Complete HCBS State Tools Survey by August 13th
ANCOR’s Government Relations staff are asking you to help with a quick survey to determine interests in tools that can keep you abreast of federal and state home and community based services and supports—including a national website. ANCOR is working in collaboration with national disability and aging organizations from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) and the Leadership Council on Aging Organizations (LCAO) as part of the Friday Morning Collaborative (FMC). See below the note from Howard Bedlin, chair of our collaboration and complete the survey by August 13th. Thanks in advance for your help on this important initiative.
FMC is an informal group of 20 national advocacy groups (see list below) that have been working together to improve public policy on long-term services and supports. Last year, the groups successfully worked together to include a number of important new provisions in health reform, such as the CLASS Act and new incentives for Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). Over the next year, the FMC’s focus will include protecting and strengthening Medicaid HCBS programs by working to prevent or minimize state budget cuts in this area and promote the new HCBS options available under health reform. State advocates have been doing great work on these issues for years. FMC is not attempting to duplicate anything that you and other state advocates are already doing. Rather, FMC is trying to determine where it may be able to support and add value to the work that you do.
Please help us with our efforts by taking 10-15 minutes to complete our online joint survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/StateHCBSAdvocates. FMC groups are looking for your thoughts and suggestions on how we might best provide tools to assist and support your efforts at the state level to protect and strengthen Medicaid HCBS. For example, we are thinking of creating a website with various tools, which could include up-to-date federal and state HCBS information, best practices, legislative tracking, state coalition building, and a forum for state advocates to communicate and strategize – within states, across states, and with national advocates. Your input would help inform FMC’s thinking regarding how it might be able to make available tools that help support your efforts. Individual responses will be kept confidential. If you have any questions, please contact howard.bedlin@ncoa.org. If you would fill out the survey by Friday August 13, it would be greatly appreciated.
The national collaborating organizations are: AARP, Alliance for Retired Americans, Alzheimer's Association, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR), The Arc/UCP, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, Easter Seals, Families USA, National Association for Home Care and Hospice, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, National Center for Independent Living (NCIL), National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Council on Aging, National Senior Citizens Law Center, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Spinal Association, and Volunteers of America.