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January 15, 2021 President-elect Biden names cabinet appointees. For more information, read this week's Washington Weekly. Washington Weekly! by the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators January 15, 2021 Administration News President-elect Biden Names Cabinet Appointees President-elect Joe Biden has announced cabinet appoints for his administration which include: Xavier Becerra, California's attorney general and a former congressman, to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services; U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) as the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Marty Walsh, mayor of Boston, to serve as Secretary of Labor (DOL); and Miguel Cardona, Connecticut Commissioner of Education, to serve as the Secretary of Education. The nominees will need Senate confirmation. The Senate has scheduled hearings next week for five nominees: Avril Haines for Director of National Intelligence; retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin for Defense Secretary; Janet Yellen for the Treasury; Alejandro Mayorkas for Homeland Security; and Antony Blinken for the State Department. Meanwhile, President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in to office next Wed., January 20, 2021. Due to security concerns following the attack on the Capitol last week and the COVID019 pandemic, the inauguration events have been significantly scaled back and people are discouraged from attending. Mr. Biden will be sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., on the Capitol’s West Front at noon. The new president then will give his inaugural address and conduct a review of military troops. Other events will be held virtually. OCR Assists States on Crisis Standards of Care and Age and Disability Discrimination Yesterday, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has worked collaboratively with the State of North Carolina, the North Texas Mass Critical Care Guidelines Task Force, the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, and the Indian Health Service to revise each entity’s crisis standards of care ("CSC") guidelines to reflect best practices for serving individuals with disabilities and the elderly. This builds on OCR's prior work regarding discrimination concerns during COVID-19. OCR enforces a number of federal antidiscrimination laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), and conscience and religious freedom laws. After OCR provided technical assistance to each entity through a collaborative process, they issued CSC plans that incorporated provisions to avoid discrimination. OCR also recently worked collaboratively with the National Academy of Medicine to advise on the development of a statement on CSC guidelines during COVID-19, issued by the NAM and nine other national organizations reflecting key best practices for CSC plans. Federal Grants CDC Epilepsy Program Announces Notice of Funding Opportunity The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epilepsy Program has announced the availability of fiscal year 2021 under a new five-year cooperative agreement. This NOFO aims to address four key areas: 1. Improve the social environment for people with epilepsy. 2. Strengthen the health system to improve epilepsy care. 3. Foster connections between clinical services and community programs. 4. Address social determinants of health (e.g., social isolation, food insecurity, community- clinical linkages) to improve quality of life for people with epilepsy. Learn more about eligibility, funding amounts, and how to apply on CDC’s website. OSERS Publishes New Grant Opportunities The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) has announced new grant opportunities in the Federal Register: Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) • Applications for New Awards; Rehabilitation Training: Disability Innovation Fund- Career Advancement Initiative Model Demonstration Project. The Department intends to fund a multi-site model demonstration project designed to assist State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, in partnership with other entities, to develop career pathways focused on career advancement. Posted: 01/07/2021. Applications due: 04/07/2021. • Applications for New Awards; American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services. The Department is i inviting applications for American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) to partner with Indian Tribes in providing eligible American Indians with disabilities with vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Posted: 12/23/2020. Applications due: 04/22/2021. Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) • Applications for New Awards; State Personnel Development Grants. The purpose of this program is to assist State educational agencies (SEAs) in reforming and improving their systems for personnel preparation and professional development in early intervention, educational, and transition services in order to improve results for children with disabilities. Posted: 12/29/2020. Applications due: 03/09/2021. • Applications for New Awards; Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program—Stepping-up Technology Implementation. The purposes of the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program are to improve results for children with disabilities by: (1) Promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; (2) supporting educational activities designed to be of educational value in the classroom; (3) providing support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for use in the classroom; and (4) providing accessible educational materials to children with disabilities in a timely manner. Posted: 12/22/2020. Applications due: 02/22/2021. • Applications for New Awards; Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Improving Retention of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel. The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children. Posted: 12/11/2020. Applications due: 02/09/2021. Reports and Resources CSG Produces Guidance on Developing Inclusive Telework Policies The Council of State Government (CSG) has published a guidance, “Disability-Inclusive Telework for States: State Approaches to Increasing Access & Inclusion,” for State policymakers on developing more inclusive telework policies and programs. It includes an overview of workplace protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pertaining to telework; details the components of State telework programs; and indicates how each component can be modified to better accommodate all employees (including those with disabilities). This brief also offers best practices States are using to advance inclusion in their telework policies and programs, and summarizes the fiscal impacts of inclusive telework. CDC Releases Accounting of Opioid Crisis in Journal The most complete accounting to date of America’s opioid crisis was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in this month’s journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. CDC reports that fatal opioid overdoses and opioid use disorder cost the US $1.02 trillion in 2017. This CDC study expands and updates two prior estimates of the cost of the opioid crisis: a 2016 CDC economic cost study and a 2017 report released by the White House Council of Economic Advisors. In 2017, there were more than 2.1 million people over age 12 with an opioid use disorder, and over 47,000 opioid overdose deaths. Costs for spending on health care, opioid use disorder treatment, criminal justice, and lost work productivity, as well as estimates of cost for lost quality of life and lives lost were computed in this study. SAMHSA Issues Report on Behavioral Health Workforce The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued the Behavioral Health Workforce Report (samhsa.gov). This report shows the stark contrast between providers that are currently available versus what is needed to address the mental health issues faced by millions of Americans. The goal of this report is to provide information on evidence-based models of care for those with serious mental illness and substance use disorders, practitioner numbers needed to meet the behavioral health needs of the American people, and to offer a foundation on which a model for a mental health system that will address these needs can be established. Upcoming Webinars and Conferences NCAPPS Offers Webinar on Person-Centered Practices Self-Assessment Tool On February 11, from 2:30pm -- 4:00pm (ET, NAPPS will host the webinar, "What Does a Person-Centered System Look Like? Introducing the NCAPPS Person-Centered Practices Self-Assessment, " to share a new tool to help leadership measure progress in developing a more person-centered system. The Person-Centered Practices
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