House and Senate to Debate Budgets Next Week

The House and Senate Budget Committees each passed this week their version of the FY 2010 non-binding spending blueprint. The Senate is devoting next week solely to consideration of its $3.5 trillion budget resolution, which does not contain any reconciliation instructions. However, Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) said the possibility of using reconciliation is not "off the table." The House will turn its attention to its own version of the $3.5 trillion FY 2010 spending outline. Unlike the Senate version, the House resolution includes reconciliation instructions to help implement the president's health and education policies. Read more!

Section 811 Reform Legislation Reintroduced in House

Representatives Murphy (D-CT) and Biggert (R-IL) Re-Introduced on Monday Section 811 Reform Legislation. The Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act (H.R. 1675) would modernize the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program and create a Project-Rental Assistance Demonstration program to expand the supply of permanent supportive housing for low-income persons with disabilities. The Section 811 program is the only Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) permanent supportive housing program exclusively serving persons with disabilities. The new Section 811 legislation (H.R. 1675) was re-introduced with the same language as the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2008 (H.R. 5772), which passed in the House unanimously in September 2008. For more information, see the ANCOR Fact Sheet on this bill and information on ANCOR's Housing Web page on H.R. 5772. Read more!

CLASS Act Reintroduced in the Senate

Senator Kennedy (D-MA), Representatives Pallone (D-NJ) and Dingell (D-MI) Introduced this week the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. The measure (S. 697), would provide a cash benefit that would help adults with severe functional impairments obtain the services and supports they need to live and work independently in their communities. One of the main purposes of the ANCOR-supported bill is to reduce the number of individuals forced to live in poverty just so they can qualify for Medicaid. For more information, see the CLASS Act Fact Sheet. Text of the bill is not yet available. Read more!

Individuals with Disabilities in Washington Increasingly Struggle to Find Employment During Recession

As unemployment rates rise, the competition for jobs is having an increasingly negative effect on individuals with disabilities seeking employment in Washington state. The state's policy shifted recently to focus more on integrating people with disabilities into the community through individual job placement but the troubled economy has made it difficult to implement this policy. Read more!

Federal Officials Scrutinizing North Carolina's Spending of Stimulus Money

North Carolina is one if sixteen states selected for special federal oversight of stimulus spending. Federal investigators are on the ground in North Carolina to ensure that money is spent for its intended purposes and to examine whether the spending is getting results. North Carolina Governor Perdue says she will focus on transparency and accountability in spending federal relief dollars. Read more!

State Spending Choices Key to Economic Recovery

Stateline reported this week that the way in which states spend stimulus money will determine how effective stimulus dollars are in aiding the economy. Read more!

Senate Committee Examines Long-Term Care Options for Health Care Reform

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health Care held a hearing today entitled “The Role of Long-Term Care in Health Reform.” Subcommittee chairman John Rockefeller (D-WV) began the hearing by telling witnesses that long-term care is an essential component of health care reform and must be included in current efforts to reform the health care system. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) also spoke of his strong support of home and community based services. Witnesses including Judy Feder, PhD., Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, and Dennis G. Smith, Senior Research Fellow in Health Care Reform at The Heritage Foundation, discussed the benefits of home and community based services, long-term care financing and options for improving long-term care programs funded through Medicaid. Witnesses emphasized the benefit to people with disabilities of strengthening home and community based services within the Medicaid program. Click here to download a video of the hearing.
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CMS Issues Fact Sheet and Q&A on Medicaid FMAP in the Recovery Package

CMS has released a fact sheet on new FMAP methodology and grant issuance, clarifications on the eligibility maintenance of effort (MOE) requirements, procedures for states to regain eligibility for the increased FMAP, and specific questions raised by states regarding the FMAP increase since the enactment of the ARRA. Read more!

Arizona’s Share of Enhanced FMAP at Risk

Arizona may be ineligible for $1.6 billion in enhanced FMAP funding through the economic recovery package due to state program changes prohibited in the recovery package rules. The state passed legislation in June 2008 that requires some Medicaid recipients to requalify for benefits every six months, rather than annually, beginning in September of 2008. CMS has determined that this rules change violates a recovery package maintenance of effort provision which prohibits states from receiving enhanced FMAP funds if the state tightened eligibility rules or procedures after July 1, 2008. Arizona has until July of this year to change the law and receive the enhanced FMAP. State officials say they will contest CMS’s determination because the new rules were passed into law before the July 2008 deadline. Arizona has already budgeted for $500 million of stimulus money and spent $300 million.

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President Obama Nominates Kathy Martinez to be Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy

Martinez currently works at the World Institute on Disability (WID) where she directs a program to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the United States, and Access to Assets, an asset-building project to help reduce poverty among people with disabilities. She also serves on the State Department advisory committee on disability and foreign policy and the National Council on Disability.
Read the press release.

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Delaware Budget Gap Grows to over $600 Million As Projected Revenues Decrease, Governor's Budget Rolls Back Medicaid Increase Enacted in January. Thanks to Terry Olson of Mosaic for this update. Read more!

State Stimulus Updates

Report Finds Legislatures Cannot Accept Stimulus Funds Rejected by Governors.

President Obama Rejects Request by South Carolina Governor Sanford to Use $700 Million in Stimulus Money to Pay State Debt.

Pennsylvania Legislature Disagrees with Governor on Law Governing Who Determines How Stimulus Funds are Spent Read more!

CMS Calls on States to Increase Data Collection to Strengthen Long Term Care Services

The National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center has released a report suggesting that states should enhance data collection on workforce issues as a first step towards addressing workforce challenges. The report recommends that, at a minimum, states should collect data on:

• Numbers of direct service workers (full time and part time)
• Stability of workforce (turnover and vacancies)
• Average compensation of workers (wages and benefits)
  

According to the report, this data will help states to better assess workforce problems, create policy responses and evaluate outcomes over time. Read more!

Washington Community Residential Providers, Self-advocacy Groups, and Parent Coalitions Rally for Disability Programs at State Capitol

Several hundred people turned out on March 11th to urge support of independant living programs. Thanks to Scott Livengood of Alpha Supported Living Services for this update. Read more!

Provider Rates Restored in Arizona Under Preliminary Injunction

On March 11th Arizona providers, advocacy groups, consumers and their families won a court injunction to restore all provider rates to their pre-reduction levels. As a result 4,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities will not lose their services. The Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Developmental Disabilities plans to appeal the court decision. Thanks to Wendy Sokol of Soreo for keeping us updated on this case.

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1,500 Gather at Minnesota Capitol to Protest Cuts to Disability Services

Providers, advocates, individuals with disabilities and their families rallied at the state capitol March 7th to protest proposed cuts to disability supports and services. Individuals shared personal stories of how cuts would effect them and the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities sent a letter to legislators urging them to prevent devastating cuts to the essential disability services. Thanks to Tim Nelson of Hammer for this update. Read more!

ETA Releases Guidance on WIA and Wagner-Peyser Recovery Act Funding

Today, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), which is part of the Department of Labor, issued guidance on implementation of the Workforce Investment Act and Wagner-Peyser Act funding in the ARRA. The guidance also includes state planning requirements for program year FY 2009. This funding provides $3.9 billion to the workforce investment system to increase employment and training services. The guidance pertaining to the Wagner-Peyser Act notes that “states have flexibility to use Wagner-Peyser funds to support targeted services to individuals with disabilities, such as the disability navigator program similar to those currently operated in many one-stop centers” and to “purchase assistive technology and other devices to support providing services to individuals with disabilities.”
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Maine Medicaid Program to Fill $65 Million Gap with Recovery Funds

Governor Baldacci announced in March an additional $65 million deficit facing the MaineCare program over the next three months. The state plans to use federal ARRA funds to cover the shortfall through the end of the fiscal year June 30. An additional $40 million in ARRA funds is expected to be used to fill deficits anticipated for FY2010 and 2011. Read more!

Senate Aging Committee Hearing Brings Commitment to Include Long-Term Supports and Services in Health Care Reform

Thank you to ANCOR members responding to the national phone-in alert on long-term services -- it worked! Senate Select Committee on Aging Chair Kohl (D-WI), Ranking Member Martinez (R-FL), and Senator Wyden (D-OR) on Wednesday, March 4 committed to carrying forth the message in the next day's White House Forum on Health Care, and to Congress, that long-term supports and services for individuals of all ages must be included in health care reform. Witness Judy Feder identified the need to expand support for Medicaid home and community-based services and urged support for CLASS Act and Community Choice Act legislation, while Henry Claypool testified on behalf of both also underscored the need to build and strengthen the workforce to provide services.

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Michigan Governor Proposes Closing State’s Last ICF/MR

In her 2010 budget proposal, Michigan Governor Granholm is calling for the closure of Department of Community Health's Mount Pleasant Center for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, the state’s last ICF/MR program. The 150 residents of Mount Pleasant will be placed in community based settings. In addition, the budget proposal does not recommend cuts to Medicaid programs. Read more!