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Shout out to Jewish Family Service of Atlantic & Cape May Counties (JFS) on receiving a $10,000 grant from OceanFirst Foundation to benefit The Lynn Kramer Village by the Shore.

Become a SHA Member and get access to great meetings and many other great member benefits. Need more information? Email Joseph Christensen with your questions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that furthers CMS’ strategic commitment to drive innovation that promotes comprehensive, person-centered care for older adults and people with disabilities by accelerating the shift from paying for home health services based on volume, to a system that incentivizes value and quality. The final rule will also strengthen CMS’ data collection efforts to identify and address health disparities and use of care among people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, people with disabilities, people who identify as LGBTQ+, religious minorities, people who live in rural areas, and people otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

The CMS Innovation Center (Innovation Center) launched the original HHVBP Model on January 1, 2016, to determine whether CMS could improve the quality and delivery of home health care services to people with Medicare by offering financial incentives to providers that offer better quality of care with greater efficiency. The original HHVBP Model comprised all Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) providing services across nine randomly selected states. The Third Annual Evaluation Report of the participants’ performance from 2016-2018 showed an average 4.6 percent improvement in HHAs’ quality scores and an average annual savings of $141 million to Medicare.

For a fact sheet on the proposed rule, visit: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/cms-finalizes-calendar-year-2022-home-health-prospective-payment-system-rate-update-home-health

To download the proposed rule can be downloaded from the Federal Register, visit at:https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2021-23993/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-cy-2022-home-health-prospective-payment-system-rate-update-home

Applications are now open for the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund (ENJF) cash assistance program at ExcludedNJFund.nj.gov.

Applications will be processed in the order they are received and until funds are exhausted. The ENJF program is run by the Department’s Office of New Americans (ONA).

Social Security is an important resource for military members who return home with injuries. If you know a wounded veteran, please let them know about the Wounded Warriors web page, www.ssa.gov/woundedwarriors.

The Wounded Warriors web page answers many questions commonly asked about Social Security and shares useful information about disability benefits. On this page, you can learn how Social Security benefits are different from benefits available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and require a separate application. The SSA also explains how veterans can expedite the processing of their Social Security disability claims if they become disabled while on active military service on or after October 1, 2001, regardless of where the disability occurs.

Active-duty military service members who continue to receive pay while in a hospital or on medical leave should consider applying for disability benefits if they’re unable to work due to a disabling condition. Active- duty status and receipt of military pay doesn’t necessarily prevent payment of Social Security disability benefits.

Don't miss our conference session next week discussing housing and supportive services for veterans. Learn more about the session on our website and hear the latest on efforts to help all who answered the call to serve.

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The National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 requires telephone carriers to enable calls to 988 for suicide prevention and mental health emergencies by July 16, 2022. It also enables carriers to charge customers a monthly fee – as they already do to support 911 calls – and allows states to use the revenue to fund call centers, phone counselors and related services and “the provision of acute mental health, crisis outreach and stabilization services” triggered by calls to the 988 line. The law imposes no limit on the fee, leaving that to the states.

Effective January 1, 2022, certain fee-for-service Medicaid rates will receive an upward adjustment to increase Direct Support Professional (DSP) and Supervisor wages. At that time, all individuals enrolled in a fee-for-service program (Supports Program and Community Care Program under Fee-for-Service) will see an increase in their budget to accommodate this.

The Division is releasing Frequently Asked Questions: FY2022 DSP & Supervisor Rate Increases in advance of January 1, 2022 in order to address questions around when these rates will be increased and how these increases will be reflected in DSP and Supervisor wages.

In a state with 83,214 Section 8 housing vouchers, where renters are theoretically able to live anywhere they choose, about 54% live in New Jersey’s cities, according to 2020 data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Among them, 15% live in three of the state’s lowest-income areas: Newark, Trenton and Camden. And of the Section 8 tenants living in the three cities, 44% are single mothers and 94% are Black, Native American, Asian or Pacific Islander, or Hispanic, according to the data. Meanwhile, suburban towns like Lakewood and Brick are home to mostly white Section 8 tenants, HUD reported.

Craig Gurian, executive director of the Anti-Discrimination Center in New York City, said discrimination by landlords in traditionally segregated districts is one of the reasons voucher holders might be concentrated in cities, despite the intention of the Section 8 program to allow tenants the freedom to choose where they live. 

But there are additional factors: Zoning decisions also determine whether affordable housing in a community even exists, and developers have historically built other subsidized housing options close together. (Asbury Park Press, October 26, 2021)

Union County officials announced the launch of a new initiative called "Fresh Start" to help the homeless. The initiative consists of a mobile trailer unit offering hot showers, restrooms, and laundry services to homeless residents of the county.

Join SHA and experts from New Jersey and around the country for our 23rd Annual Supportive Housing Conference. Save even more when you register 3 or more together on the same order and get 25% off your entire purchase!

Register 3 or more attendees get 25% off your entire purchase!

Join us next week from the comfort of your computer as we provide two half-days of excellent workshop presentations and discussions. Registered attendees won't miss a moment as all sessions will be recorded and accessible to attendees for 3-months following.

There are many great ways of supporting SHA: Join as a member, send donations, or shop with AmazonSmile. Thank you for your support!

Want all the member benefits with SHA? Visit our website or contact Joseph Christensen to apply or manage your membership.

Members can post jobs to find applicants within the wider supportive housing community. Click on the button to visit our job page.