government
HHS awards funds to expand long-term care
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 11, 2012
The Dept. of Health and Human Services on May 31 made available $25 million in health reform funding to help states strengthen and expand access to home- and community-based long-term-care services.
The initiative, the Aging and Disability Resource Center Program, is established through a partnership between the Administration for Community Living, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Dept. of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration. Funding will support Aging and Disability Resource Centers in nearly every state during the next several years, HHS stated.The program will help state agencies administer and better coordinate state and federal long-term-care programs for older adults, disabled veterans and other people with disabilities. About eight states will be selected to accelerate this development by creating “single-entry point models, which provide one-on-one options counseling to streamline the intake and eligibility determination processes for consumers accessing long-term service and support programs,” according to HHS.
The Veterans Health Administration will make an additional $27 million available to states over three years through VA medical centers.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/06/11/gvbf0611.htm.
