Categories
Facilities Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support News Spotlight

2024-06-25 Spotlight: Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Olmstead Decision

Supreme Court outlawed segregation of disabled people 25 years ago. But change has come slowly STAT, June 21, 2024By Timmy Broderick As a toddler, Veronica Ayala loved Fridays. At 5 o’clock sharp, her mom whisked her away from the grim Moody State School for Cerebral Palsied Children for a 48-hour reprieve. Ayala’s house was mere […]

Categories
Advocacy Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support News

DignityMA Comments on Real Lives Bill

Self-Determination and Self-Directed Services Download the letter on Self-Determination and Self-Directed Services (pdf) Download the Facts Sheet from MA Alliance for 21st Century Disability Policy (MA21) on Self-Directed Services (pdf) Letter to DDS June 18, 2024Department of Disability ServicesOffice of the General Counsel,1000 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118 dds.regs.comments@mass.gov.  SUBJECT: Self-Determination and Self-Directed Services Dignity Alliance Massachusetts […]

Categories
Facilities Federal Legislation Long Term Services and Support News Policy

Consumer Voice Statement on H.J. Res. 139 –A Resolution to Block Staffing Standards in Nursing Homes

On May 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule implementing a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes.  The rule will require that nursing homes have a registered nurse on-site 24 hours per day, seven days per week, meet modest minimum staffing requirements, use evidence-based, data-driven methods when determining […]

Categories
Facilities Long Term Services and Support News Spotlight Worker Support

2024-06-10 Spotlight: Is long-term care evolving or devolving?

Is long-term care evolving or devolving? McKnight’s Long-Term Care NewsBy John O’Connor, editorial director for McKnight’s Long-Term Care NewsJune 9, 2024 With the midyear mark rapidly approaching, this might be a good time to consider the current state of long-term care.  But rather than make an argument whether conditions for operators are getting better or […]

Categories
Facilities Long Term Services and Support News Spotlight

2024-06-10 Spotlight: AG Settles with Nursing Home Chain

AG Campbell Announces $4 Million Settlement With Nursing Home Chain For Significant Staffing And Care Failures Resulting In Resident Neglect Office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea CampbellJune 10, 2024  As part of the AG’s largest ever nursing home settlement, Next Step Healthcare will pay $4 million to resolve allegations, improve staffing levels, and agree to […]

Categories
Facilities Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support News Study Session

Bringing People Home – On Marsters for guardians, and supported decision-making personnel

May 29, 2024: A webinar explaining the Marsters v. Healey Settlement Agreement, was prepared especially for guardians, supporters in supported decision-making arrangements, and other advocates. The objectives of the webinar are to review basic provisions of the Agreement and review rights available for residents. The Agreement is anticipated to be finalized in federal court in […]

Categories
Facilities Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support News Study Session

Bringing People Home – Marsters Info for attorneys, paralegals, and legal advocates

May 29, 2024: The Center for Public Representation (CPR) and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) have prepared a webinar especially for attorneys, paralegals, and legal advocates explaining the Marsters v. Healey Settlement Agreement.. The objectives of the webinar are to review basic provisions of the Agreement and describe avenues for ongoing advocacy for class members […]

Categories
Long Term Services and Support News Spotlight

2024-05-21 Spotlight: Nursing Home Closures in NE: Impact on Long-term Care, Labor Markets

Federal Reserve Bank of BostonBy Riley Sullivan, May 14, 2024 Nursing Home Closures in New England: Impact on Long-term Care, Labor Markets Editors note: See online text for the following charts and graphs: Key Takeaways The US population, particularly in New England, is aging rapidly—both the median age and the share of the population aged […]

Categories
Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support News Spotlight

2024-05-14 Spotlight: A Massachusetts disability rights warrior’s posthumous last battle against estate recovery

By Jason Laughlin*Boston Globe, May 12, 2024 In more than four decades of fighting for the rights of people with disabilities, Joe Tringali never got angry. But he sure was persistent. He called, emailed, called again, relentlessly, until he got legislators to listen. Most recently, Tringali’s steady but forceful activism focused on a practice by […]

Categories
Advocacy Home and Community Based Long Term Services and Support Overview

Independent Assessment Entity (IAE)

Update: An RFI has been posted by MassHealth (RFI info below). The deadline to Reply to the RFI is July 9. View a presentation of the issues with the state’s pursuit of an IAE (pdf) written by Jenny Kaplan and Meg Coffin. Overview Recently the Executive Office of Health & Human Services (EOHHS) released an […]