When you click on the headline of each news item, the hyperlink will open a new browser window and take you to the Web site containing the original article, press release, report, etc... WEEK OF JANUARY 13 NGA Previews 108th Congress. The National Governors Association (NGA) has added to its Web site a chart previewing the likely priorities of the 108th Congress and detailing the Association's position on each issue. Several disability-related issues are discussed. KCMU Reports Available Online. Halfway through fiscal year 2003 nearly two-thirds of states have had to implement or are planning a second round of Medicaid cuts, according to a report released this week by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). In addition to the survey of states, KCMU also released a new report examining how seven states coped with budgetary problems during the last year. State Medicaid Director Letter Available Online. The Bush administration ruled this week that managed care organizations may limit and restrict coverage of emergency services for Medicaid recipients. Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) Publishes The Medicaid Resource Book. The book describes four pivotal aspects of how the Medicaid program operates - who it covers, what it covers, how it is financed, and how it is administered. Medicaid Budget Cuts Report Released. Families USA, a health care consumer advocacy group, has released a new report indicating that cuts to Medicaid budgets, such as are being considered in almost every state, would significantly harm each state's ailing economy. WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1, 2004 Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a Question and Answer Guide to "Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act." GAO Calls on SSA to Improve Use of Disability-Related Demonstration Projects. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report criticizing the Social Security Administration (SSA) for failing to use its demonstration authority to extensively evaluate a wide range of disability policy areas dealing with return to work. CDC Announces Grants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced the availability of cooperative agreements to support state capacity to prevent secondary conditions and promote the health of individuals with disabilities. WEEK OF AUGUST 23, 2004 OCR Releases HIPAA Privacy Fact Sheets for Consumers. The Office of Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OCR/HHS) has released two new Fact Sheets which provide an easy-to-understand overview of what the Privacy Rule means to consumers. CMS Paper Details Best Practices for Containing Medication Costs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a paper called Psychotropic Medications: Addressing Costs without Restricting Access that describes innovative State efforts to address medication cost and quality of care issues without restricting access to specific medications. WEEK OF AUGUST 16, 2004 CMS Releases Proposed Rule Governing Medicare Drug Benefit. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed regulations to provide a voluntary prescription drug benefit in Medicare and to implement other provisions of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). WEEK OF JUNE 28, 2004 ADD Announces Availability of Family Support 360 Grants. The Administration on Developmental Disabilities (ADD) has announced the availability of grants to fund "Planning and Implementation Pilot One-Stops for Families With Members with Developmental Disabilities" as part of the Projects for Family Support 360, as well as grants to fund "Information and Referral Centers for Youth With Developmental Disabilities and Emerging Leaders." WEEK OF MAY 17, 2004 CMS Announces Availability of Real Choice Grants for 2004. The complete solicitation package for the Real Choice Systems Change Grants, which includes programmatic, administrative, and eligibility information needed to apply for these grants is available at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/newfreedom/. WEEK OF APRIL 19, 2004 OSERS Announces Grant Opportunities to Serve Children with Disabilities. The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has issued a request for proposals for two grant programs designed to serve children with disabilities and their families. The original Federal Register notices are available at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/ edocket.access.gpo.gov/ 2004/04-9051.htm and http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/14mar20010800/ edocket.access.gpo.gov/ 2004/04-9052.htm. WEEK OF APRIL 12, 2004 Real Choice Conference Presentations Now Available Online. Presentations from the Real Choice Systems Change conference held in Baltimore last March are now available online. WEEK OF MARCH 29, 2004 GAO Report Faults CMS Oversight of State Medicaid Financing Schemes. The U.S. General Accounting Office has released a report criticizing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for being too permissive in granting states transition periods for phasing out Upper Payment Limit financing schemes. GAO Calls on House to Curb IGTs. Officials from the U.S. General Accounting Office recommended to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health that Congress take additional action to curb states' use of intergovernmental transfers (IGTs). $2.4 Trillion House Budget Resolution Includes Medicaid Cuts. The U.S. House of Representatives has approved its version of the fiscal year 2005 budget resolution that effectively cuts 2.2 billion federal dollars from Medicaid over the next five years. KCMU Releases State Medicaid Spending Update. This series of tables from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured provides recent data on state-by-state and national Medicaid spending and enrollment. SSA Unveils New Disability Claims Process. The proposal includes changes that would shorten decision times, pay benefits to people who are obviously disabled much earlier in the process, and test new incentives for those with disabilities who wish to remain in, or return to, the workforce. GAO testifies to Congress on new SSA Disability Claims Process. The General Accounting Office told Congress that Social Security Commissioner Barnhardt's strategy will improve the claims process, but warned of implementation challenges. Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Available. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has requested proposals for Medicaid Infrastructure Grants To Support the Competitive Employment of People With Disabilities. ADD Releases DD Council and P & A Allotments. The Administration on Developmental Disabilities has set forth Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 individual allotments and percentages of the total appropriation to States administering the State Developmental Disabilities Councils and Protection and Advocacy programs. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/ddcfinalalloc04.htm http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/add/pafinalalloc04.htm CARF Releases Brief on HIPAA. A recent issue of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities' newsletter CARF Connection contains a 20-page article on the implications of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act for CARF-accredited facilities. More Federal News (November)...   TOP OF PAGE Interested in receiving a summary of national policy developments and initiatives affecting persons with developmental disabilities? Click HERE for subscription information for our monthly newsletter Perspectives.