Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 1. November 2012 12:17
The schedule for upcoming Title IV-E eligibility reviews is out and 11 states will be tested against Title IV-E regulations and standards to see how they measures up. On January 25, 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule in the Federal Register to establish a new ap¬proach to monitoring state child welfare programs. Under the rule, which be¬came effective March 25, 2000, states are assessed for substantial conformity with certain federal requirements for child protective, foster care, adoption, family preservation and family support, and independent living services. [More]
Author: Sam Fish | Posted: 26. October 2012 06:42
On October 18, 2012, legal assistance attorneys filed a motion for preliminary injunction attempting to prevent the Connecticut Medicaid state agency from seeking a waiver from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to institute an asset test in its adult Medicaid program. Connecticut chose to institute this program for low income adults and families without any minor children for one year in 2013 pursuant to an option permitted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The program becomes mandatory for all states under the ACA beginning in 2014 with 100% federal reimbursement.
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Author: Tom Entrikin | Posted: 26. October 2012 06:39
An article published in the October issue of the Journal of Health Care Finance outlines years of research showing that approximately 200,000 Americans die annually as a result of preventable medical errors (drug-related, surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic, and other treatment errors that might have been prevented through more effective quality assurance and care coordination). In 2008, the incremental direct medical cost from such errors was $17 billion, not including the far greater human, economic, and malpractice costs. [More]
Author: Tom Entrikin | Posted: 26. October 2012 06:36
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on October 12, 2012 that it has committed $1,820,573,884 in loans to 23 Consumer Operated and Oriented Plans (CO-OPs) under section 1322 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Section 1322 authorizes up to $3.8 billion in federal loans to foster the creation of consumer-governed private non-profit health insurance issuers that will offer qualified health plan coverage through health insurance Exchanges by January 2014. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 26. October 2012 06:33
On October 15, 2012 the American Academy of Pediatrics published online the results of a study conducted by Johns Hopkins researchers on the Effects of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports on Child Behavior Problems. The study used four years of elementary school data to examine the hypothesis that students in schools that implemented School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) would experience better adjustment and fewer problem behaviors relative to students in schools that had not implemented PBIS. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 26. October 2012 05:18
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has compiled its first report from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD). The database was authorized in Public Law 106-169 - the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP), which provided states with flexible funding to carry out programs that assist youth in making the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency. The legislation required ACF to develop a data collection system to track the independent living services states provide to youth and develop outcome measures that may be used to assess states' performance in operating their independent living programs. [More]
Author: Ryan Paiva | Posted: 24. October 2012 08:15
Boston, MA, October, 2012 – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a cross-system analysis project to PCG Human Services to focus on programs that serve children and youth across various divisions within the agency. PCG will identify areas of duplication of services, funding, and resources that could be allocated in a more efficient manner. [More]
Author: Patsy Crawford | Posted: 19. October 2012 05:29
In an October 17, 2012 press release, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced the approval of Idaho’s request for a waiver of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requirements. The approval brings the total number of waivers to 35; 12 additional requests are pending. The NCLB waivers allow the recipients to avoid several NCLB provisions, including the requirement that all students must be proficient in reading and math by 2014. [More]
Author: Ryan Paiva | Posted: 15. October 2012 08:58
Boston, MA, October, 2012 – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) has awarded a contract to PCG Human Services’ early childhood consulting team to conduct a market rate survey of child care providers across the Commonwealth. The survey will help the EEC to evaluate the adequacy of its rates for the purpose of demonstrating equal access to child care for low income families. PCG Human Services conducted the EEC’s previous market rate survey. [More]
Author: Kay Casey | Posted: 15. October 2012 08:50
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) FY 2013 work plan included information on continued and new start projects for the Administration for Community Living and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). In addition to covering programs within the Administration for Children and Families, the Human Services section of the OIG work plan includes the Administration for Community Living (ACL). [More]
