Community Living

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is the principal advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on policy development, and is responsible for major activities in policy coordination, legislation development, strategic planning, policy research, evaluation, and economic analysis. In this role, ASPE, through its Office of Science and Data Policy (OSDP), is responsible for developing the HHS Strategic Plan and the HHS Evidence-Building Plan (the plans) every four years.

CMS contracts with New Editions to provide technical assistance and program management support to three programs: Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) technical assistance (TA), HCB Settings rule implementation, and Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR). For HCBS TA, New Editions provides technical assistance to state agencies on HCBS mechanisms, program design, service delivery systems, and self-direction services.

New Editions serves as a subcontractor for the Adult Protective Services (APS) Opioids Pilot Project to WRMA, Inc. The purpose of the two-year (2023-2025) project is to design, pilot, and evaluate a model that state APS systems can implement to more effectively and efficiently serve APS clients impacted by opioid use and substance use disorders (SUDs). As part of the pilot, the project team is providing universal and targeted technical assistance (TA) to participating APS program to guide them in building the foundation and processes for effectively implementing and sustaining the model.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) was created around the fundamental principle that older adults and people of all ages with disabilities should be able to live where they choose, with the people they choose, and with the ability to participate fully in their communities. New Editions provides program management, service coordination and technical assistance (TA) to ACL for the Housing and Services Resource Center (HSRC).

Title VI of the Older Americans Act provides grants to organizations (i.e., Title VI grantees) to support American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in the areas of nutrition, supportive services for older adults, and caregiver services. The nutrition and supportive services grants include congregate and home-delivered meals, information and referral, transportation, personal care, chores, health promotion and disease prevention, and other supportive services.

New Editions provides subject matter expertise in family caregiving to assist the Office of Supportive and Caregiver Services (OSCS) in launching their family caregiving program with five new grant programs and a multi-faceted technical assistance and coordinating center. These services support the operation of these new Caregiving Projects of National Significance that focus on the goals and priorities of Administration for Community Living's (ACL) 2022 National Strategy to Support Family.

On April 18, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a historic, expansive set of executive directives to improve the long-term care landscape.

As the leaves put on a daring display, we are reminded of the innovative spirit built into every cell of nature including ourselves. Innovation is at the forefront of October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), which celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices.

During this month’s National Volunteer Month, we recognize the important contributions of volunteers by providing key highlights from a study, funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and conducted by New Editions Consulting, that assessed the role and economic value of volunteers in home- and community-based and long-term care programs for older adults.

February is National Senior Independence Month. According to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living  -