Aging News Alert

Mississippi

 

(COURTS) Federal Judge in Mississippi Dismisses Healthcare Reform Lawsuit

Chalk one up for the Obama administration in its ongoing battle to beat back opposition to the newly enacted healthcare reform law. The administration won a victory Thursday when a federal judge in Mississippi threw out a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the measure.

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(LOW-INCOME HOUSING) Senior Housing Restored At Katrina Site

Waveland, MS officials mark the five-year milestone of Hurricane Katrina by opening a new senior housing complex. The $12.3 million Oak Haven apartments contain 80 units for tenants 50-years old and older.

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(AWARDS) Five Social Innovators Each Win $100,000 Purpose Prize

This year's top five winners of The Purpose Prize, a $100,000 award for social innovators in their encore careers, are using a new stage of life to do extraordinary things to improve life for millions of people worldwide.

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(GRANTS) AoA Makes Available Disaster Assistance for State Units on Aging

The Administration on Aging (AoA) is seeking grant applications to provide disaster reimbursement and assistance funds to state-level units on aging (SUAs) and tribal organizations that are currently receiving grants under Title VI of the Older Americans Act (OAA). Some $500,000 is being made available for this program, and AoA plans to make up to seven awards.

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Medicare to Test Pay Incentives to Improve Care in Nursing Homes

Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) are about to launch a new, four-state demonstration to determine if cash incentives will improve the quality of care and efficiency of operations in nursing homes. Nursing homes in Arizona, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin will be asked to participate.

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Open Door Forum Set for Nursing Home Value Purchasing Demo

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has scheduled a Special Open Door Forum on Nursing Home Value Based Purchasing Demonstration for Monday, April 6, from 2-4 p.m. ET. The primary audience for this call is Medicare certified nursing homes from the states that have been selected to host the demonstration: Arizona, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin.

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RWJF Seeks Applications for Local Funding Partnerships 2009-2010

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Local Funding Partnerships program works to forge relationships between RWJF and local grantmakers willing to fund promising original projects with the potential to significantly improve the health of vulnerable people in their communities.

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Data Shows Depreciating Home Values Hurting Oldest Americans

Golden Gateway Financial, a financial resource for seniors and retirees, has released new usage data from its online Reverse Mortgage Calculator showing more senior citizens are researching reverse mortgages to offset investment losses. The company also reported on the potentially devastating implications for seniors of the continuing drop in home values as documented by the most recent S&P/Case-Shiller Home Prices Indices.

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CMS Issues Agent Compensation Requirements MA, Rx Drug Programs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued revised compensation requirements for sales agents and brokers who sell Medicare Advantage and prescription drug benefit plan options to people with Medicare. This CMS interim final rule with comment period modifies regulations issued on Sept. 18.

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Hurricane Grant Guidelines Now Available

The Internal Revenue Service has just released a notice designed to help eligible homeowners who received federal reimbursement grants stemming from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita or Wilma take advantage of a new tax provision.

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AAHomecare To Press For Alternative To CMS' Competitive Bidding Program

The American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare) has created a task force to develop an alternative to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' competitive bidding program to which home medical equipment (HME) and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers are subject.

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A Call To Retool The Nation's LTC Healthcare System

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) charged the ad hoc Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans to determine the healthcare needs of Americans over 65 years of age. This segment of the U.S. population is expected to double by 2030, but the nation is not prepared to meet this increased demand in health care needs

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Nursing Home Residents Eligible For Digital TV Converter Box Coupons

Officials at the Administration on Aging tell Aging News Alert that residents of licensed nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, assisted living facilities and households that use a post office box for mail delivery will be eligible to request coupons from the TV Converter Box Coupon Program. The rule change takes effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register -- in about a week to 10 days.

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Home Locators Respond To Crisis

Several independent house and apartment locators nationwide are pumping their data into the Department of Housing & Urban Development's National Housing Locator (NCL) to accelerate temporary housing opportunities for thousands of victims of Hurricane Ike. The locators offer their services to HUD whenever a state of emergency is declared, which in turn, eliminates duplications before the housing is posted on NCL.

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Daniels Fund Focuses on Independence and Quality of Life

The grants for aging projects focus on in-home services, community engagement by the elderly and end-of-life/palliative care. In the third quarter, the foundation made a grant of $500,000 to the Central Wyoming Hospice Fund in Casper, $40,000 to the Denver Assn. of Senior Citizens and $79,000 to the Little Sisters of the Poor, who operate the Mullen Home for the elderly in Denver.

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HHS Provides State Assistance To Prepare For Hurricane Ike

The Department of Health & Human Services has activated more than 1,600 agency personnel to assist Gulf states in preparing for and responding to Hurricane Ike, including support for medical evacuations which began late Wednesday night and continues today in Corpus Christi, TX. In preparation for Hurricane Ike, HHS has activated the National Disaster Medical System, a federally coordinated operation that can assist state and local officials in dealing with major disasters.

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Gustav Evacuees Returning, But Officials Concerned About More Evacuations

State offices on aging in Gulf Coast states affected by Hurricane Gustav are evaluating the impact of evacuations as people return and are very concerned about continuing storm activity in the area. "If we have to evacuate again in a couple of days it will take a huge toll, especially on the elderly," Margaret McGarity, program monitor in the Louisiana Governor’s Officer of Elderly Affairs, tells Aging News Alert.

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Gustav Evacuees Returning to Unknown Conditions

Although Hurricane Gustav evacuees in Gulf Coast states, including the elderly who reside in nursing homes, are being allowed by authorities to return to their homes, there has been no comprehensive assessment of how much damage the storm did and the condition their residences. Meanwhile, the state officials are carefully analyzing weather information to assess whether another evacuation may be required.

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HHS Program To Improve Disaster Assistance

The Department of Health & Human Services is implementing the Disaster Case Management demonstration program to make it easier for disaster victims to obtain a wide range of assistance and socialcservices. The program will aid people from the Louisiana parishes covered under President Bush's disaster declaration related to Hurricane Gustav.

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Gustav Evacuation Goes Smoothly, But Storm's Impact Still Unknown

The evacuation in the wake of Hurricane Gustav of nearly 2 million people, including elderly residing in nursing homes, has gone smoothly, Moya Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Admin. on Aging (AoA), tells Aging News Alert. But she cautions that state and local officials have not yet begun a survey of the areas hit by the storm.

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Grant-Making Strategy In Place To Help Victims Of Gustav

A regional grant-making strategy developed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 is ready to be followed again if needed during the current hurricane season, Chris Crothers, communications director of the Jackson, MS-based Foundation for the Mid South.

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President, HHS Secy. Respond To Hurricane Gustav With State of Emergency Declaration

Are you affected by Hurricane Gustav? Need information about applicable waivers and modifications? Here's what you need to know.

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United Way 2008 Hurricane Recovery Fund Established

United Way has launched the United Way 2008 Hurricane Recovery Fund to support long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts throughout the states that have been devastated by the intense 2008 hurricane season. Several Gulf Coast states have been severely affected by Hurricane Gustav, with thousands of people evacuated and untold destruction to homes and businesses. People throughout Florida and other Southeast states are now bracing for Hurricane Hanna, with other major storms immediately following.

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CMS: Medicare Providers Remain Satisfied With Fee-For-Service Contractors

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reports that Medicare healthcare providers continue to be satisfied with services provided by Medicare fee-for-service contractors showing a relatively smooth transition to the new Medicare Administrative Contractors.

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How Parents Can Provide for a Caregiver Child

Taking care of a parent can be a full-time job. Children may have to give up paying jobs in order to provide care to aging parents. Unfortunately, caregiving is usually unpaid work. Parents who want to compensate a child who takes on the burden of caregiving may do so in one of several ways.

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Flu Vaccine May Not Protect Seniors All That Well, Study Finds

The flu vaccine might not protect seniors as much as previously thought, finds the authors of a study of more than 3,500 patients over age 65. The researchers found no link between flu vaccination and risk of pneumonia during three flu seasons.

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Group Takes CMS To Task Over DME Accreditation Cancellation

The American Association for Homecare is staunchly opposing a decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cancel the accreditation deadline for durable medical equipment (DME) providers in the 70 metropolitan areas throughout the United States designated for Round Two of the Medicare competitive bidding program. CMS said last week that it was canceling its Jan. 14, 2009 accreditation deadline for DME or home medical equipment providers in the 70 metropolitan areas that were to be included in Round Two of the recently postponed bidding program.

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PBS Presents Encore Broadcast of 'THE FORGETTING'

PBS will present a special evening of programming focused on Alzheimer's disease on Sunday, Aug. 3, starting at 9 p.m. ET (check local listings). The programming starts with a national encore broadcast of the Emmy-Award-winning "THE FORGETTING: A Portrait of Alzheimer's," followed by a new half-hour discussion, "The Future of Alzheimer's," moderated by actor and Alzheimer's champion David Hyde Pierce, which features a panel of medical experts and scientists discussing the latest developments in Alzheimer's.

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Balancing Act: States' Long-Term Care Reform Seen As Mixed Bag

A new report by AARP's Public Policy Institute finds promising signs and mixed results among state government efforts to balance long-term care (LTC) options under Medicaid. Unfortunately, according to the report, only four states spent more than 50% of their Medicaid LTC dollars for older people providing home and community based services (HCBS). The remainder of the states continues to spend the majority of their Medicaid LTC dollars for older people on institutional care, such as nursing homes.

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Seniors Considering Reverse Mortgages To Benefit From Housing Legislation

Landmark housing legislation (HR 3221) passed by Congress this weekend will make substantial improvements to the federally-insured reverse mortgage program and greatly benefit senior homeowners who may want to utilize home equity to help finance their retirement years.

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Housing Bill Poised For Senate Approval, President's Signature

After nearly a year of haggling over various aspects of housing market rescue and months of debate over what became the proposed Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the House approves the measure on a 272-152 vote late Wednesday afternoon and sent the measure to the Senate where Democratic leaders say it will pass.

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New 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Payment Rates

As a result of the July 15 enactment of the Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act of 2008, the mid-year 2008 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rate of -10.6% has been replaced with a 0.5% update, retroactive to July 1.

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Wyden, McCrery Are Optimistic LTC Crisis Can Be Solved

The long-term care for the elderly crisis is soluble and the political stars may be aligned to accomplish it in the next Congress in the context of comprehensive healthcare reform. That was the consensus view at a July 11 Brookings Institution forum in Washington.

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Senate Passes Controversial Medicare Bill With Physicians' Pay Fix

The Senate on Wednesday voted 69-30 to pass (by a veto-proof margin) the Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act (HR 6331). The bill prevents a controversial 10.6% cut in payments to doctors who care for seniors in Medicare -- providing them instead with a 1.1% pay increase -- and improves access to care for low-income seniors.

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Thousands Struck Down By Summer Heat; Mostly Poor, Elderly

About 6,200 Americans are hospitalized each summer due to excessive heat, and those at highest risk are poor, uninsured and/or elderly, according to the latest numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. About 180 people who were hospitalized for heat exposure died in 2005, the AHRQ analysis shows.

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$10 Million Available For Nursing Home Diversion Program

The Administration on Aging (AoA) is making available some $10 million for its Nursing Home Diversion Modernization Cooperative Agreement program. AoA expects to make as many as 15 awards. Maximum grant amount is $1 million. Only state units on aging are eligible. The deadline for applications is Aug. 14

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Navigating The Medicaid Bog

The so-called "Medically Needy" – i.e., Medicare beneficiaries whose Medicaid eligibility depends on meeting a spenddown (or share of cost) each month or quarter -- are faced with difficult challenges just using their Medicaid, since, in most states, they must prove to the state that they have incurred a certain amount in medical bills before their Medicaid becomes effective.

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Funds Added To FY09 Labor, Health & Human Services, Education Bill

The FY 2009 Labor, Health & Human Services and Education spending bill is approved Thursday by the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. The bill includes additional funding -- over and above President Bush's proposal -- for nurse training facilities, women's health initiatives and seniors programs, as well as critical investments for the National Institutes of Health ($30.26 billion), the National Institute on Aging ($1 billion) and the National Cancer Institute ($4.96 billion).

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Number of People with Diabetes Increases To 24 Million

Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately two years, according to new 2007 prevalence data estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). This means that nearly 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes.

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AoA Wants to Expand Medicare Fraud Efforts to Rural Areas

Under this competition, the Administration on Aging plans to further expand and integrate the Senior Medicare Patrol fraud awareness message throughout rural areas through collaborative efforts led by the state aging organization.

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The Battle To Improve Medicare -- Round Two

The House of Representatives passed legislation in 2007 that would have reduced overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans and would have made significant improvements for beneficiaries. Similar efforts by the Senate, however, were unsuccessful, mostly for political reasons. The debate began again wit...

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Report Finds Accurate Revenue Estimates Needed For Retirement Policy

The Profit Sharing/401k Council of America (PSCA) and nine other advocacy organizations issued a research report highlighting the need for accurate federal budget scorekeeping estimates for proposed legislative changes affecting retirement savings. The report, Revenue Estimates and Retirement Poli...

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Survey Reveals How 45+ Are Coping With Down Economy

More than 80% of Americans aged 45+ say the economy is in fairly bad or very bad condition, and many of them are responding by postponing retirement, cutting back on their medications or taking money out of their 401(k) plans early.

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SuperNOFA Self-Help Guide Now Available!

Our one-of-a-kind "Self-Help Guide to the FY 2008 HUD SuperNOFA" is now available exclusively to paid subscribers of any of CD Publications' online news services.

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Poll Shows Americans Want Congress To Protect Poor Seniors From Rising Medicare Costs

A new telephone poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the National Council on Aging finds that 89% of adults aged 18 and over believe that improving programs to protect low-income seniors against rising Medicare costs should be a top priority for Congress this year.

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Rural Health & Safety Education Grants Available

USDA is making available grant funds for the Rural Heath and Safety Education Programs focusing on issues related to aging. The deadline for applications is June 2.

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Senators Push Bill To House Gulf Coast Seniors

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) have introduced a bill to address the shortage of housing for Gulf Coast low-income seniors and disabled people who were displaced as a result of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

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Retirees, Disabled Vets Still Can File for 2008 Stimulus Payments

Even though April 15 has passed, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding retirees, disabled veterans and others who normally do not file a tax return that there is still time to submit a 2007 form to receive an economic stimulus payment.

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Weinberg Foundation, Family & Informal Caregiver Support Program

The Weinberg Foundation will help community partnerships develop innovative ways to support these devoted caregivers.

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Prior Determination Of Medicare Coverage Needed For Some Items, Services

In order for Medicare and Medicare contractors to cover medical services and items, the item or service must be medically necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury, say experts at the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) in Washington, DC.

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National Healthcare Decisions Day

April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day -- a nationwide initiative designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions and to encourage the use of advance directives to communicate important healthcare decisions.

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MindAlert Funds Available For Brain Fitness Programs

Are you interested in learning more about brain fitness, programs and techniques to stimulate the aging mind? Host a workshop that highlights award-winning brain fitness programs

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How Well Do Older Adults Handle Change?

A new study of Americans aged 50+ shows they are not nearly as fearful of or resistant to change as people may think.

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Archive of TeleCargiving Workshops Now Available

Family Caregiver Alliance has added a new feature to its website -- an online audio archive of TeleCaregiving workshops.

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New Orleans Seniors To Get New Affordable Housing Community

Hundreds of elderly New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina will soon be able to return home to the Crescent City thanks to the efforts of Volunteers of America.

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Phishing Scams, Frivolous Arguments Top the 2008 'Dirty Dozen' Tax Scams

If you're offering income tax advice to seniors, you should be aware the Internal Revenue Service has just released its 2008 list of the 12 most egregious tax schemes and scams, highlighted by Internet phishing scams and several frivolous tax arguments.

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Stenting, Photodynamic Therapy Improves Survival in Late Stage Liver Cancer Patients

A combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy may improve survival rates for patients suffering from advanced liver bile duct cancer, according to a new study.

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Senate Panel Looks to Reverse Bush LIHEAP Cuts

Senate Democrats are looking to reverse years of inadequate funding in the $2 billion Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the government's main effort to help pay the energy costs of poor families with children and elderly people on fixed incomes.

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Psychological Distress, Not Depression, May Increase Risk of Stroke

Psychological distress, but not depression, may increase the risk of stroke, according to a newly published study.

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High Rates of Poverty Persist Among Older Women

Women are nearly twice as likely to be poor as men as they reach pre-retirement and retirement ages, and African-American women are nearly three times more likely than white women to be poor by pre-retirement and retirement ages, finds a new study from AARP's Public Policy Institute.

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Panel To Review First-Year Diabetes Measure

The National Committee for Quality Assurance will convene an expert panel to examine recent evidence with respect to intensive hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) control among patients with diabetes.

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PBGC Unveils New Investment Policy

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has adopted a new diversified investment policy to help ensure the federal insurance program can meet its long-term obligations to America's retirees.

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Hamburger Helper Seeks Hometown Helpers

Hamburger Helper, a General Mills company, seeks applications for its 2008 "My Hometown Helper" grant program, which focuses on local groups making a difference in their community.

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African-Americans Concerned About Heart Health; Less Aware of Alzheimer's

February is Black History Month and American Heart Month, so the Alzheimer's Assn. is teaming up with the American Heart Assn. in an effort to educate African-Americans that by managing their cardiovascular risk, they may also strengthen their cognitive health.

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Groups Comment on Proposed DOL Rules on Pension Funds

ASPPA and CIKR submit comments and recommendations to the Labor Dept. about proposed ERISA regulations, which provide clarification on what constitutes a reasonable arrangement between employee benefit plans and service providers to plans to assist plan fiduciaries in assessing the reasonableness of the compensation or fees paid for services rendered.

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Senate Passes Stimulus Plan; House to Move Quickly

The Senate late Thursday afternoon (Feb. 7) passed an economic stimulus measure that would send $600-$1,200 in rebates to most taxpayers and $300 to low-income people, including disabled veterans and the elderly.

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Survey: Stimulus Package Must Include Older Americans

A new poll by AARP finds an overwhelming majority of Americans think the government must ensure that people dependent on Social Security are included in any stimulus rebate package.

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Assisted Living Group Celebrates 'Filling Life with Love'

"Filling Life with Love" will be the National Center for Assisted Living's theme for the group's 2008 National Assisted Living Week.

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Program Focuses on Older Adult Mental Health

These grants help communities provide direct services and build the necessary infrastructure to support expanded services for meeting the diverse mental health needs of older persons.

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IRS Warns of New E-Mail, Phone Scams

The Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers -- especially the elderly -- to beware of several current e-mail and telephone scams that use the IRS name as a lure.

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CMS To Toughen Enrollment Rules for DMEPOS

CMS wants to toughen enrollment standards for suppliers of durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS).

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U. of Colorado to Lead Research in Animal-Assisted Therapy

As relationships between humans and animals become more important and more complex, there is growing evidence of the effectiveness of therapy involving humans -- especially the elderly -- and animals.

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Revisions Planned for Nursing Home Compliance Program Guidance

The Dept. of Health & Human Services' Office of Inspector General is seeking comment from interested parties as OIG revises the compliance program guidance for nursing facilities, especially those serving Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare program beneficiaries.

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Groups Urge Inclusion of FMAP Boost in Pending Stimulus Package

The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living are asking Congress and the White House to include in any final economic stimulus package state fiscal relief through a temporary increase in states' federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP).

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Reverse Mortgages Show Significant Growth in 2007

Reverse mortgages have seen unprecedented growth over the last three years as the demand for reverse mortgage products continues to accelerate.

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MedPAC Approves Recommendations on SNFs

MedPAC's latest recommendations to Congress will affect skilled nursing facilities and home healthcare agencies.

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CMS to Expand Secret Shopper Program in 2008

CMS will be expanding its secret shopper program this year to check up on the marketing and sales of Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, as well as Medicare Advantage policies.

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Most Medicare Drug Plans Continue to Hike Costs into 2008

Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, has found that 75% of Medicare drug plans continue to hike the cost of prescriptions for seniors.

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Rule Would Let Low-Income Rx Plan Beneficiaries Pay Zero Premiums

CMS has proposed a regulation that would allow Medicare drug benefit plans to offer reduced premiums to beneficiaries who qualify for the program's low-income subsidy. The eligible plans would be located in regions where there are fewer than five "zero-premium" plans available.

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Congress Will Look at Medicare Pay Cuts First Half of 2008

Congress is likely to tackle Medicare issues during the first half of 2008, Capitol Hill sources tell us.

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New Directory of Social Service Grants Now Available

If you're responsible for tracking down private grant funding, a new report from CD Publications is bound to make your job a whole lot easier.

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IRS Releases Final 2008 Form 990 for Tax-Exempt Organizations

The IRS has issued an updated version of Form 990, the return that charities and other tax-exempt organizations are required to file annually, and provided transition relief so that small exempt organizations will have time to adjust to the new form.

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Nominations for the Purpose Prize

(Deadline March 1, 2008) Civic Ventures is accepting nominations for the 2008 Purpose Prize, a major initiative that invests in Americans over 60 who are leading a new age of social innovation. The "Purpose Prize" provides five awards of $100,000 and 10 awards of $10,000 to people over 60 who are ta...

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Grassely Probes Evangelists' Nonprofit Status

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), ranking member of the Finance Committee, sent letters to six media-based ministries seeking information regarding expenses, executive compensation, amenities given to executives, and board governance.

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Governance Policy Changing Among Nonprofits

The governance landscape of the not-for-profit community has changed dramatically since the implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley. Today, 87% of not-for-profit organizations have created new governance policies compared with 20% in 2003.

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Should Hospice Providers Analyze Dollars vs. Patients' Status?

It appears hospice providers are being penalized for caring for patients who live longer than six months.

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