May is a month of fresh beginnings. Perennials bloom once again, blazing a trail of bright color. Here at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), May is Older American’s Month (OAM), a time to celebrate the perennial contributions of older adults to the nation. The 2016 theme is Blaze a Trail, and in May we will take the opportunity to raise awareness about issues facing older adults, and highlight the way older Americans are advocating for themselves, their peers, and their communities.

To promote the availability and accessibility of transportation options for older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and communities throughout the U.S., Easter Seals and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging announce the launch of the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center.

At the time Jamie Kendall passed away unexpectedly, ACL was within weeks of announcing her selection to serve as deputy commissioner for the Administration on Disabilities and director of the Independent Living Administration. Jamie had been serving as the acting director of the ILA since June.

With gratitude and sadness, ACL announces that Principal Deputy Administrator Sharon Lewis will leave ACL at the end of January. James Toews will succeed her in an acting capacity.

Today, ACL published a proposed rule for Independent Living (IL) programs in the Federal Register. The Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) is now open for public comment through the Federal Register and Regulations.gov. The rule will not take effect until after all comments are reviewed and a final rule is released.

ACL is mourning the loss of Jamie Kendall, Acting Director of the Independent Living Administration, who died November 12, 2015.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to revise the discharge planning requirements that Hospitals, including Long-Term Care Hospitals and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Critical Access Hospitals, and Home Health Agencies must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The proposed rule would also implement the discharge planning requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a final rule with comment aimed at enhancing the delivery of health care services provided under the Medicaid program.

Please join us in congratulating Kathy Greenlee, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging and ACL’s administrator, on being named a 2015 Influencer in Aging by Next Avenue. The Influencers in Aging list highlights 50 thought leaders, researchers, experts, executives and everyday people who are redefining what it means to grow older in America.

This week, the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) published its 2015 Report to President titled Leveling the Playing Field: Improving Technology Access and Design for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the report describes the critical and increasing role of technology in enabling individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) to have greater control over their own lives and to experience the full benefits of citizenship. The primary goals of the report’s recommendations are: