ADMINISTRATION FOR COMMUNITY LIVING: Applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program Are Open

By SD Network, 2024-08-25

Applications for the Digital Equity Competitive Grant Program Are Open

Applications due Monday, September 23, 2024

On July 24, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) made available nearly $1 billion to fund programs that ensure communities have access to devices and skills needed to fully participate in the digital world, regardless of their background or circumstances.
This is the first funding opportunity from the Digital Equity Act’s $1.25 billion Competitive Grant Program and is part of the “Internet for All” initiative, a key component of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda.
The disability and aging networks play a pivotal role in helping people learn about and access affordable high-speed internet, as well as the tools and resources needed to be successful online. ACL encourages the disability and aging networks to join with partners in your state and/or community to apply for this competitive grant opportunity.
Under the Notice of Funding Opportunity, a variety of organizations can apply on a competitive basis for funding. Eligible applicants include political subdivisions of states, such as city and county governments; Native entities, including Indian tribes, Alaska Native entities, or Native Hawaiian organizations; certain nonprofits; community anchor institutions; local educational agencies; and workforce development organizations. United States Territories are eligible to apply for funding under a separate set-aside. Partnerships among these entities are allowed, and NTIA encourages proposals that demonstrate a broad partnership of entities with the ability to administer significant resources and address wide-ranging populations.
Please direct programmatic questions to digitalequity@ntia.gov and grants management questions to darren.olson@nist.gov.

View more details and application instructions

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Statement Marking 59th Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

By SD Network, 2024-08-25

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law, the United States moved a step closer to being a country where health care was recognized as a right, not treated as a privilege only available to a select few. The data are clear: strengthening Medicaid benefits not only the individual, but the community.

Posted in: Medicad | 0 comments

MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL: These laws seek to simplify the wheelchair repair process in Wisconsin. How do they work?

By SD Network, 2024-08-25

For a long time, disability advocates and those who rely on mobility equipment have said that Wisconsin laws make it harder to repair devices. However, in the past year, two bills have been passed to address these issues. One of them will eliminate the need for Medicaid prior authorizations and doctors' prescriptions for wheelchair repairs and complex rehabilitative technology; the other will increase the reimbursement rate for complex rehabilitative technology and accessories. The new rules do not apply to managed care plans like Family Care, Family Care Partnership, or Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).