Media Advisory
What: Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) and Portland State University (PSU) will present key findings of studies on trends in Oregon’s long-term care settings on Dec. 17 in Salem.
Oregon Department of Human Services Aging and People with Disabilities program (APD) has commissioned these studies for each of the past four years. The research summarizes topics such as residents’ needs, rates and fees, facility policies, and staffing.
The quality and availability of long-term care options in Oregon are closely monitored by APD. The program licenses adult foster homes, assisted living, residential care and nursing facilities, including those designated for memory care. Demand for long-term care will continue to rise as the percentage of Oregon’s population that is 65 and older is expected to increase, according to the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
Researchers presenting at the event will include:
When: 2-3 pm, Monday, Dec. 17; presenters will share research highlights and analysis from 2-2:30 p.m. following by a question and answer session.
Options to join include phone, Skype and in-person in Salem: To join the meeting, please contact APD Communications Officer Elisa Williams at Elisa.A.Williams@state.or.us or 503-509-9604 for details.
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SALEM, Ore. – The Child Welfare and Implementation Plan Steering Team meets Tuesday (December 18, 2018) from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, Room 137 A-D, 500 Summer St. NE, Salem. The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include: overview of all priority projects, enhanced community engagement project presentation, caregiver retention and support workgroup presentation and future agenda items.
Individuals unable to attend in person may call or attend via Skype. Conference line: 1-888-204-5984; Participant Code: 547-086.
If you want to follow the presentation online, please use the link to follow link: https://bit.ly/2B4KFXs
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Kelsi Eisele at 971-283-1628 or kelsi.p.eisele@state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting. A good faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.
For questions about this meeting, please contact: Kelsi Eisele, Project Manager, at kelsi.p.eisele@state.or.us.
The ten identified priority projects, formally known as the Unified Child and Youth Safety Implementation Plan, were set by the steering team in March of 2017 and are now transitioning to the Child Welfare Program. This steering team provides oversight, adherence to goals, and will monitor and control projects.
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Salem, Ore. – The Medicaid Long Term Care Quality and Reimbursement Advisory Council meets from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, Room 160, 500 Summer St. N.E., Salem. The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include: public comment, the Governor’s Recommended Budget, the ventilator assistance program, the annual report and council business.
For those who aren’t able to attend in person, there is a toll-free phone number that can also be accessed through Skype for Business: 1-503-934-1400 with participant code: 1272017.
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Alex Pelusi at alex.j.pelusi@state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting.
For questions about this meeting, please contact: Max Brown, 503-945-6993 or max.brown@state.or.us.
About the Medicaid Long Term Care Quality & Reimbursement Advisory Council
The Medicaid Long Term Care Quality and Reimbursement Advisory Council (MLTCQRAC) was established by the 1995 Legislative Assembly to advise the Department of Human Services Aging and People with Disabilities program on changes or modifications to the Medicaid reimbursement system for long-term care and community based care services.
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Wilsonville, Ore. – The Quality Measurement Council will hold a meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2018, in Training Rooms 1 and 2 at the Oregon Child Development Coalition, 9140 S.W. Pioneer Court, Wilsonville, Oregon, 97070. The council meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include a review of training and metrics for the use of anti-psychotic drugs.
Sign language interpreters and live captioning will be provided. Those who are unable to attend in person, may join by calling toll-free phone number, 1-888-363-4735, and using Conference ID #3439085.
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Rebecca Mapes at 1-541-735-0058 or Rebecca.Mapes@state.or.us Requests should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting.
For questions about this meeting, please contact: Rebecca Mapes at 1-541-735-0058 or Rebecca.Mapes@state.or.us
About the Quality Measurement Council
The council was established to create and maintain a system through which community-based, long-term care facilities report reliable and meaningful data that will make possible a system for measuring a facility’s performance compared with other long-term care providers in the state.
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Salem, Ore. – The Oregon Disabilities Commission (ODC) Executive Committee will meet from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2018, at the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, 500 Summer St NE, Room 166, Salem, Oregon, 97301.
The meeting is open to the public.
Those who are not able to attend in person may call into the meeting using this conference line and access code: 877-336-1828, 1093140.
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Lori Watt at Lori.C.Watt@state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
For questions about the meeting, please contact: Jeff Puterbaugh, policy analyst at Jeffrey.L.Puterbaugh@state.or.us.
About the Oregon Disabilities Commission:
The Oregon Disabilities Commission is charged by state statute to advise the Department of Human Services, the Governor, the Legislative Assembly and appropriate state agency administrators on issues related to achieving the full economic, social, legal and political equity of individuals with disabilities. ODC also acts as a coordinating link between and among public and private organizations services individuals with disabilities.
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Salem, Ore. – The Governor’s Commission on Senior Services (GCSS) will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, at the Department of Human Services’ Office, 500 Summer St. N.E., Room 166, Salem, Oregon, 97305.
The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include regular and new commission business; updates from the Aging and People with Disabilities program and the stakeholder meeting on eligibility; a discussion about the governor’s recommended budget and potential legislative guidelines; the Oregon Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Public Guardian programs; and, a conversation with Department of Human Services leadership.
Those who aren’t able to attend in person may call into the meeting using this conference line and access code: 1-888-808-6929, 4517555.
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Lori Watt at Lori.C.Watt@state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting. For questions about the meeting, please contact: Deb McCuin, program analyst at Debbie.Mccuin@state.or.us.
About the Governor’s Commission on Senior Services
The Governor’s Commission on Senior Services is dedicated to enhancing and protecting the quality of life for all older Oregonians. Through cooperation with other organizations, and advocacy, the commission works to ensure that seniors have access to services that provide, choice, independence, and dignity.
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(Springfield, Ore.) — People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), their families and organizations that support them are invited to community discussions about the new vision and strategy for I/DD services in Oregon.
“Preparation for the new strategic plan began in 2015 during community forums throughout Oregon,” says Oregon Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS) Director Lilia Teninty. “Following those forums, ODDS, partners and stakeholders worked together to identify system core values, needed changes, and new direction, providing a foundation for the future of the I/DD system.”
“We are looking forward to sharing the new vision and strategy with the community and hearing their ideas on how to move forward,” says Teninty.
Two events will be held. An evening event specifically for people with I/DD and their families will focus on their needs. A session for Community Developmental Disabilities Programs, Brokerages and providers will also be held.
Each session will begin with a short presentation followed by a group discussion. This is one in a series of community forums throughout the state.
1. For people with I/DD and their families:
When: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Springfield School District, EMC Building Conference Room, behind 525 Mill Street, Springfield
2. For organizations that support people with I/DD (Community Developmental Disabilities Programs, Brokerages and providers):
When: Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, 1 to 3 p.m.
Where: Springfield School District, EMC Building Conference Room, behind 525 Mill Street, Springfield
To request an accommodation to participate in the meeting, please contact Karla Hoggan at the state Office of Developmental Disabilities Services at 503-945-9780, 711 TTY or karla.hoggan@state.or.us. We accept all relay calls or you can dial 711. Requests should be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
For questions about the meeting, please contact: Sherryll Johnson Hoar, DHS Communications Officer, 503-779-9317, sherryll.j.hoar@state.or.us.
About ODDS: The Oregon Department of Human Services’ Office of Developmental Disabilities Services provides leadership to support persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live as full participants in their communities. Oregon is recognized nationally as an innovative leader in developing community-based services for individuals with I/DD. Oregon’s system has the benefit of a strong advocacy community, one that has a long history and firm commitment to supporting people with I/DD to live as independently as possible in their communities.
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(Salem, Ore.) -The Oregon Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Advisory Committee will hold its executive committee and its full advisory committee meetings in Salem on Nov. 28 and Nov. 30, respectively.
The executive committee on Wednesday, Nov. 28, will be from 1-3 p.m. in Room 252 of the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, 500 Summer St. N.E., Salem, Oregon, 97301. The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include will include public comment, old business, new business and full advisory committee planning. Sign language interpreters and live captioning will be provided. Those who are unable to attend in person, may join by calling the toll-free phone number, (503) 934-1400, and using Conference ID # 6597122.
The full advisory committee will meet on Friday, Nov. 30, from 8:30-11:30am, in Room 166 of the Barbara Roberts Human Services Building, 500 Summer St. N.E., Salem, Oregon, 97301. The meeting is open to the public.
Agenda items include will include public comment, announcements, advisory committee budgetary planning, APD updates and new business. Sign language interpreters and live captioning will be provided. Those who are unable to attend in person, may join by calling the toll-free phone number, (503) 934-1400, and using Conference ID # 84224573.
The meeting location is accessible to people with disabilities. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Request.ODHHSP@state.or.us. Requests should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting. For questions about these meetings, please contact: Max Brown at (503) 945-6993 or max.brown@state.or.us
About the Oregon Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Advisory Committee
The committee assists the Oregon Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Program (ODHHSP) by providing information and expertise on issues affecting individuals who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing and those with additional disability.
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(Salem, Ore.) – The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) and Oregon Health Authority (OHA) are seeking public comment on amendments to the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Statewide Transition Plan.
DHS and OHA amended the plan by outlining how Oregon will fully comply with current federal rules in attaining Medicaid reimbursement for HCBS services by March 17, 2022.
All of Oregon’s HCBS providers have gone through an assessment to determine their compliance. Of these facilities, 19 were identified as requiring federal heightened scrutiny as they are presumed to be institutional, based on criteria set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS will decide whether these facilities comply with the federal HCBS rules. The plan details how these settings can overcome the presumption that they are institutional.
The amended plan has been posted online at: http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/SENIORS-DISABILITIES/HCBS/Pages/Transition-Plan.aspx. In addition, paper copies are posted at local DHS offices and requests for individual paper copies can be made at any local DHS office or at the Human Services Building, 500 Summer Street N.E., Salem.
Background
In 2014, CMS issued new rules to define HCBS settings to:
The purpose of the HCBS rules is to ensure that HCBS recipients can seek employment and work in competitive and integrated settings, engage in community life, control personal resources, and receive services in the community, to the same degree as individuals who do not receive HCBS.
To be eligible for Oregon Medicaid payments, HCBS providers must comply with these rules. Oregon receives federal matching funds only if the service setting complies with these rules.
This is important to Oregon, and the residents who benefit from these services, because the federal government pays for about 70 percent of the cost of Medicaid HCBS through federal matching funds.
Initially, CMS gave states up to five years to comply, but recently extended the deadline to 2022 for states that request an extension.
Oregon is considered a national leader in creating home and community-based service options. The state wants to maintain the maximum level of independence for Oregonians who currently receive HCBS or may require them in the future.
Request for comments
Family members, advocates, stakeholder groups, providers, delivery system representatives, and members of the broader community are invited to review the amended HCBS Statewide Transition Plan and submit their comments for a submission of the plan to CMS. To make comments:
OHA and DHS will consider all comments received. The final amended Statewide Transition Plan is due to CMS by Dec. 28, 2018.