Secretary Sebelius Releases New State by State Reports Highlighting Urgent Need for Health Reform

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a series of new reports on the health care status quo that highlight the urgent need for health reform across the nation. The new reports are available at www.HealthReform.gov and include information on health care cost and quality in all fifty states. Read more!

Make Appointments to Meet with Your Member of Congress During July 4th Recess

Make appointments to meet with your members of Congress during the July 4th Congressional recess (June 30th -July 3rd)! Watch for Town Hall Meeting notices from ANCOR that list other opportunities to reach out to members of Congress and their staff. Read more!

DOL Annouces Disability Employment Month Theme: Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced “Expectation + Opportunity = Full Participation” as the official theme for October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month. It is intended to urge employers, as they seek to fill positions, to embrace the richness of America’s diversity by considering the talents of all workers, including workers with disabilities.

This year’s theme emphasizes the vision of the Labor Department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP): a world in which people with disabilities have unlimited employment opportunities. Early selection of an annual theme for upcoming National Disability Employment Awareness Month helps the private sector; federal, state and local governments; and advocacy organizations plan events and programs that showcase the abilities and skills of job seekers and working Americans who have disabilities.

ODEP is the nation’s first assistant secretary-led office that addresses policies that impact upon the employment of people with disabilities. The office provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing the use of evidence-based disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on the employment of people with disabilities.

As background for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Public Law 176, enacted by Congress in 1945, designated the first week in October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” President Harry S. Truman designated the (now former) President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities to carry out the law. Congress changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month” in 1988. The responsibility for leading the nationwide recognition was transferred to the newly created ODEP in 2001. Read more!

Six New Co-Sponsors in June for Workforce Bill

Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT, and Steve Isreal (D-NY) have recently signed on to the Direct Support Professional Fairness and Security Act (H.R. 868)! Thank you to ANCOR members in Minnesota, Texas, Connecticut, and New York for reaching out to these members.

See all 23 members of Congress supporting the bill so far! Read more!

Questions About Pan Flu?

ANCOR will continue its dialog with CMS as this situation unfolds. If you have questions about pandemic flu or emergency preparedness, or information on what your state is doing to prepare providers, please contact Jessica Sadowsky (jsadowsky@ancor.org) Read more!

CMS June 17th Letter to Medicaid Directors Summarizing ARRA

This letter is one of a series designed to provide guidance on the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Public Law 111-5. It summarizes most sections of ARRA that impact titles XIX (the Medicaid program) and XXI (the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and provides detail on the sections specific to payments that should not be counted for purposes of eligibility for Federal programs. This letter includes information on the FMAP and disregard of one-time only SSI $250 check for purposes of all federally funded programs. Read more!

State Revenues Plunge

Personal income taxes paid to the states plummeted 26 percent, or $28.8 billion, in the first four months of 2009, compared with the same time period last year, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government said in its June 18 report.
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President Proclaims Year of Community Living

Marking the 10th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision, President Obama launched a new effort to assist Americans with disabilities—The Year of Community Living. The President directed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports, and independent living arrangements. In joining the President in commemorating the anniversary of the Olmstead decision, HHS Secretary Sebelius announced that agencies within her department would begin aggressively addressing barriers that prevent some Americans with disabilities from enjoying a meaningful life as part of their community.

Throughout this “Year of Community Living,” HHS will hold listening sessions, giving stakeholders an opportunity to come together for a common purpose: overcoming barriers to community-based living for people with disabilities and the elderly. These forums will help HHS craft the agenda to improve federal programs and better support the efforts of state and local government.

HUD announced that it will make1,000 housing vouchers available for individuals with disabilities transitioning from institutions to the community—targeting states operating Money Follows the Person Demonstration programs. HUD will award an additional 3,000 housing vouchers to serve non-elderly people with disabilities and encourage Public Housing Authorities to form working relationships with state Medicaid agencies interested in addressing community living needs of beneficiaries.
See the next issue of LINKs for more information. Read more!

CMS Issues Advance Notice of HCBS Waiver Rulemaking

The June 22nd Federal Register included a CMS Advanced notice of proposed rulemaking on the Medicaid 1915(c) waiver. The notice invites advanced public comments by August 21, 2009. The “advanced” notice is an announcement of CMS’ intention to publish a proposed rule and solicit public comments on the changes. Last year, ANCOR provided CMS with comments on the areas it is now asking for public comments on in this advanced notice. CMS is seeking to make changes in several areas: providing states with the option of designing 1915(c) waivers to serve more than one targeted population based on functional need rather than diagnosis or condition: recommendations to strengthen person-centered principles in HCBS waiver; requirements related to identifying home and community-based character of HCBS settings; and standards for defining home and community under waivers and CMS approval of a state’s definition. ANCOR will be submitting comments to CMS. Read more!