On June 22, President Obama marked the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court Olmstead decision by designating this year as “The Year of Community Living.” The President directed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan to work together to identify ways to improve access to housing, community supports and independent living arrangements for older people and people with disabilities.
Secretary Sebelius directed the Administration on Aging (AoA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Office for Civil Rights, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to form a HHS Coordinating Council to work together toward solutions that address barriers to community living and give people more control over their lives and the supports they need.
Sebelius also announced a grant program to expand the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC) program. ADRCs provide information, counseling, and streamlined access to long term care programs, particularly services that can enable people to remain in their own homes and communities. Since 2003, AoA and CMS have jointly funded ADRC pilot programs in 45 states and territories. The new funding will build on and expand the existing pilots and ensure that every state can offer an ADRC. The new grant program includes two opportunities:
- ADRC development or expansion in up to 50 states over a three-year period. The maximum award will be $600,000; total funds available are $10 million.
- For programs in California, Hawaii, Maryland and North Carolina to strengthen ADRC partnerships with hospitals so that more people who are being discharged and need post-acute care receive that care at home rather than in a nursing home facility. The award amount per state is $1,167,000.
The new grant program encourages Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) to collaborate with all state agencies involved in serving populations with disabilities and with the Centers for Independent Living.
Under the “Year of Community Living” initiative, HHS plans to hold listening sessions for stakeholders. The listening sessions will help HHS to craft its agenda to improve federal programs and better support the efforts of state and local government in providing HCBS.
In a statement on the “Year of Community Living” initiative, Secretary Sebelius referred to the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on home and community based services (HCBS) that was released on June 22 as a first step towards engaging the public in meaningful regulatory reform of the HCBS program. AHCA/NCAL plans to comment on the ANPR. For more information, see the June 25 issue of Capitol Connections at http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/ahcamemo/issues/2009-06-25.html#16. Please be sure to send your comments no later than Tuesday, August 4 to AHCA for inclusion in our comment letter to CMS.
HUD, under the Community Living Initiative, will make available 1,000 housing vouchers for individuals transitioning from institutions to the community, targeting the Money Follows the Person Demonstration program.
Also under the community living initiative, the HHS Office for Civil Rights will enhance its partnership with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division to ensure vigorous enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Olmstead decision.