Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released comprehensive guidance to support states in ensuring the 38 million children with Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage — nearly half of the children in this country — receive the full range of health care services they need. Under Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) requirements, eligible children and youth are entitled to a comprehensive array of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services — including well-child visits, mental health services, dental, vision, and hearing services.

Yesterday, ACL and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released a joint letter to ACL grantees on the historic May 2024 final rule implementing Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The comprehensive update — the first since the initial regulation was put into place more than 50 years ago — is a powerful tool to combat discrimination based on disability in health care and human services.

Starting today, every U.S. household can order free at-home COVID-19 tests through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the United States Postal Service (USPS). These tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2024. Each order will include four tests.

The training, resources, and technical assistance provided through this grant will help the ACL aging and disability network to develop new, practical skills to support older adults with behavioral health conditions and improve coordination among local aging and behavioral health service providers.

ACL is pleased to announce the awarding of a $250,000 grant to USAging to continue the Information and Planning: Understanding the Capacity of the Aging Network activities for a new three-year cycle. The project will include documenting and reporting on the activities and expertise of area agencies on aging (AAAs) and tribal organizations in delivering community-based services and supports.

To better understand falls and these programs, we asked a few professionals to share their perspectives. Kathy Cameron and Emily Nabors are on the National Council on Aging (NCOA) team operating ACL’s National Falls Prevention Resource Center. Karla Cazer works on an ACL-funded falls prevention grant project at Sanford Medical Center in South Dakota.

Join the ACL-funded National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center (NADRC) for their upcoming webinar where presenters will discuss the process of choosing, implementing, and evaluating dementia programs. Additionally, the presenters will review the updated NADRC resource Grantee-Implemented Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Dementia Interventions and highlight key aspects of the guide.

RRTCs conduct research, provide training and technical assistance, and share information to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. These activities are designed to benefit rehabilitation service providers, people with disabilities and their families, and other stakeholders.

ACL, with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Association of Medicaid Directors, developed a resource for state Medicaid programs detailing the benefits of leveraging Medicaid administrative claiming for No Wrong Door (NWD) System functions.

ACL is awarding grants totaling more than $2.8 million in the first year to the following to increase the availability emergency and transitional housing and supportive services for older adults, including those with disabilities, who experience abuse, neglect and/or exploitation.