Virtual Event, June 24th, 2024, with the Disability Advocates Advancing our Healthcare Rights (DAAHR). DAAHR is a coalition organized by BCIL and the Disability Policy Consortium. Their virtual forum will discuss MassHealth’s plan to set up an Independent Assessment Entity (IAE) for long-term services and supports for people with disabilities, including many elders.
* The Arc has shared its concerns about one centralized private agency making assessments for ALL long term services for MassHealth -services such as PCA, AFC, etc. These reasons drive their concerns:
- The problems many of you already face when your or family member’s PCA hours are sent into MassHealth for annual re-evaluation. They expect this would be more problematic with a centralized agency for ALL such assessments.
- How do the providers in these different settings apply such assessments to the implementation of various services?
- How will the staff at this central IAE have the skills to conduct all these assessments properly?
- As DAAHR noted- “Approximately 250,000 people receive these services in the state.
- Evaluations were placed in disability organizations decades ago because it was believed providers best understand disability and independent living—they are culturally competent.”
