CMS-NYS Making Medicaid More Coordinated, Person-Centered

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that CMS is partnering with the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) to test a new model for providing Medicare-Medicaid enrollees with a more coordinated, person-centered care experience.

"We are pleased to partner again with the State of New York to bring more person-centered care to Medicare-Medicaid enrollees," said CMS Tim Engelhardt, Director, CMS Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office.  "We look forward to working together to provide Medicare-Medicaid enrollees with intellectual and developmental disabilities an opportunity to experience more integrated benefits and coordinated care."

Opinon: Disability No Excuse to Deprive Person of Civil Rights

Post from Susan Mizner, Director of Disability Rights Project of the ACLU.

The guardianship system in this country raises serious concerns. That's why the guardianship trial of Jenny Hatch, a vibrant and active 29-year-old in a battle over who controls her life, struck such a chord. Jenny spoke for many other

Jenny Hatch

people with disabilities when she said clearly in her trial: "I don't need guardianship. I don't want it."

Building Networks for a 'Good Life,' Even After the Caregiver Is Gone

This article is so on target it's not funny. A must read.

Twenty-five years ago, when Ted Kuntz, a family therapist in Vancouver, British Columbia, was preparing his will, he went around to family members and close friends asking if — in the event of his and his wife’s death — they would be willing to serve as a guardian for their son Josh, now 28, who has a severe cognitive disability and requires continual care. “Everybody said no,” recalled Kuntz. “They said the responsibility was too overwhelming, and they couldn’t imagine taking it on.”

Ted Kuntz, left, and his son, Josh.

As a young boy, Josh had frequent uncontrollable seizures. Life grew increasingly stressful, Kuntz recalled, and the family became isolated. “We were in crisis,” he said. “My wife quit her job and became a full-time caregiver for Josh. We were holding our breath constantly; people avoided us because we were angry; our family got worn out by the level of despair and pain we were feeling.”