CMS

CMS has released a new report on community transitions that occurred under the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program from 2008 to the end of 2019. The report states that during this time, states transitioned 101,540 people to community living through MFP. In the most recent year (2019), MFP grantee states transitioned a total of 4,173 individuals. The report includes additional information on transitions broken down by population and state.

This annual report summarizes states’ self-reported data related to certain quality measures, including the timeliness of the PASRR evaluations and the outcomes for applicants and residents resulting from the evaluations. The report also provides a brief background of PASRR and outlines states' data tracking capabilities.

This brief highlights the efforts of states who implemented Value Based Payment initiatives within systems that support individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD). The brief emphasizes the importance of understanding the population and provides an overview of the population served and their length of engagement with the service system. It looks at the experiences of OH and WA in the Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Partnership program from April 2018 to September 2019.

The CMS Office of the Actuary released the 2018 National Health Expenditures. The study includes estimates on health care services and goods, health insurance costs, government administration, public health activities, and other areas related to health care including personal care, residential services, and nursing care facilities.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a State Health Official letter that provides guidance on legislative changes to the modified adjusted gross income (MAGI)-based methodologies used for determining Medicaid and CHIP eligibility. In order to implement the changes to MAGI-based methods, states may need to update eligibility policies and procedures and make changes to eligibility systems logic.

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services released a report that profiled the 10 states with the greatest change in Long-Term Services and Support (LTSS) system balancing. The report highlights characteristics of the 10 states and compares their change in LTSS system balancing with other states and provides a national overview on LTSS system balancing. State profiles consist of characteristics and strategies states utilized in their progress towards rebalancing their LTSS systems.

CMS released a bulletin addressing frequently asked questions regarding Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) requirements to beneficiaries receiving in-home care. This bulletin responds to questions surrounding beneficiaries with live-in caregivers, services delivered partially in the beneficiary's home, the provision of medical supplies, equipment, and appliances as a component of the Medicaid home health benefit, and the use of web-based timesheets as an EVV method.

CMS released an informational bulletin that provides guidance regarding new constructions and the HCBS heightened scrutiny process. The 2014 Medicaid HCBS regulation’s settings regulation requires an in-depth assessment, called heightened scrutiny, for certain providers that are presumed to be institutional. This guidance provides clarification and flexibility to states, including an overview of three potential scenarios for how newly constructed settings could receive Federal funding

CMS has released a notice with information about the process for states to apply for a “good faith effort” (GFE) exemption, which provides up to one year of extra time to come into compliance with Electronic Visit Verification.

CMS provided the president and Congress a report detailing the center’s action plan to provide support and technical assistance to states delivering supports to Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorder (SUD). The report outlines how CMS plans to implement requirements of Section 1018(a) of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act in 2020-2021.