AHCA’s ID/DD Members Storm the Hill During 2015 Fly-In Event

On March 24, AHCA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Residential Services Providers were in Washington DC for AHCA’s annual Hill Fly-In event.  Participants heard from a number of Congressional speakers, including current and former Hill staffers and members of Congress.  The morning started off with a Hill update from Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ12 and pictured left), and was followed by a Congressional Hill panel.  Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from Senator Blanche Lincoln (pictured right), who is the Founder and Principal of the Lincoln Policy Group.  During her 16-year career in the U.S. Congress — first as a two-term member of the House of Representatives and then as a two-term member of the U.S. Senate — Lincoln built a reputation as a results-oriented, bipartisan legislator.   

After the morning event was over, the ID/DD providers went to Capitol Hill to discuss critical issues, including Medicaid, Medicaid Provider Assessments and Medicaid Managed Care.  The 2015 ID/DD Hill Fly-In issue briefs can be found here.  If you have any questions relating to this event, please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed March “Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.”  In his proclamation, President Reagan “invited all individuals, agencies, and organizations concerned with the problem of developmental disabilities to observe this month with appropriate observances and activities directed toward increasing public awareness of the needs and the potential of Americans with developmental disabilities.”  He urged all Americans to join him “in according to our fellow citizens with such disabilities both encouragement and the opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.” Help raise awareness about this important month and issues impacting people with ID/DD through social media, in your community, and with your legislators.

2015 AHCA/NCAL Awards Program

Through the Volunteer of the Year, ID/DD Hero of the Year, and Not for Profit (NFP) Program of the Year awards programs, AHCA/NCAL honor those individuals who are dedicated to improving the quality of lives of residents and their surrounding communities. 

The nomination packets for AHCA/NCAL’s 2015 Awards Program follow:  

• 2015 VOY Online Application-Adult, Young Adult, Group
• 2015 ID/DD Application
• 2015 NFP Application

The deadline for AHCA receipt of all nominations is Thursday, May 21, 2015.  Just as a reminder, whereas the Volunteers of the Year nomination form MUST be submitted by a state affiliate organization, the ID/DD Hero of the Year and the NFP Program of the Year nomination forms can be member-submitted directly to AHCA electronically.  All nominations must be typed and submitted electronically this year.  Faxed or handwritten nominations are not accepted. Honorees in each category will be recognized at AHCA/NCAL’s 66th Annual Convention and Expo, October 4 to 7, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas.  Let the Process begin!

Have a Fiesta this Nursing Home Week 2015

“Bring on the Fiesta,” May 10 to 16, 2015, is the theme of National Nursing Home Week (NNHW).  Make it a week of entertainment and education for all ID/DD professionals.  The week’s focus is on “Familia, Vida, and Amor” (family, life, love).  The Planning Guide and Product brochure was mailed and is also posted here.

Show how your care center, home or other setting, as part of its culture, brings these attributes to the forefront, irrespective of anyone’s age or physical and intellectual ability.  Try to weave into your Fiesta a celebration of cultures, and how people of various backgrounds have a Fiesta. Seize the opportunity to attract new guests, infrequent visitors, and local VIPs to be part of the fun and share in the comradery of familia, vida and amor.

So, “BRING ON THE FIESTA!” for all to enjoy. Tell everyone to step out of their personal fast lane and have some old fashioned FUN with the folks.

AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse

AHCA members now have access to key Medicaid and Medicare information through the new State of the States Clearinghouse.  The AHCA State of the States Clearinghouse is a one stop shop for key Medicaid and Medicare information impacting the long term care profession.
    

This new resource provides valuable data, including:

• Overview of the demographic landscape;
• State-specific nursing center occupancy and ownership breakouts; 
• Certificate of Need requirements for nursing centers and state licensure requirements; 
• State data on the cost of care for long term services and supports;  
• State data on the total number of Medicare enrollees; 
• Data on state Medicare Advantage plan enrollees and comparisons to the national average; 
• State and national Medicaid expenditure data;
• State Medicaid rates, costs and shortfalls;
• And other significant state-specific data related to payment structure, managed long term services and home and community based services coverage.

AHCA will continue to provide the most up-to-date information through the Clearinghouse and share new data/resources as they become available.  Also be sure to visit the AHCA Medicaid Page to learn more about the program and to access additional AHCA members-only Medicaid resources.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Grassroots Advocacy

Renee Naylor, AHCA's ID/DD Committee Chair, encourages AHCA's ID/DD providers to participate in our grassroots advocacy efforts in 2015.  AHCA would like to help you get facility tours and in-district meetings set up over future recess days.  Please provide your name, facility address, and email address and we will craft the invite and send it to you to send to the Congressional office.  The four brief steps for a successful facility tour visit can be found here.  Please feel free to contact Matthew Smyth and Dana Halvorson who can help you with all of the logistics.

U.S. Congressional Calendars

As you are planning your visits with members of Congress and their staff in Washington, D.C., or in your district, the Congressional calendars will be of assistance to you.  The U.S. House of Representatives calendar for the 114th Congress, first session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for the new Congress can be found here. The dates in black reference the times the U.S. Senate is in session.  The red dates represent when the U.S. Senate is in recess.