News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the states selected to receive funds for two initiatives aimed at improving Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS).

The Testing Experience and Functional Assessment Tools (TEFT) planning grants are intended to promote integration of health information technology in LTSS systems. These awards will be used to implement an experience survey, functional assessment items, personal health records, and create standardized electronic records for community-based LTSS. Nine states were selected to receive TEFT planning grant awards, which total approximately $42 million. The states receiving these awards are: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Georgia, and New Hampshire (NH will only be field testing the experience survey).

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Grant Demonstration Tribal Initiative (TI) aims to create community-based (CB) LTSS within Indian country. These awards will help states currently operating MFP programs to develop CB-LTSS services tailored to American Indian and Alaska Natives and service delivery structures that give tribes or tribal organizations control over administrative and daily operating functions. Five states were awarded MFP TI funds, they are: Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Read about TAC's work on Medicaid and Community Integration.