Category Archives: Alerts

This new guide from the National Senior Citizens Law Center offers advocates a primer on the law that impacts Medicaid-funded HCBS. It also explains the different programs states can use to provide HCBS, including those created by the ACA. The guide highlights key resources and tools to use when advocating to expand and preserve Medicaid coverage of crucial LTSS services in individual states.

In addition to the release of the Massachusetts MOU on August 23, CMS and the Administration on Community Living announced a funding opportunity to support State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIP) and Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) to provide options for counseling to dual eligibles in states that participate in the demonstration.

As announced on Thursday, August 22, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Massachusetts have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two for a demonstration to integrate care for dual eligibles. With the release of the MOU, Massachusetts is the first state to receive approval from the federal government to begin implementing a new system of integrated care for dual eligibles.

CMS has approved a California Medicaid state plan amendment which in effect will extend spousal asset and income allowances to LGBT spouses of Medicaid recipients receiving long-term care.

The National Senior Citizens Law Center and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare have released an analysis detailing the positive impact the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act will have on older Americans.

Can an assisted living facility be considered a “non-institutional” setting for purposes of Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) funding? CMS has proposed regulations to address this question, and comments on the regulation are due on Monday July 2, 2012.

Evaluations of the MFP program report halting progress. By the end of 2010, only 12,000 beneficiaries had transitioned to the community across the 30 participating states and the District of Columbia.