The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the availability of a new technical assistance tool for use by States who wish to assess the current state of their long-term care systems, including their progress towards rebalancing. A Model State Profile for Assessing a State Long-Term Care System, along with a Technical Assistance Guide to Assessing a State Long-Term Care System are now available on the CMS website at the link below.

In response to the advocacy of people with disabilities of all ages and their families, many States are rebalancing their long-term support systems to reduce institutionalization and increase opportunities for people to live in the community. In addition to the considerable efforts at the state and local levels, CMS has supported state rebalancing efforts in several ways, including the creation of new, more flexible coverage options under the Deficit Reduction Act, policy changes that allow states more Medicaid flexibility to design their long-term care systems and seed money for new initiatives through the Money Follows the Person Demonstration and the Real Choice Systems Change Grants.

As States continue to rebalance their systems, CMS recognizes the importance of assessing progress and identifying opportunities for further rebalancing efforts. Therefore, CMS initiated the development of a model profile of one states long-term care system and a companion technical assistance guide that other states can readily use to replicate and adapt the profile. By using these tools to profile their own long-term care system, States can:

* Provide policymakers and stakeholders with a high-level view of the long-term support system, to ensure that all are working from the same knowledge base;

* Identify opportunities for improved coordination among long-term support programs and with other health and social services;

* Acknowledge the success that has occurred;

* Identify service gaps; and

* Provide a framework for comparing rebalancing efforts across states.

CMS encourages States to make use of this new technical assistance tool and hopes that it will be useful in upcoming rebalancing efforts.