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).

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Starting in January 2025, almost 8,000 Family Care and Family Care Partnership (Partnership) members in South Central Wisconsin will have more choices in who helps manage their long-term care. Members in Adams, Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green Lake, Jefferson, Marquette, Rock, and Waushara counties will be able to choose from four managed care organizations (MCOs) for Family Care. That's an increase from the two currently available. Wisconsinites in these nine counties will also all have the option to participate in Partnership - a first for residents in five of these counties.

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As we celebrated the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there was a lot of reflection on what has improved and what still needs to be improved. This is a very informative blog about the ADA.

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The Evers administration recently announced the establishment of minimum rates for home-and-community-based services care that must be paid by managed care organizations. The hope is that this will raise wages for direct care workers. Advocates feel that transparency is needed with higher rates so that increases actually show up in workers' paychecks.

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To celebrate the 34th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the White House put out a proclamation explaining what it has accomplished. It also talks about what still needs to be done.

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This U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) toolkit provides strategies and best practices to recruit, hire, retain, and advance workers with disabilities in good jobs in construction, manufacturing, and clean energy. This document can be used by many different groups but is primarily intended for public and private employers working to build equitable pathways to good jobs for people with disabilities in these industries. The toolkit provides a menu of strategies and practical advice, and shares examples and resources from government agencies and other entities.

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The federal government is deciding whether or not to track the number of direct support professionals there are. Currently, DSPs are usually lumped in with home health care aides, certified nursing assistants, and other job categories that don't describe their true roles. This means that the data is missed to really address the shortage of workers who provide home-and-community-based services.

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The Center for Disease and Control recently released the annual update to the Disability and Health Data System (DHDS), providing quick and easy online access to state-level health data on adults with disabilities. The latest data reveal that more than 1 in 4—over 70 million—adults in the United States reported having a disability in 2022.

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