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DOL awards grants to help homeless veterans to return to work. Read further for more
information in this week's Washington Weekly.
Washington Weekly!
by the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
June 4, 2021
Administration News
DOJ Resolves Separate Complaints with ME DHHS and a Public School District
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it had reached an agreement
with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to resolve alleged
violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with regard to placement in a
congregate setting in lieu of the home setting of choice. Last week, DOJ announced a
settlement agreement with the Lewiston Public Schools to end the district’s systemic and
discriminatory practice of excluding students from full-day school because of behavior related
to their disabilities.
With regard to the DHHS agreement, a young man with intellectual disabilities (ID) filed a
complaint with the Justice Department alleging that Maine imposed restrictions that placed him
at serious risk of having to move from his own home into a congregate setting in order to
receive the services he needs. While Maine’s Medicaid program allows unlimited personal
assistance services for people living in congregate settings, the State’s community service
program for people with ID and autism limits those same services when they are provided in a
person’s own home. Under the agreement reached today, Maine will modify its policies so that
people with ID or autism can receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their
needs. For the complainant, DHHS will provide access to all needed in-home services and pay
$100,000 in damages.
On May 27, the Justice Department announced a settlement agreement with the Lewiston
Public Schools to end the district’s practice of excluding students from full-day school because
of behavior related to their disabilities. The settlement also will require the district to provide
equal educational opportunities to its English learner students. The department’s investigation
found that the district routinely shortened the school day for students with disabilities without
considering their individual needs or exploring supports to keep them in school for the full day.
The district’s lack of training for staff on how to properly respond to students’ disability-related
behavior contributed to the over-reliance on “abbreviated” school days. The school has agreed
to end its practice.
DOL Awards Grants to Assist Homeless Veterans to Return to Work
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has announced that more than $52 million in grants have
been awarded to help homeless veterans to return to meaningful employment and address thecomplex problems facing homeless veterans. Administered by the department’s Veterans’
Employment and Training Service, Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program funding also
supports Homeless Female Veterans' and Veterans with Families program and the
Incarcerated Veterans’ Transition Program grants. Ending homelessness among veterans has
long been a priority for the department. VETS designs these programs to provide the
assistance.
The department will award 119 continuation grants totaling more than $40 million and 36 new
three-year grant awards totaling more than $12 million to provide a wide range of services to
veterans currently homeless or at risk of homelessness. In addition to working with VETS,
grant recipients partner with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Service for
Veteran Families program and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s
Continuum of Care program. Learn more about the VETS Homeless Integration Program here.
DOL Releases Jobs Report
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Department of Labor (DOL) issued its May jobs
report this morning. It shows a slight improvement in the overall unemployment rate. The labor
force participation rate for people is disabilities is 20.6% compared to 67.0% of people without
disabilities. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 10.2% compared to 5.3% of
people without disabilities.
ACL Announces CDSME and Falls Prevention Grantee Cohorts
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) has announced the 2021 cohorts of Chronic
Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) and Falls Prevention grantees. The project
period for these grants is May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2024. The new CDSME grantees will reach
an estimated 14,000 older adults and adults with disabilities through evidence-based CDSME
and self-management support programs. The new Falls Prevention grantees will reach
approximately 18,000 older adults and adults with disabilities with evidence-based programs to
reduce falls and the risk of falling in order to safeguard their independence. Grantees are
tasked with developing robust partnerships in delivering these programs while also pursuing
their sustainability beyond the end of the grant period.
CDSME Grant Recipients - Approximately $6.1 million combined funding:
• AgeOptions, Inc. (Illinois)
• MAC, Inc. (Maryland)
• Central Maine Area Agency on Aging (Maine)
• Mid-America Regional Council (Missouri)
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
• Cherokee County Health Services Council (Oklahoma)
• Comagine Health (Oregon)
• Pennsylvania Department of Aging
Falls Prevention Grant Recipients - Approximately $4 million combined funding:
• Clemson University (South Carolina)
• Council for Jewish Elderly (Illinois)
• Innovations for Aging (Minnesota)
• MHP Salud (Texas)
• Mississippi State Department of Health
• Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services
• Putnam County (New York)
• Sanford Medical Center (South Dakota)
• Springfield College (Massachusetts)
• The University of Tennessee
• Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative ServicesFederal Grant and Funding Opportunities CMS Issues Navigator NOFO Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the 2021 Navigator Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which will make $80 million in grant funding available to Navigators in states with a Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) for the 2022 plan year. This is the largest funding allocation CMS has made available for Navigator grants to date. The increased grant funding is available to applicants seeking to serve as Navigators in States with an FFM. The application details the eligibility requirements, required duties and the available funding amount to applicants for this Navigator grant cycle. Technical assistance sessions will be held June 9 and June 28, both from 3:00pm to 4:00pm (EDT). To view the Notice of Funding Opportunity, visit: https://www.grants.gov/, and search for CFDA # 93.332. You may view the Frequently Asked Questions on the grant process here. RSA Announces Discretionary Grant Competitions The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has announced that discretionary grant opportunities are still open. The Activities for Traditionally Underserved Populations—Assistance Listing Number 84.315C—to make awards to minority entities and Indian Tribes to improve services under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act), especially services provided to individuals from minority backgrounds is open until June 14. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice of Final Priorities and Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications for more information. RSA has also issued a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 for American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC)—Assistance Listing Number 84.250Z—to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to governing bodies of Indian Tribes that have received an American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) grant. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice of Final Priorities and Federal Register Notice Inviting Applications for more information. Applications are due June 14. OSEP Lists New Funding Opportunities The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is entertaining applications for: 1) Absolute Priority 1: Model Demonstration Projects to Develop Identification, Screening, Referral, and Tracking Systems for Infants and Toddlers The purpose of this priority is to fund three cooperative agreements to establish and operate evidence-based model demonstration projects. The models must implement identification, screening, referral, and tracking systems across health, early care and education, and social service systems that serve and support infants and toddlers and their families within a local community. 2) Absolute Priority 2: Model Demonstration Projects to Enhance Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Services and Supports for Middle or High School Youth with and at Risk for Disabilities The purpose of this priority is to fund three cooperative agreements to establish and operate evidence-based model demonstration projects. The models must establish and implement an evidence-based integrated school mental health program to enhance social, emotional, and mental health services and supports in middle school or high school settings to support youth with and at risk for disabilities. Applications are due July 20. View Opportunity | GRANTS.GOV Reports, Materials and Resources
NCAPPS Provides Update on TA and Learning Communities The National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems (NCAPPS) has provided a summary of the third year of NCAPPS technical assistance. The brief describes activities being conducted across all fifteen NCAPPS States, as well as the group technical assistance effort focused on using measurement in person-centered systems. Read more in the summary, “Technical Assistance Highlights,” also posted on the website featuring innovative practices in Alabama, Utah, and Texas. Both of the learning collaboratives that NCAPPS is currently supporting -- the Brain Injury Learning Collaborative and the Racial Equity Learning Collaborative -- are nearing their scheduled end dates. In the Racial Equity Learning Collaborative, faculty Tawara Goode and Vivian Jackson from the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence have led 35 participants on a guided reading of Ibram X. Kendi's “How to Be an Antiracist.” The group has finished reading the book and now has one final session to review and share what they have learned. In April, the Brain Injury Learning Collaborative held its third and final Learning Session. The remaining monthly coaching calls will focus on ensuring the sustainability of this and future system improvement efforts. This Learning Collaborative, which began in January of 2020 and paused for several months due to the coronavirus, will culminate in a summit in July. The NCAPPS team and a group of subject matter expert partners have published an article, "Person-Centered Practice as Anchor and Beacon: Pandemic Wisdom from the NCAPPS Community" in the new, open source Developmental Disabilities Network Journal. The paper, explores themes from a series of short videos created by members of the NCAPPS community in the early days of the pandemic. This paper was a deeply collaborative effort that included disabled and nondisabled experts, including several members of the Person-Centered Advisory and Leadership Group. As an open-source journal, the article is free and accessible to the public. Upcoming Conferences National Health Law Program to Present Research on SUD 1115 Waivers The National Health Law Program will be presenting a webinar about their research on Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers for Substance Use Disorders on June 16, 2021, 3:00pm (ET). An estimated 20.4 million individuals had a SUD in 2019, and preliminary studies show that this number likely increased as a result of the events of this past year. Medicaid is currently the largest payer of SUD services. Despite this coverage and the availability of evidence-based treatments, most individuals with SUD are currently not receiving treatment. Various States have sought to remedy the lack of access to treatment by requesting Section 1115 authorization to expand SUD services. In this webinar, the National Health Law Program will discuss an analysis of their research conducted on these waivers. This webinar will cover the clinical and legal framework about Medicaid coverage of SUD treatment, remaining gaps, and recommendations for improving practices. Register here. ADA Center will Hold Webinar on Impact on Individuals and the COVID-19 Long Haul The NIDILRR-funded Southeast ADA Regional Center will host a webinar, ADA Impact on Individuals and the COVID-19 Long Haul, June 9th, 1-2:30pm (ET). Presenters will share information on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it can help those with disabilities as they are still navigating COVID-19. The webinar will cover the highlights and obstacles to virtual living, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and information, and accommodations and assistive technology that can help with the COVID-19 long haul. Registration is free and required. Register here. Brandeis-Harvard NIDA to Offer Webinar on Future of Telehealth for Behavioral Health Save the date for a virtual symposium, “The Future of Telehealth for Behavioral Health Care:
Issues for Guiding Policy and Practice,” presented by the Brandeis-Harvard National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Center and the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research on
June 24, 2021, from 4:00-5:30pm (EDT). A panel of experts will discuss what we have learned
about telehealth for behavioral health during the pandemic; what its future in the treatment of
substance use disorders and mental health should be; and the regulatory and payment policies
that are needed to support that role in the future. A registration link, along with a complete
description of speakers, will follow.
NASHIA Announces the Date for the Annual State of the States Meeting
The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators (NASHIA) has announced the
nd
date for the 32 Annual State of the States Meeting to be held virtually. Mark you calendars for
September 20-24, 2021. This year’s theme is “Game Plan for Success: Winning Strategies in
Brain Injury.” Registration is open. Click here for more information.
Visit our website
This update was prepared by:
Susan L. Vaughn, Director of Public Policy
publicpolicy@nashia.org
Jennifer Braun, Chair, NASHIA Public Policy Committee
jennifer.braun@health.mo.gov
Rebeccah Wolfkiel, Executive Director
execdirector@nashia.org
Becky Corby, Governmental Relations Consultant
rcorby@ridgepolicygroup.com
The National Association of State Head Injury Administrators assists State government
in promoting partnerships and building systems
to meet the needs of individuals with brain injuries and their families.
Support States. Grow Leaders. Connect Partners.
National Association of State Head Injury Administrators | PO Box 1878, Alabaster, AL 35007You can also read
