid ...
KANCARE Not Working for People with Disabilities, Advocates Say
July 31, 2015 | story
During a public listening session hosted by the National Council on Disability (NCD) earlier this month, disability rights advocates, including representatives from the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, spoke on concerns about the capacity of KanCare, the ...
Senator Grassley Introduces New Bill to Incentivize Medicaid Community-Based Options
June 30, 2015 | story
Late last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced a measure to provide financial incentives to states for increasing communitybased services for people with disabilities. The Transition to Independence Act ...
Changes Recommended for Medicaid Managed Care
June 30, 2015 | story
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released draft rules on network adequacy for privatized Medicaid, also known as managed care. The network adequacy guidance include quality ratings, profit guidelines, and safeguards to protect members with ...
IRS Releases Proposed ABLE Act Regulations
June 30, 2015 | story
On Friday June 19th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released the highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. The NPRM stipulates the proposed rules and regulations by which the program ...
Kaiser Releases New Analysis Detailing Potential Impact of King V. Burwell
June 30, 2015 | story
The Kaiser Family Foundation announced a new analysis and interactive maps showing the potential impact of a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, the case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court challenging whether low- and moderate-income ...
Connecticut: Budget Would Cut Health, Social Services, But Less Than Original Plan
June 30, 2015 | story
The budget deal between Connecticut’s Democratic legislators and Governor Dan Malloy will cut millions from healthcare programs serving people with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses, but aims to decrease the overall amount of cuts originally ...
Ohio: Developmental Disabilities Service Delivery System Changing
June 30, 2015 | story
Ohio state law began to mandate county boards for developmental disabilities in 1967 in order to create options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to receive community-based services instead of being placed in state-run institutions. ...
Virginia is First State to Pass ABLE Act Implementation Legislation to Lessen Financial Strains for Those with Disabilities
May 29, 2015 | story
In April, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe signed into law the state’s Achieving A Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, which permits certain people with disabilities to maintain tax-advantaged savings accounts to cover a variety of expenses, including ...
Special Commission Finds Medicaid Expansion Would Benefit New Hampshire’s Economy
May 29, 2015 | story
New Hampshire has convened a special commission to study the potential consequences of expanding the state’s Medicaid budget. Preliminary evidence indicates that expansion would benefit around 58,000 low-income residents7 . New Hampshire’s Department of ...
New Proposed Rule on Mental Health Parity in Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule in April 2015 that applies mental health parity requirements to publicly-funded health plans. The rule would eliminate hard limits on coverage (such as caps on the number of ...
Mathematica Releases Annual Report on Money Follows the Person Program
April 30, 2015 | story
Mathematica Policy Research released its fifth annual evaluation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The report examined the experiences of 19,877 MFP participants in 30 states. The ...
Minnesota Must Submit Statewide Olmstead Plan Following 2011 Settlement
April 30, 2015 | story
In response to a 2011 settlement agreement over violations of the 1999 Olmstead decision requiring services to be offered in the most integrated setting possible, the State of Minnesota created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to produce a statewide plan for ...
New Hampshire Bill Proposes Ending Medicaid Expansion
April 30, 2015 | story
The new budget recommended by New Hampshire’s House Finance Committee includes a proposal to end the New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP), which is the state’s Medicaid expansion program created through bipartisan legislation last year. NHHPP ...
New York Bill Proposes Expansion of Home Health Workforce
April 30, 2015 | story
The New York Governor’s Medicaid Redesign Team has proposed a new bill to permit home health aides to perform certain tasks that they are currently prohibited from providing, such as administering medications. The proposal creates a new designation of ...
Montana Republican Unveils New Bill to Expand Medicaid
April 30, 2015 | story
The Montana legislature passed a bill that will expand Medicaid eligibility to people with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL), as outlined by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). It will also require enrollees to pay monthly premiums and ...
LEAD Center Hosts Webinar on CMS Guidance on Non-Residential Services and Its Implications for Employment
March 31, 2015 | story
On March 25, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National LEAD Center, hosted a webinar entitled, “Redefining Home ...
FEATURED AGENCY Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities
March 31, 2015 | story
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) establishes several new and exciting mandates aimed at increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities in the American workforce. Among those mandates is the establishment of the “Advisory ...
New Study on Employer Compliance with Mental Health Parity Laws
March 30, 2015 | story
The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) has published a new report on mental health in the workplace, based on surveys of human resources and disability professionals of diverse employers from across the nation. Of the 314 employers who responded ...
New Mathematica Policy Article on Long-Term Work Activity and Use of Employment Supports for Supplemental Security Income Recipients
March 30, 2015 | story
Professional staff from the Mathematica Policy Research’s Center for Studying Disability Policy has published a new article in the Social Security Bulletin exploring long-term cumulative statistics on work and employment supports used by Supplemental ...
State Transition Plan Highlight: New Jersey Transition Plan Would Improve Day, Employment and Housing Services
March 30, 2015 | story
New Jersey’s state transition plan, to bring programs and services for people with disabilities into compliance with the CMS Final Rule on Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), includes major changes to day, employment and housing services. Each state ...
NDI Unveils ABLE Resource Center and Update on ABLE Implementation
February 27, 2015 | story
National Disability Institute (NDI) announced a new Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Resource Center to consolidate information, resources and advocacy materials on state implementation of the ABLE Act. The ABLE Act enables individuals with ...
New Guide on Mental Health Parity in Workplaces
February 27, 2015 | story
The Partnership for Workplace Mental Health released a new guide on employer compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Act aims to equalize insurance-related financial requirements and treatment options for employees with mental ...
North Carolina Services for People with Disabilities at Heart of Class-Action Settlement
February 27, 2015 | story
Five families settled a class-action suit against North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services and Piedmont Behavioral Health (now Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions) originally filed in 2011. The managed care organization had ...
California Agrees to Transform Employment Services for People with Disabilities - Many Paid Through Medicaid
February 27, 2015 | story
Three California agencies and the state protection and advocacy system have announced a new collaboration on a six-month blueprint to encourage competitive integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The blueprint will ...
Open Enrollment Ends February 15
January 30, 2015 | story
Workers with disabilities seeking individual health insurance coverage will be able to enroll in plans via healthcare.org until February 15, 2015. Under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace must be ...
Judge Strikes Down New Overtime Rules for Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
A federal court in Washington, D.C. has recently issued two decisions striking down aspects of a Department of Labor regulation governing overtime pay for home care workers for people with disabilities. The regulation made most home care workers for people ...
Proposed Virginia Medicaid Budget Caps Hours of Home Care Workers
January 30, 2015 | story
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s proposed Medicaid budget contains language forbidding some home health workers for working for more than one family as well as capping overtime hours for workers paid under certain waivers.7 The proposed changes may limit workers ...
Delaware 1915(I) Plan Starting January 2015 Will Focus on Employment Supports for Workers with Disabilities
January 30, 2015 | story
Delaware’s Pathways to Employment program, which will provide a variety of employment services to people with targeted disabilities, came into effect on January 1, 2015.8 Under the program, employment and transition services for people with intellectual ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Release New Regulations on Home and Community-Based Settings
March 30, 2014 | story
On Jan. 10, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new regulations governing home and community-based services (HCBS) provided through state Medicaid programs. The regulations clarify that, in order to receive federal HCBS funding for ...
Medicaid Managed Care for People with Disabilities
March 18, 2013 | resource
According to a recent state-by-state survey, more than half of U.S. states are planning to increase the number of Medicaid beneficiaries enrolled in managed care plans in an attempt to slow the growth rate of federal-state spending and improve the quality and ...
Promoting Leadership: Effective Strategies for Integrating Employment Outcomes and Services into Managed Care Models
December 31, 1969 | webinar
During this webinar we will provide a brief overview on the emergence of managed care as the preferred model for delivering Medicaid-funded long-term supports to individuals with disabilities. We will discuss a variety of strategies for embedding integrated ...
Innovative Strategies for Using Medicaid State Plan and Waiver Options to Promote Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Implications of HCBS Final Rule on Non-Residential Settings – The Impact of New HCBS Guidance on Employment & Day Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
BACKGROUND: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, in collaboration with the Disability & Elderly Public Health Group within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, invite you to two upcoming educational webinars ...
Medicaid Managed Care and Its Implications on Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
As states continue to transition their Medicaid systems into managed care models, numerous opportunities and risks to Medicaid-financed employment services have emerged. This webinar will provide an overview of Medicaid Managed Care and its potential ...
New CMS Regulation on HCBS Settings: Implications for Employment Services
December 31, 1969 | webinar
In the aftermath of CMS' recent regulation defining acceptable and unacceptable settings for Home and Community Based Services, states and stakeholders are now considering how to transition their service-provision systems into compliance with the new CMS ...
Using Medicaid Buy-In to Support Employment and Economic Advancement
December 31, 1969 | webinar
Medicaid Buy-In (MBI), also known as Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities, breaks down barriers to employment for people with disabilities. It allows workers with disabilities access to Medicaid-funded services not available through other insurers. Most ...
WIOA Implementation Partnerships: The Important Role of Centers for Independent Living
December 31, 1969 | webinar
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides new opportunities for American Job Centers (AJCs) to partner with Centers for Independent Living (CILs) leading to improved employment outcomes for job seekers with disabilities. To support these ...
Most Integrated Employment Settings: Tools to Advance System Outcomes in Your State
December 31, 1969 | webinar
ODEP developed the Most Integrated Employment Settings (MIES) State Self-Assessment to promote cross-system coordination and to track progress within and between systems. This user-friendly tool will help states pinpoint where they may need to focus more ...