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A pdf version of this newsletter can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter/CenterforPASBulletinJuly09.pdf Previous newsletters can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/newsletter/index.php
Center for Personal Assistance Services BulletinJuly 2009 - Volume 6, Issue 3In this issue:
The Center for Personal Assistance Services provides research, training, dissemination and technical assistance on issues of personal assistance services (PAS) in the United States. Personal assistance services (PAS) refer to help provided to people with disabilities to assist them with tasks essential for daily living. These tasks include bathing, dressing, getting around, toileting, eating, shopping, remembering things, and other activities. PAS, along with assistive technology such as wheelchairs, text readers, and hearing aides, help people with disabilities to participate in activities at home, at work, and in the community. The purpose of this newsletter is to provide the latest news on issues relating to formal and informal PAS, home & community-based services, the PAS workforce, and workplace PAS within and outside of the Center. Further detail about the Center staff and advisors can be found at http://www.pascenter.org/about/ Research Articles and ReportsNew Research Paper Examines Whether Non-institutional Long-Term Care Services Reduce Medicaid SpendingIn this new study from the PAS Center, H. Stephen Kaye, Mitch LaPlante & Charlene Harrington look at the effects that increased Medicaid spending on home and community-based services (HCBS) have on overall long-term care costs. An analysis of state spending data from 1995 to 2005 shows that for two distinct population groups receiving long-term care services, spending growth was greater for states offering limited noninstitutional services than for states with large, well-established noninstitutional programs. States that have expanded HCBS under Medicaid save money by reducing institutional costs. For more information go to: New Study Examines Factors That Predict The Likelihood Of Individuals With Developmental Disabilities Living In State Developmental CentersIn this new study from the PAS Center, Charlene Harrington, Taewoon Kang & Jamie Chang examine the need, predisposing, market, and regional factors that predict the likelihood of individuals with developmental disabilities living in state developmental centers (DCs) compared with living at home, in community care, or in intermediate care (ICFs) and other facilities. Secondary data analysis using logistic regression models was conducted for all individuals ages 21 years or older who had moderate, severe, or profound intellectual disabilities. For more information go to: New Study Identifies Factors Related To Job Tenure Among Certified Nursing Assistants Working In Nursing HomesIn this new study from PAS Center associates Josh Wiener & Wayne Anderson and co-authors Marie Squillace & Galina Khatusky, factors related to job tenure among certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working in nursing homes were identified. The study uses 2004 data from the National Nursing Home Survey, the National Nursing Assistant Survey, and the Area Resource File. For more information go to: New Study Reveals Large Differences In Usage Of Assistive Technology By Age, Race, Ethnicity, Education, Income, And Type And Severity Of DisabilityAssistive technology is essential to the lives of many people with disabilities, but disparities in usage put certain segments of the disability population at a particular disadvantage. This article by H. Stephen Kaye, Patricia Yeager & Myisha Reed, uses survey data and statistical modeling to explore differences in technology usage across disability subpopulations. Responses to a 2005 survey of nearly 2,000 adult consumers of California Independent Living Centers reveal large differences in technology usage by age, race, ethnicity, education, income, and type and severity of disability. For more information go to: New Report On The Future Of Health Insurance For Children With Special Health Care NeedsThis new report from PAS Center associate Amy Houtrow and co-authors Paul Newacheck, Diane Romm, Karen Kuhlthau, Sheila Bloom, Jeanne Van Cleave & James Perrin, examines the future of health insurance for children with special health care needs. Because of their elevated need for services, health insurance is particularly important for children with special health care needs. In this article the authors assess how well the current system is meeting the insurance needs of children with special health care needs and how emerging trends in health insurance may affect their well-being. For more information go to: New Center Paper Looks Into The Effects of Financial Strain On Home Care Services Use And Participant Outcomes In MichiganWhen government funding for long-term care is reduced, participant outcomes may be adversely affected. In this paper by PAS Center associate Brant Fries and co-authors Jennifer D'Souza, Mary James & Kristina Szafara, investigate the effect of program resources on individuals enrolled in the Michigan Home and Community-Based Services waiver program for elderly and disabled adults. For more information go to: New Journal Article Looks At Occupational Characteristics Of Workers With DisabilitiesA new article by H. Stephen Kaye of the PAS Center looks at reasons workers with disabilities are underrepresented in certain occupations and overrepresented in others. The proportion of workers reporting disabilities varies tremendously across occupations. Although differences in the occupational distributions may partly explain the large disparities in earnings and job security between workers with and without disabilities, little is known about the reasons that workers with disabilities are underrepresented in certain occupations and overrepresented in others. For more information go to: New Report Looks At The Tie-In Between The Workforce Development System And Advancing Self-Sufficiency For Individuals With DisabilitiesIn 2008, a majority of Individuals with significant disabilities remain outside of the workforce and often face multiple barriers to employment. One-Stop Career Centers, administered under the Workforce Investment Act, offer new opportunities to support jobseekers with disabilities to advance their employment and economic status. However, achievement of an employment outcome and low-income wages fails to focus needed attention on possible strategies to advance the worker from poverty to a path to economic self-sufficiency. This report by PAS Center associate Michael Morris and co-authors Johnette Hartnett & Judy Stengel, focuses on three cities: Detroit, Jacksonville and Milwaukee, and the tie-in between the workforce development system and advancing self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities. For more information go to: New Report Provides Evidence Indicating That Expanding HCBS Can Be Cost-Effective In The Long Run When Combined With Efforts That Reduce Reliance On Nursing Home CareThe current fiscal crisis is causing most states to make deep budget cuts. In this climate, many state policymakers are targeting Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) because they are optional Medicaid benefits. However, this approach may be shortsighted. In this report by PAS Center associate Amy Houtrow and co-authors Robert Mollica, Enid Kassner & Lina Walker, evidence is presented that indicates expanding HCBS can be cost-effective in the long run when combined with efforts that reduce reliance on nursing home care. For more information go to: New Report Examines Connecticut's Growing Shortage Of Direct Care Workers And The Impact On Older Adults And People With DisabilitiesThe Senior Resources Agency on Aging, Hartford, Connecticut, have released a new report on the shortages in the direct care workforce. The report examines the state's growing shortage of direct care workers and the impact on older adults and people with disabilities. For more information go to: Genworth Financial Reveals Best Places In America For Long Term CareGenworth Financial recently released its 2009 Cost of Care Survey. Since 2004, Genworth has conducted this benchmark Cost of Care Survey, the most comprehensive survey of its kind. This year, Genworth analyzed data from more than 14,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health and adult day health care providers to give Americans a better understanding of the cost of care across the country and in their local communities. For more information go to: New Report Looks At The Impact Of Delaying Medicare Coverage For People With DisabilitiesIn this new report, Stuart Guterman & Heather Drake look at the impact on disabled individuals of having to wait for two years before they are eligible to begin receiving Medicare benefits - a delay that can block access to needed care and relief from financial pressures. Although the cost to the federal government of eliminating the Medicare waiting period seems high, it would actually represent only a small percentage increase in Medicare spending. For more information go to: A Study Of 10 States Since The Passage Of The National Family Caregiver Support ProgramThis study by Lynn Friss Feinberg & Sandra Newman, describes the preliminary experiences of 10 states in providing support services to family or informal caregivers of elderly adults and adults with disabilities; it focuses on the newly created National Family Caregiver Support Program, state general funds, Medicaid-waiver programs, and other state-funding streams. For more information go to: NewsPAS Center Paper At Forefront Of CCA Cost InformationThe PAS Center has been informed that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid is basing its cost estimate on the Center's paper LaPlante, M. P., Kaye, H. S., & Harrington, C. (2007). Estimating the expense of a mandatory home-and community-based personal assistance services benefit under Medicaid. On June 7th, Mitch LaPlante presented information on the cost of the Community Choice Act (CCA) (S. 683), which would end the Medicaid institutional bias by mandating provision of HCBS, at the NCIL annual meeting in Washington, DC. He also met with staff at the Congressional Budget Office and attended a press conference for the health reform plan introduced by Senator Kennedy and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. LaPlante, Charlene Harrington and Terrence Ng from the PAS Center, participated in a teleconference with the Chief Actuary and other staff of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the cost of the CCA. PAS Center Presents First WebinarThe PAS Center's first webinar took place on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 with an audience of over 300. In this webinar, Dr. H. Stephen Kaye talked about the recently published paper titled, "Do non-institutional long-term care services reduce Medicaid spending?" In this paper, Dr. Kaye and colleagues, Dr. Mitch LaPlante and Dr. Charlene Harrington examined how increased Medicaid spending on home and community-based services affects overall long-term care costs. For more information and to view an archive of the webinar go to: PHI Announces The Launch Of PolicyWorks, An Online Strategy CenterPolicyWorks, an online strategy center providing innovative policy tools to help strengthen the direct-care workforce, was recently announced by PHI. PolicyWorks gives users access to, up-to-date statistics, timely research and analysis, and strategic legislative and regulatory recommendations. For more information go to: New Center Helps States And Others Implement, Expand, Improve Participant-Directed Long-Term Care ProgramsThe Boston College Graduate School of Social Work has launched a new technical assistance center that offers states the tools they need to implement a wide variety of participant-directed long-term care programs. The center is available to assist states and other entities that want to offer, or already offer, participant-directed services to people with disabilities. For more information go to: The Southwest DBTAC Announces Availability Of It's Disability Law HandbookThis Disability Law Handbook is a 50-page guide to the basics of the Americans with Disabilities Act and other disability related laws. Written in an FAQ format, The Disability Law Handbook answers questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA Amendments Act, the Rehabilitation Act, Social Security and more. For more information go to: AARP Reports That States Are Cutting Back On Medicaid HCBSAccording to a recent article in the AARP bulletin, at least 22 states and the District of Columbia are cutting back on home and community services. In California, the Governor is reducing personal care worker wages from $10 to $8 per hour under the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program and is proposing eliminating 90 percent of recipients. For more information go to: Downturn Puts A Chokehold On Those Caring For Family MembersA recent article in the New York Times notes that the economic crisis has spread its pain widely, but it has placed special stresses on the estimated 44 million Americans who provide care for an elderly or disabled relative or spouse, many of whom have already made themselves financially vulnerable trying to balance work and family. For more information go to: Statement by HHS On The 10th Anniversary Of The U.S. Supreme Court Decision Olmstead v. L.C.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services joins President Obama in commemorating a significant anniversary in the civil rights movement for persons with disabilities. Ten years ago, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Olmstead v. L.C. recognizing that "unjustified institutional isolation of persons with disabilities is a form of discrimination" under the Americans with Disabilities Act. For more information go to: Policy and LegislationNew Nationwide Program To Help Older Americans And Veterans With Disabilities Remain Independent In The CommunityU.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki have announced a landmark collaboration to help the families of older Americans and Veterans with disabilities of all ages care for their loved ones in the community. For more information go to: On the Center for PAS websiteThe following are new resources available on the Center for PAS website (http://www.pascenter.org): New State-by-State Disability Prevalence Data on PAS Center WebsiteThe PAS Center is pleased to announce the release of state data on the prevalence of overall disability, limitations in daily activities, and mobility, cognitive, hearing, and visual impairment. These data are from a new source, the Current Population Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which included general disability questions for the first time in June 2008. The CPS data on the PAS Center web site are from June 2008 through March 2009, and show a wide variation across states in the proportion limited in daily activities: from a high of 7.3% in Mississippi to a low of 3.3% in Colorado and Utah. This data release is the first phase of the PAS Center's planned expansion of state-by-state data on disability prevalence and the characteristics of the disability population. In the fall, the PAS Center will supplement these statistics with detailed data from the 2008 American Community Survey on the demographic and economic characteristics of people with daily activity limitations and other disabilities. For more information go to: Updated Policy/Legislation Page On PASCenter.orgAudio commentary on the status of policies and legislation is now being posted on the policy/legislation page. The commentary is from Mike Oxford, Executive Director of the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center and former President of the Governing Board of the National Council on Independent Living. The Empowered at Home Act of 2009 has recently been added to the policy/legislation page. For more information go to: New Web Page for PAS Center WebinarsA new section has been added to the PAS Center website listing webinars presented by the PAS Center. Archives and transcripts of the webinars will be posted on this page. For more information go to: New Ask Mike Questions And ResponsesRecently, Mike Oxford answered questions concerning:
To read all of the Ask Mike letters and responses, go to: Selected Conferences During July, August and September 2009For more detail about these conferences, go to: http://pascenter.org/conferences/index.phpJulyJuly 03 - July 08, 2009 July 20 - July 25, 2009 July 21 - July 23, 2009 July 21, 2009 July 28 - August 01, 2009 AugustAugust 07, 2009 August 08 - August 11, 2009 August 10 - August 13, 2009 SeptemberSeptember 08 - September 11, 2009 September 15 - September 18, 2009 September 20 - September 23, 2009 September 21 - September 24, 2009 September 24, 2009 September 30 - October 02, 2009 For more detail about these conferences, go to: http://pascenter.org/conferences/index.php This document was developed by the Center for Personal Assistance Services, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDDR) of the US Department of Education, grant #H133BO31102. The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee/contractor and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Department of Education. Please credit the source and support of federal funds. To unsubscribe to this Newsletter, please send listserv@listserv.ucsf.edu an email from the email address you wish to unsubscribe with: signoff PAS_NEWS http://www.disabilityinfo.gov
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