All States/Territories

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided guidance during their recent All-State Call, hosted by the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS). CMCS announced that the 41 states and territories receiving Money Follows the Person (MFP) funding will be required to begin reporting on a subset of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measures Set, which was released in July 2022 (SMDL 22-003). Importantly, these states must report on all their section 1915(c), (i), (j), and (k) programs and section 1115 demonstrations that include HCBS services for major population groups, not just those programs that would enroll MFP participants. Reporting will be required in September 2026 for measures collected in 2025...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued its “2023 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book,” providing aggregated information from last year on a full range of fraud, identity theft, and other consumer protection topics. The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network is a database that receives reports directly from consumers, as well as from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, the Better Business Bureau, industry members, and non-profit organizations. More than 20 states contribute data to Sentinel. Sentinel received 5.4 million reports in 2023; these included fraud reports, as well as identity theft reports, and complaints related to other consumer issues, such as problems with credit bureaus, banks, and lenders...

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT) is hosting an upcoming ePolicyWorks National Online Dialogue designed to gather public input on how artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled hiring tools can be made more inclusive for people with disabilities, including those who may also be members of other protected classes. By engaging citizens and stakeholders in online knowledge sharing, the initiative aims to advance the employment of people with disabilities. This innovative approach reflects a change in how stakeholders connect and collaborate with the Federal Government and each other...

The National Institute on Aging (NIA) recently released an article discussing the impact of residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods on age-related cognitive decline, with a particular emphasis on its effects on different demographic groups. This study, conducted by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the University of North Texas Health Science Center, analyzes data from 1,614 participants aged 50 and above in the Health and Aging Brain Study — Health Disparities. The findings underscore the association between neighborhood disadvantage and cognitive performance for both Mexican American and non-Hispanic White participants...

On January 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report titled “Medicare Enrollees and the Part D Drug Benefit: Improving Financial Protection through the Low-Income Subsidy.” The report highlights findings from an analysis of Medicare data from 2020, including that the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) expanded financial assistance in Medicare’s Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Program would have benefited nearly 461,000 Partial LIS enrollees had the provision been in effect in 2020. An additional 2.9 million Part D enrollees who were eligible but not enrolled in LIS would also have benefited from the program...

On February 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent initial offers to the participating drug companies of the first ten prescription drugs selected for negotiation in the first cycle of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. CMS announced the ten initial drugs selected for the first cycle of Medicare drug price negotiation on August 29, 2023, and on October 3, HHS announced that the drug companies of all 10 selected drugs agreed to participate in negotiations with Medicare. Negotiations will continue over the next several months, with negotiations ending by August 1, 2024...

In response to older adults representing the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness, USAging recently released five homelessness prevention case examples featuring different successful AAA programs and partnerships to support housing stability. Agencies can find inspiration and ideas to evolve their own work and partnerships to provide homelessness prevention assistance and housing-related supports for older adults and people with disabilities.

This week, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) published an article titled, “Community Partnerships: An Effective Inclusion Strategy,” which includes resources, guidance, and successful case studies for inclusion-minded businesses looking to hire, support, and retain employees with disabilities. This resource provides information on diverse avenues for businesses to connect with and support employees with disabilities, including State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, community-based organizations, state and local workforce development systems, and educational institutions and organizations...

The Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, through its Housing an Aging Society Program, recently released its biannual report titled “Housing America’s Older Adults 2023.” The Housing an Aging Society Program aims to deepen understanding of the implications of aging populations and advance policy, planning, design, and public health solutions to address the housing needs of older adults. The 2023 report explores equitable access to affordable, accessible, safe, and connected housing. The report highlights a 34 percent increase in the US population aged 65 and over in the past decade, reaching 58 million in 2022...

SAGE’s Center of Excellence has partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to conduct the “State of LGBTQ+ Aging Survey.” The survey seeks to better understand the current experiences, needs, and resiliencies of older people in the U.S. who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, Two-Spirit, or related identities). The survey is now open to LGBTQ+ adults 50 years old and older. It takes 30 to 45 minutes and can be conducted online or over the phone.