Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
May 8, 2006, Vol. 06-53

New Freedom Initiative Open Door Forum

Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program:
Focus on Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act Friday, May 12, 2006 2:30-4:00 PM EDT Conference Call Only

This New Freedom Initiative Open Door Forum will focus on Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005: Money Follows the Person Demonstration Program.

Brief Overview of the Demonstration
The demonstration program, authorized under Section 6071 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, gives grants to states of up to five years that enable states to transition individuals from institutional settings to community-based settings. The grants provide enhanced federal payments for services that individual will receive in community settings for one year from the date of transition. Simultaneously the grants are intended to assist states with overcoming barriers to increased community-based care in their states. .75 Billion is available for this demonstration project. Of that amount, .4 million may be used by the Secretary to carry-out the demonstration and $5.5 million may be used by the Secretary for evaluation. The demonstration begins January 1, 2007.

1. Should the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allow a
portion of the demonstration funds to be used for infrastructure
development in the state? If so, how much is needed for infrastructure
development and should a state be allowed to budget for this
development for each year of the demonstration?

2. How can CMS expect states to address "housing" issues (which is perhaps
the biggest barrier to success for transitioning individuals)?

3. What is an adequate assurance of a public development process as
required by the statute?

4. How should we define a "community-based residential setting?" Can we
include assisted living? If so, how?

5. Qualified home and community based services programs are required of
participating states. What should be included in the minimum service
package?

6. If we are going to expand the definition of services beyond the standard
HCBS services, what services (e.g., transition coordinator, housing
coordinator) should we include?

7. What specific assurances should CMS require of awardees to address that
services to individuals must continue beyond the 12 months after
transition from an institution?

8. Under the demonstration, States must report on certain benchmarks.
One benchmark is the number of individuals transitioned. The second
benchmark is increasing state Medicaid support for eligible individuals.
How should this second benchmark be measured?

9. What issues will this demonstration present for the "waiting lists" for the
states?

10. What could increase interest in applying for the demonstration? What
else would make a State disinterested in applying for this
demonstration?

We look forward to your participation.
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Open Door Forum Participation Instructions:
General Public
Dial: 1-800-837-1935
Reference Conference ID: 8680847
TTY Communications Relay Services are available for the Hearing Impaired. For TTY services dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-855-2880 and for Internet Relay services click here http://www.consumer.att.com/relay/which/index.html. A Relay Communications Assistant will help.

For Forum Schedule updates and Frequently Asked Questions please visit our website at www.cms.hhs.gov/OpenDoorForums.
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.