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March 4, 2010 |
Vol 17, Issue 13 |
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Welcome to this week's edition of the FAHSA Link.
Legislators
Start 60 Day Marathon Session -- The 2010
Legislative Session officially started on
Tuesday and will conclude on April 30, but
lawmakers have been meeting since November.
Governor Crist and legislative leaders explained
in opening day speeches that the creation of
jobs and balancing next year's state budget are
their primary goals, neither of which will be
easy. Florida's unemployment rate is 12%
(higher than the national average), and most
recent revenue estimates, though improving,
still leave the state about $3 billion dollars
in the red.
Over the next few weeks, lawmakers will be
balancing and fine tuning budget proposals with
the goal of producing a
constitutionally-mandated balanced budget for
fiscal year 2010-11. In addition, they will
pore over 2500 bills, of which only 10 to 15%
are likely to pass. Two of these will be the
continuing care bills (SB 2030/HB1253) filed for
Florida Life Care Residents' Association and
FAHSA.
Legislators wasted no time in getting to work.
The House and the Senate passed the unemployment
compensation tax relief bill unanimously the
first day of session. Late in the evening, the
Governor signed it into law.
For more details on Week One in the Florida
Legislature, please be sure to dial in for the
weekly public policy conference call each Friday
at 10:00 a.m. and read FAHSA's End of Week
Legislative Update by
clicking here.
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AAHSA Congressional Contact Day for Health Reform |
Tuesday, March 9: Make a
Call, Send a Fax -- Yesterday, President Obama
shared his proposal to reform America's health care
system. This proposal includes the Medicare, Medicaid
and Community Living Assistance Services and Supports
(CLASS) provisions that AAHSA members have been fighting
for during the past several months. Both the House and
Senate have been charged with moving forward and passing
health reform now.
On Tuesday, March 9, AAHSA encourages you, your
residents, clients, staff, board members and volunteers
to help share the following message:
- Call Your Senators: Make a toll-free call to
(866) 281-7219. When you call, the system will
ask you to say your state's name and will then
transfer you automatically to one of your
senators. The lines are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6
p.m. Eastern. You can use a sample script (link
here) to make sure your voice is heard.
- Send a Fax to Your Representatives: AAHSA
has set-up the Contact Congress system so that
you can fax your representatives a letter urging
them to pass health reform because it includes
improvements to Medicare and Medicaid and
implementation of CLASS provisions that will
help seniors and people with disabilities.
AAHSA encourages you to host a call-in day event or go
around your office encouraging people to call. Send a
message to your Facebook friends. Don't forget to tweet
about this event too. Simply add the hash tag #AAHSA10
to your tweet.
In critical times, members of Congress are attuned to
what their constituents want. Your calls and faxes can
make a difference. Together, we can make a difference.
For more information, please contact Lauren Shaham,
AAHSA at (202) 508-1219.
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CCRC / Retirement Community News |
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OIR
Deputy Insurance Commissioner Visits Westminster Oaks
-- Last week, Mary Beth Senkewicz, Deputy Commissioner,
Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), visited
Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee. Ms. Senkewicz works
very closely with the OIR staff that oversees the
regulation of continuing care retirement communities.
Executive Director Don Wilson provided her with a tour
of the community and an overview of the many benefits of
living in a community with multiple levels of care.
CCRC
Rent Increases --
The
below information appeared in the January 29, 2010
Z-News published by Ziegler Capital Markets:
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2008 Median Annual Change in In-House Rents* --
4.98%
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2009 Median Annual Change in Monthly Fees** -- 4.00%
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2010 Projected Median Annual Change in Monthly
Fees** -- 3.00%
*Source: The State of Seniors
Housing 2009, Table 15.3. ASHA, NIC, AAHSA, ALFA, NCAL
2009
**Source: Ziegler CFO HotlineSM
(December 2009)
CCRC Median FTEs per Resident
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In
Assisted Living: 0.44
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In
Skilled Nursing: 0.83
Source: The State of Seniors
Housing 2009,Table 12.3. ASHA, NIC, AAHSA, ALFA, NCAL
2009
FAHSA's CEO Speaks to FLiCRA Chapter at Bentley Village
-- Recently, Janegale Boyd, FAHSA's
President/CEO, gave a presentation to the FLiCRA members
entitled, "CCRC's,
Perspectives on the Future" at Bentley Village in
Naples. General Bernard L. Weiss, M/Gen, and FLiCRA
President Jerry Warren facilitated the meeting, which
was well received by the residents.
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District & Membership News |
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Pictured: Ann Widger, Janis Fleet, Tina Tchen, Danielle
Borrin and Martin Goetz. . (Ann, Tina and Danielle are
staff of the White House.)
River Garden Leaders Speak at White House
-- Representatives of River Garden/Wolfson Health and
Aging Center, met with White House officials on February
23 to offer recommendations on improving the well-being
of older Americans.
Chief executive officer Martin
Goetz and Board President Janis Fleet were part of a
delegation of 15 lay leaders and executives from Jewish
long-term care facilities across the nation. The
advocacy effort was spearheaded by the Association of
Jewish Aging Services (AJAS) in an ongoing effort to
speak on behalf of the elderly and support improvements
in access to health care.
The delegation includes
representatives from Florida, California, Ohio, Oregon,
Oklahoma, Maryland, and New York. Discussions focused
on funding for preventative health and wellness
services; case management; and an extension of federal
Medicaid assistance funding to cash-strapped states.
"The White House staff was very
appreciative of the recommendations presented,
especially in light of the ongoing discussions on health
care reform," Janis Fleet said. "It was important to
make sure that our voices are heard."
The Association of Jewish Aging
Services, based in Washington, DC, represents 160
not-for-profit elder care communities throughout North
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Education News
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Prepare to Attend the Annual Legislative
Workshop on March 23-24 --To offset the
cost of a flight to Tallahassee, FAHSA has
lowered the registration fee of the Legislative
Workshop this year. In addition, we have added
a substantial discounted rate for the second and
subsequent participants from your community to
attend the workshop in Tallahassee and learn
about the legislative process, visit
legislators, and meet other FAHSA members.
Online registration is available. Watch your
mail for workshop brochures!
Scholarships Available for FAHSA's
Leadership Program -- Scholarship funds
to cover half of the registration fee are
available for those who would like to
participate in the next Leadership Academy
program. FAHSA, in partnership with the
University of Florida Leadership Development
Institute has developed a Leadership Certificate
Course for professionals working in long term
care, affordable housing or home and
community-based services. This training is a
valuable resource and will help you develop your
leadership style and capabilities. The course
teaches you more about yourself by determining
your personality (DISC) and management styles,
as well as studying the following topics during
the three month course:
- Understanding the Role of the Emerging
Leader;
- Understanding Emotional Intelligence and
Its Impact on Leadership Success;
- Leading and Managing for Results Giving
and Receiving;
- Teamwork and Team Building;
- Giving and Receiving Feedback;
- Delegating and Influencing;
- Problem Solving; and
- Managing Conflict.
Please consider registering for this next
course. Registration and a brochure is available
on
FAHSA's website. Scholarship
forms are also available.
Join Us for Upcoming Training Opportunities --
Plan to join us for the following educational
opportunities:
- March
16, 2010 - Medicaid Integrity
and RAC Webinar
- March 23
& 24, 2010 - Legislative
Workshop, Tallahassee
- March 25
& 26, 2010 - Leadership Academy,
Tallahassee
- March
30, 2010 - RUGS4 Webinar
- May 4 &
5 -- MDS Intensive 2-Day
Training, Orlando
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General News |
OSHA to Send Letters to Those with High DART
Rates -- Over 2,600 aging services
providers will be receiving letters from the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) notifying them that their Days Away from
Work, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rates
for 2008 are at least more than double the
national average. Providers with 2008 DART
rates at or above 4.5 in the following
categories should expect to receive a letter
from OSHA:
NAICS Code
621610 - Home Health Care Services - 5
establishments identified
NAICS Code
623110 - Nursing Care Facilities - 2,290
establishments identified
NAICS Code
623311 - Continuing Care Retirement Communities
- 341 establishments identified
NAICS Code
623312 - Homes for the Elderly - 5
establishments identified
NAICS Code
624120 - Services for the Elderly and Persons
with Disabilities - 1 establishment identified
The letter
encourages these employers to consider hiring an
outside safety and health consultant, talk with
their insurance carrier, or contact the workers'
compensation agency in their state for advice.
The letter also recommends that employers with
250 or fewer workers ask for assistance from
OSHA's on-site consultation program. The
consultation program is administered by state
agencies and operated separately from OSHA's
inspection program. The service is free, and
there are no fines even if problems are found.
While the letter does not state that named
providers will be targeted for inspection, it
certainly sends the message that the
establishments on the list are on OSHA's radar
screen and could certainly be targeted for
inspection at any time.
Multi-Facility Corporate Compensation
Study Compares Top Corporate Salaries in Three
Healthcare Sectors --The"2009-2010
Multi-Facility Corporate Compensation Report",
just published by
Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service,
compares compensation data for high level
corporate positions of hospital, long-term care
and home health multi-facility companies. For
more information, please see this week's General
Alert.
FAHSA General Membership Alert Page |
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Housing News |
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Janegale Boyd Speaks at HUD Sustainable
Communities Planning Grant Meeting in Miami
-- Steve Protulis, CEO, EHDOC and FAHSA board
member, Jason Pincus, EHDOC's Deputy Executive
Director and FAHSA's Housing Chair, and Janegale
Boyd, FAHSA's President/CEO, had a special meeting
with Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, Ed Jennings, HUD's new Regional
Director and Armando Fana, HUD Miami Field Office
Director. Discussions were held concerning the
Section 202 Capital Grant funding for new
development for the federal 2011 budget. FAHSA
requested support of the Section 202 senior housing
program as a platform for supportive services that
will enable residents to remain longer in their
communities, maintain and increase funding for
Section 202 senior housing, including capital
advances, to $2 billion, and construction of
affordable housing for seniors will put thousands of
unemployed Americans back to work.
The HUD representatives were in Miami for the
HUD Sustainable Communities Planning Workshop. A
presentation by Shelly Poticha, Director, Office of
Sustainability, HUD, outlined the livability
principles committed to by both U.S. Department of
Transportation and HUD as a collaborative effort.
Several items were highlighted by FAHSA's
President/CEO, including the following:
Two livability principles apply to the first
recommendation: Transportation choice and coordinate
polices and leverage investment with public private
partnerships.
- FAHSA's recommendation: The HUD Multifamily
asset management and rent policies should be
better suited to allow senior housing properties
to provide transportation or at least operate
transportation (driver, gas, insurance cost).
This opportunity would provide public and
private partnerships to leverage funds for
transportation, i.e. donation of van with HUD
allowing ancillary service expenses.
- Support existing communities by the
preservation of senior housing. Can not leave
preservation out of grant consideration because
it's not where you build housing communities but
also maintaining the ones yo have with an
adequate program, as these were built on major
transportation corridors thus requested grant to
be expanded to allow funds to be used for
preservation.
Other Housing News:
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Advocacy Campaign to Save Capital 202 Funding -
Please Participate
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HUD Released the 2010 Grant Extension Procedures
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B-I-N-G-O Games Can Be Played For Prizes Only
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FAHSA Scholarships Available for Leadership
Training
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Grant Program Available Through Home Depot
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VA Announces Available Homeless Veteran Funding
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NOFA For Section 538 Loan Guarantees
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Smoke Detectors - Could Be a Costly Replacement!
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Legislative News |
Medicaid Savings
from Managed Care Could Be Significant --
Last week, state economists and budget committee
staff studied proposed policy changes that could
help the Legislature close the projected $3 billion
budget deficit for FY 2009-10. Agency for Health
Care Administration staff estimated that the state
could save $715 million annually by cutting provider
rates by eight percent and going to a statewide
Medicaid HMO model with mandatory participation. In
addition, staffers are examining the feasibility of
creating a 5.5 percent assessment against HMO net
revenue as well as increasing an assessment on
inpatient and outpatient providers. The HMO
assessment would total $410.2 million while the
increased assessment on inpatient and outpatient
gross revenue would raise about $226 million.
Obama's New
Healthcare Plan Includes CLASS Act -- Last
week, President Obama released his nearly $1
trillion, 10-year version of healthcare reform. It
includes long-term care provisions from previous
bills, including the long-term care voluntary
insurance program known as the CLASS Act, the
proposal most associated with the American
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging.
The White House plan, which combines ideas from
House and Senate legislation, also would provide
significant additional federal financing to states
for the expansion of Medicaid and strengthen
provisions to fight fraud, waste and abuse in
Medicare and Medicaid. Obama released his proposal
in advance of the healthcare reform summit he held
with congressional leaders.
Federal Jobs Bill
Passes Without FMAP -- The U.S. Senate's Jobs
Bill passed last week without an extension of the
enhanced federal match for Medicaid (FMAP) that was
part of the economic stimulus package. Governor
Charlie Crist's fiscal year 2010-11 budget was built
on the assumption that Congress would approve a
six-month extension of FMPA that would carry states
through the end of the next fiscal year. Florida
needs the additional $1.2 million to avoid cuts in
Medicaid. More than half of the $3 million
projected budget deficit for the coming year is
attributed to Medicaid. The good news is that while
the Medicaid enhancement was deleted from the Jobs
Bill, it is part of another proposal sponsored by
Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D- West Virginia, and Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
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Nursing Home News |
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The Therapy Cap Exception Process Extended
Under the "Temporary Extension Act of 2010"
-- The Temporary Extension Act of 2010, enacted on
March 2, 2010, extends the therapy cap exceptions
process through March 31, 2010, retroactive to
January 1, 2010. Outpatient therapy service
providers may now submit claims with the KX
modifier, when an exception is appropriate, for
services furnished on or after January 1, 2010
through March 31, 2010. This has been a high
priority for AAHSA. Congratulations, AAHSA! To
read more, please see the Nursing Home Alert for
this week.
Ombudsman Rule
Challenge to be Continued 60 Days from Original
Hearing Date -- Last week, FAHSA's counsel
jointly filed a motion with the Department of Elder
Affairs for an order to continue the rule challenge
related to the Ombudsman's administrative
assessment. The challenge was set for a final
hearing on March 16-17, 2010 in Tallahassee, Florida
and because the parties are pursuing a possibility
of settlement of the case without formal hearing, it
was deemed appropriate to continue the hearing. In
the motion, it was stated that preparation will
require additional time to investigate, develop and
exchange the factual background needed to support
negotiations. It was further stated, that the
Parties believe that a continuance of at least 60
days from the current hearing date will facilitate
meaningful settlement discussions.
Other Nursing Home News:
- Supreme Court Lets Nursing Home Ruling Stand on
Civil Rights Suits
- Board of Nursing Home Administrators Proposes
Eliminating Provisional Licensees
- Task Group on Preceptors and Administrators in
Training
- Medwatch: Recall OneTouch SureStep Test Strips
(LifeScan)
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Preferred Business Associates News |
 FAHSA's
Preferred Business Associates Program (PBAs)
-- A list of PBAs can be found by on the
FAHSA Web site
www.fahsa.org and
selecting Preferred Business Associates from the
left side menu bar or clicking on the FAHSA
Preferred Business Associates Page hyperlink. FAHSA
members can also use the on-line directory to search
for PBAs by specialty.
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Career Center |
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Welcome to the Florida Association of Homes
and Services for the Aging Career Center!
Your destination for exciting Aging Services job
opportunities and the best resource for qualified
candidates in the Florida Aging Services Industry.
Searching for a job in Aging Services?
Looking to fill a position? This job board is custom
tailored for the Aging Services industry, which
means we attract the most qualified professionals in
Florida.
Create an Employer Account,
search resumes and post your Aging Services job now!
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Copyright 2010 -- Publication of the Florida
Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
(FAHSA).
- FAHSA Chair: Terri Cunliffe
- FAHSA President/CEO: Janegale Boyd
- Managing Editor: Gail Matillo, MPA, COS
Copyright Information: Copies of the articles and
other information in this publication may be
noncommercially reproduced for the purpose of
educational or scientific advancement. Otherwise, no
part of this publication may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, mechanical or
electronic, including photocopying, microfilm and
recording, or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without the written permission of
the editor.
Correspondence: Should be addressed to: Editor, 1812
Riggins Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. For telephone
inquiries, call (850) 671-3700. Or E-mail FAHSA at
info@fahsa.org. © 2010 FAHSA. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this
correspondence is not intended as a substitute for
legal advice. Please discuss any information
gathered from this or any other FAHSA publications
with your legal counsel in the context of your
particular situation before implementing any new
policies or procedures.
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