Autism & DD Legislative News In Brief

[Guest guest]

Legislative News In Brief: January 10, 2011

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CLASS ActHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Wednesday that the implementation of the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, one of the key long-term services and supports provisions in the Affordable Care Act, will be housed in a new Office of CLASS within the Administration on Aging (AoA) and overseen by Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee.

AutismU.S. Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA-14) and (R-NJ-4), released a congressionally-mandated report http://www.aucd.org/docs/policy/autism/2011_006_hhs_report_on_caai_doyle_smith.pdfon January 7 describing the activities and progress made by the federal government since the enactment of the Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006 (Public Law 106-416). The report, prepared by the Office of Autism Research Coordination at the National Institutes of Health, shows that the Combating Autism Act has been instrumental in expanding research, surveillance, and expanding the number of professionals able to diagnose and treat individuals on the autism spectrum. The report also specifically concludes that the LEND training program has dramatically improved health professionals' ability to conduct screenings and assessments. In 2009, the 22 LEND programs that received CAA funding collectively screened 12,751 infants or children and provided diagnostic evaluation services to 12,390. In FY 2010, the 39 LENDs collectively screened more than 46,000 infants and children and provided diagnostic evaluation services for more than 35,000 infants and children.

Medicaid & MedicareThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Tuesday the formal establishment of the CMS Federal Coordinated Health Care Office. Created by Section 2602 of the Affordable Care Act, the new office will bring together officers and employees at CMS in order to more effectively integrate benefits for beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Federal Coordinated Health Care Office will be led by Bella, and will focus its efforts on those who are dually eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare by:

· ing overall improvements in the quality of health care and long-term services for individuals who are dually eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare

· Simplifying processes for dual eligible individuals to access items and services available to them

· Increasing dual eligible individuals' understanding of and satisfaction with coverage under the Medicare and Medicaid programs

· Eliminating regulatory conflicts between rules under the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and

· Improving coordination between the Federal Government and States

Community LivingU.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Thursday a joint partnership between the two agencies to help nearly 1,000 non-elderly Americans with disabilities living in nursing homes or other healthcare facilities to live independently in the community. The partnership is part of President Obama's Year of Community Living initiative. For the first time, two federal agencies will offer a combination of rental assistance, health care and other supportive services targeted to this population to allow them rent private apartments. Health and social supports will be funded by the Money Follows the Person grant program, which allows individuals who qualify for Medicaid-funded nursing home or other institutional care to receive supports in the community instead. For more information, see the press release.

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