On September 26, 2023, Acting Secretary Julie Su announced that the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is launching a comprehensive review of the Section 14(c) program, which authorizes employers, after receiving a certificate from the Wage and Hour Division, to pay subminimum wages to workers whose disabilities impact their productivity for the specific work performed. As part of this effort, the DOL has been holding a series of stakeholder engagement sessions to hear from members of the public, in particular workers with disabilities, about their experiences with the Section 14(c) program.

Join the Partnership to Align Social Care for "The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Includes Codes to Address HRSNs...What Happens Next?"

On Saturday, we join the nation in celebrating Veterans Day and the generations of American service members who swore an oath to the Constitution of the United States to support and defend the principles of liberty, equality, and justice and to preserve and protect our democracy. About six percent of Americans are veterans, and their numbers disproportionately include older adults and people with disabilities — nearly three-quarters are 55 or older, and about a third have a disability.

In this policy-round up: Input Needed for CMS Revised 1915(c) HCBS Waiver Application and Technical Guide (comments due 11/13), Assessing mental health parity and addiction equity compliance in Medicaid and CHIP (comments due 12/4), ACF proposed rule on services and protections for unaccompanied children in its care (comments due 12/4), Coverage of over-the-counter preventative services (comments due 12/4), Census Bureau changes to American Community Survey and Puerto Rico Community Survey (comments due 12/19),HHS 504 proposed rule, stakeholder call recording now available (comments due 11/13)

Join the Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC) to explore how cross-sector partnerships can help to sustain services and programs that support accessible and stable housing for older adults and people with disabilities.

Join the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center for the webinar “Support Groups: Recruiting, Retention, and Everything in Between.” This webinar is part of a series provided by the ACL-funded Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, which is led by Generations United.

Please join two of ACL’s grantees — the Center on Youth Voice, Youth Choice and the Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities — for the fourth session in a four-part series for parents on supporting youth and young adults with I/DD with decision-making.

Deadline Extended: Community Care Hub National Learning Community. ACL has extended the deadline for the 2023-2024 Community Care Hub National Learning Community to Wednesday, November 8, 2023. Participants will gain access to vital peer support, technical assistance from national experts, and up-to-date information on resources, initiatives, and collaborations aimed at furthering the capacity of community care hubs nationwide.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the launch of the Housing and Services Partnership Accelerator, which will support states in developing or expanding innovative housing-related supports and services for Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities and older adults who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.

October 31st marked 60 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). The DD Act advanced a fundamentally different vision of what it means to live with a developmental disability. The law empowered people with developmental disabilities and their families to help shape policies that impact them, and it served as the blueprint for many subsequent laws that both protect the rights of people with disabilities and promote independence, integration, and inclusion throughout life.