South Carolina Attorney General Contends that State Legislature Cannot Bypass Governor to Accept Recovery Funds

The battle for control of recovery dollars will move to the courts if Governor Sanford and the legislature cannot reach a deal. The attorney general's opinion is a blow to legislators who sought control of federal recovery funds that Sanford is rejecting.
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Massachusetts Governor Pledges $21 Million in Enhanced Medicaid FMAP to Partially Restore Cuts to Disability Services

Disability advocates remain concerned about an $8 million cut to employment programs for people with significant disabilities and will continue to push for full or increased restoration of disability services funding. Thanks to Gary Blumenthal of ADDP for this update.
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Iowa Counties Feel the Squeeze as Wait List for Disability Services Grows in Tough Economy

Thanks to Rod Braun of Christian Opportunity Center for this article.
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Aging Caregivers in Florida Struggle to Find Long Term Support and Services for Adult Children with Disabilities

Florida newspaper cites ANCOR in news article.
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HHS Releases OIG Review of New York State's MRDD Medicaid Indirect Costs

Read the review here.
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Historic Common Ground on Health Care Reform Reached by Diverse Group

An 18-member group including AARP, America's Health Insurance Plans, the Business Roundtable, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce unveiled last week a long-awaited consensus on health care reform principles. Two significant points of agreement from the groups: 1) Establish a nationwide floor for Medicaid eligibility for all adults no lower than 100 percent of the federal poverty level; 2) Provide subsidies to people who are ineligible for public programs. The group also agreed that the ultimate policy goal is to increase value for consumers and the system as a whole. Two groups originally part of the effort (SEIU and AFSCME) did not sign the document because a "public plan option" was not addressed. Read more!

CMS Delays Rule on State Flexibility for Medicaid Benefit Packages

CMS published a notice in the Federal Register today that the agency will delay implementation of a final rule giving states greater flexibility in designing Medicaid benefit packages. The rule was to go into effect April 3, 2009 but has been delayed to December 31, 2009 and the comment period has been reopened through May 4, 2009. The rule implements part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Read more!

Spotlight Resources - FMAP

• PowerPoint Presentation and Audio Recording from ANCOR's Popular Webinar: Federal FMAP and State Medicaid Programs: What the Stimulus Means for ANCOR Members
• CMS Fact Sheet on Increased FMAP in ARRA
• Kaiser: Health Care and Medicaid -- Weathering the Recession

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Spotlight Resources - Economic Recovery

• Stateline: Interactive Map of State Recovery Websites and ‘Implementation Czars”
  
• GAO Website for Reporting Waste, Fraud, Abuse or Mismanagement of Recovery Act Funds
• NGA: State Implementation of the ARRA
• Staterecovery.org: Tracking How the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of State Government are Responding to and Impacted by the ARRA and Medicaid & Economic Stimulus: State by State Web Update Resource
• Kaiser: Health Care and Medicaid -- Weathering the Recession

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Senate Passes Budget Resolution Including Reserve Fund for Health Care Reform

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) hailed its passage as a step towards comprehensive health care reform. Read more!

Department of Education Releases 50 Percent of ARRA VR State Grant Funds to States

The remaining funds will be awarded by September 30th and are allocated to state VR agencies under the program's allotment formula. These funds are in addition to the funds received under the regular FY 2009 appropriation for the VR State Grants program. This month, the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) is planning on conducting a number of webinars on the ARRA VR funding. The guidance, released this week, states that funds should be used for short-term investments that have the potential for long-term benefits, rather than for commitments that the State may not be able to sustain once ARRA funds are expended. State VR agencies are encouraged to: consider serving individuals on waiting lists in agencies currently using an order of selection; increase services to eligible consumers; and expande services to traditionally underserved and unserved populations in the state, including students with disabilities transitioning from school to the workplace. The DoEo also issued a Guidance and Fact Sheet to accompany the release of funds. Read more!

DCA Releases Policy Brief on Using Recovery Act Funds to Improve Direct Care Jobs and the Quality of Direct Care Services

This is the first brief in a series about the direct care workforce issued by the Direct Care Alliance (DCA). It provides an overview of direct care work and discusses how Recovery Act funds can be used to address some of the challenges faced by direct care workers. Read more!

AFP Launches Employment Initiative

The Alliance for Full Participation (AFP) has announced a national effort to increase employment in the U.S. for people with developmental disabilities. The Alliance's initiative includes: networking among state teams; nationally webcast education and town-hall events; national and state-level policy change advocacy; and local efforts to increase and enhance employment for people with developmental disabilities. Also anticipated is an October 2011 national summit to share leading practices, process recommendations and establish national outcomes. This effort stems from goals voiced and agreed upon by self-advocates and advocates participating in the 2005 Alliance for Full Participation national summit in Washington, DC. The AFP is comprised of 13 national nonprofit organizations in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Read more!

Senator Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Davis (D-IL) Introduce Community Choice Act

Introduced last week, the measure's (H.R.1670 and S.683) purpose is to allow people with disabilities, who need an institutional level of care, the choice of receiving their Medicaid supports and services in their own communities, rather than an institution. Read more!

Spotlight Resources - Health Care Reform

• Families USA: Americans at Risk: Report on the Uninsured - State Reports
• Alliance for Health Care Reform Sourcebook: Covering Health Issues
• Obama Administration's Health Care Reform Website
• HHS Report on Feedback Gathered during Health Care Community Discussions
• Kaiser: National Health Insurance - A Brief History of Reform Efforts in the U.S.
• Kaiser: Health Care and Medicaid -- Weathering the Recession

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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!