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November 13, 2008 |
Volume 15, Issue 47 |
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FAHSA |
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In This Issue |
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Welcome to this week's edition of the FAHSA Link |
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Evercare |
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Quick Links |
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Calendar |
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Janegale Boyd Featured Presenter at FMDA Conference -- Last week, Janegale Boyd, FAHSA's President/CEO was one of the featured presenters during the Florida Medical Directors Association's Best Care Practices Conference. Her presentation, "A View from Tallahassee: A Statewide Overview" focused on challenges facing legislators as they prepare for the 2009 Legislative Session; declining state revenues for long-term care providers; the state's demographic changes; and the impact that funding will place on services for frail seniors. |
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Going Green - Saving Green - Join us on
November 19 for FAHSA's 15th Annual Maintenance Workshop in
Orlando. The theme, Going Green to Save
Green, features presentations on how to save
money while at the same time, preserving the
environment. Register today and plan to join us at the
Ramada Orlando Celebration Resort and Convention Center on
November 19.
Register for the upcoming Webinar and other FAHSA events online - Registering for FAHSA events is only a few clicks away. Go to the Calendar page on the FAHSA Web site and make plans to join us for one of these events. Upcoming Educational Events:
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Special Session May be In the
Works -- Florida's Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink
is seeking authority to borrow as much as $1.25 billion from
trust funds to cover the basic operating expenses for the
state for the rest of fiscal year 2008-09. She is also
calling for a special session of the Florida Legislature
during or shortly after next week's organizational session to
address what some are calling the worst
financial crisis in decades. With income
from Florida's major revenue source -- the state sales
tax -- continuing to decline, the topic of tax reform is
likely to resurface. If additional sources of revenue are
not identified, budget cuts for the Medicaid program and
education during the next fiscal year could exceed those of
the past.
Florida TaxWatch is also urging a special session in conjunction with next week's organizational session, to clarify portions of the state's corporate income tax law that could unintentionally cause businesses to lose depreciation deductions. According to Dominic Calabro, TaxWatch CEO, "It is vital to Florida's economic recovery that the Legislature clarify this issue as soon as is practical. If this is not corrected soon, Florida's economy will potentially suffer significant and lasting harm." The federal law, which is intended to spur investment in equipment, allows companies to depreciate equipment put into service in 2008 by 60 percent, instead of the usual 10 percent, and take that as a deduction on federal corporate income taxes. The state, facing a revenue shortfall, does not want to extend the same option for state income taxes. But the way the state law is written, and interpreted by the state Department of Revenue, companies taking the federal deduction would see that asset depreciated in the state's eyes as well, without the corresponding tax deduction. Many corporations, the group pointed out, must make estimated federal income tax payments by December 15. For more information, please read the latest Florida TaxWatch Briefing. Other General News:
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Budget Planning Summit Report -- FAHSA
was invited to a Budget Planning Summit sponsored by the
Florida Council on Aging and other home and community-based
service organizations on November 5th in Orlando. Mary
Ellen Early, Senior Vice-president of Public Policy
represented us at the event.
This interactive session solicited ideas on how and where to reduce spending, as well as ideas on how to generate new dollars to support aging services. The main objectives are to serve the greatest number of seniors, to maximize revenue and to preserve the aging network in an especially challenging financial environment with more budget cuts on the horizon. Doug Beach, Secretary of the Dept. of Elder Affairs, was the featured presenter along with Robert Beck, former budget staff for Governor Crist. Mary Ellen Early spoke and urged attendees not to advocate for solutions that pit elder care providers against each other. She emphasized that adequate funding is important to both home and community-based providers and nursing homes. To download the summary report from the meeting, please CLICK HERE. |
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Operating Cost Adjustment Factors (OCAF)
Published -- The Operating Cost Adjustment Factors
(OCAF) for 2009 were published in the November 10, 2008
Federal Register. These factors are used for adjusting or
establishing Section 8 rents under the Multifamily Assisted
Housing Reform and Affordability Act of 1997 (MAHRA), as
amended, and under the Low-Income Housing Preservation and
Resident Homeownership Act of 1990 (LIHPRHA).
The factors are effective as of February 11, 2009. The OCAF factors can be found by CLICKING HERE. Dept. of Community Affairs Releases Grant Recipients - The Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program helps smaller local governments fund community projects that might not otherwise be financially feasible. Through funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program allows each community to determine which projects are most needed, with a focus on four areas: Housing; Neighborhood Revitalization; Commercial Revitalization; and Economic Development. Please click HERE to see if your county received grant money, and if so, contact them to see if you can apply. Other Housing News:
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Alan Sadowski Testifies at Legislative Delegation Meetings -- On Monday, November 10, Dr. Alan Sadowski from MorseLife testified at a meeting of the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation. Dr. Sadowski discussed the financial impact of proposed agency cuts for nursing homes and home and community-based service providers on his organization and the elders it serves. He urged lawmakers to be deliberate and fair in their decision-making and not to increase funding for home and community-based services at the expense of nursing homes. Dr. Sadowski was in the unique position to make this plea since MorseLife provides both types of care. He also encouraged delegation members to retain the sales tax exemptions and exceptions that benefit homes for the aged as well as elder consumers of long-term care services and specialized housing. |
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Do Not Forget to Post Guide and Watch
List -- Please remember that each nursing home
licensee (including those with a Gold Seal Designation) must
retrieve the most recent version of the Nursing Home Guide
from the Agency for Health Care Administration's (AHCA) Web
site and post the pages from the Nursing Home Guide about
their facility in a visible place. The posting should include
the Nursing Home Guide cover page, the name of the facility,
the stars designated, and any deficiencies. You are only
required to post the Watch List page if your facility was
listed. Both the Watch List and the Nursing Home Guide are now
included within the
AHCA Online Nursing
Home Guide. To read more about this and other news, click
on the Nursing Home Alert, NH08-41 Web site link
below.
Other Nursing Home News:
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 A Medicare-funded
program and a coordinated care plan designed exclusively for nursing home
residents. Evercare is based on teamwork. A Nurse Practitioner (NP) or
Physician's Assistant (PA) and a primary care physician form a primary care
team that works with the nursing home staff to help maintain the health and
well-being of those enrolled in Evercare. Evercare contracts with the
nursing homes for Part A and B benefits and additional services. The service
area includes: Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk, Duval,
Citrus, Sarasota, Orange, Oscecola, Seminole, Hernando, Lee, Escambia, Santa
Rosa, Charlotte, Brevard counties with expansion planned for Broward and
Palm Beach (West Florida Program). For more information about this program
please go to Evercare's Website
or contact Robyn King at (813) 818-3208 or e-mail her at
robyn_a_king@uhc.com. . |
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-- A list of PBAs can be found by on the FAHSA Web site www.fahsa.org by selecting Preferred Business Associates from Products menu tab. |
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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?
We feature various Aging Services jobs. Ready to start your job search?
Click here to find your next
Aging Services job!
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
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. © 2008
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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