In Step 1: Prepare, of the Disability Network Business Strategies Roadmap, the HCBS Business Acumen Center guided community-based organizations (CBO) through the environmental scan and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis process. After taking a look at their external and internal environments, many CBOs find that the business environment that they work in today is more complex than it has been in the past. In Step 2: Plan of the Disability Network Business Strategies Roadmap, they describe how to analyze the information you collected and provide recommendations on how to organize and prioritize that information in a strategic plan that will help your organization achieve its goals.

Join them on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Eastern as Erica Lindquist, Senior Director of Business Acumen at the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities and Donna Martin, Director for State Partnerships & Special Projects at the American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) describes the tools the HCBS Business Development Learning Collaborative used to move from data collection to strategy development.

Register online.

• February 27, 2019
• 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
• Register online

Please join the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) and the I&R Support Center for a webinar on Status and Trends in Public Financing of Supports and Services for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  

• Wednesday, January 9 from 3:00-4:30 p.m. Eastern
• Register online

NASUAD, in partnership with the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), surveyed aging and disability Information & Referral/Assistance (I&R/A) agencies nationwide in 2018 to learn about important trends and developments in the field. The survey looked at a variety of key topics, including referrals and service needs; partnerships and system building; technology; quality, training and certification; financing and sustainability; and changing inquirer demographics. Join us for this webinar to hear about the themes and findings that emerged from the survey. From serving more individuals with complex needs to assisting inquirers in new ways, I&R/A programs are operating on the front lines of a changing service delivery system.

Real-time captioning will be provided for this webinar.

Our presenters are Nanette Relave, Senior Director of the National Information & Referral Support Center, NASUAD, and Lindsay Baran, Policy Analyst, NCIL.

How one organization developed clinical systems to improve outcomes for individuals and relationships with payers.

• Wednesday, November 28, 2018; 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Eastern
• Register online
• Related Video: Stories from the Field: United Disabilities Services

United Disabilities Services provides direct services to over 5000 clients annually with a network of programs that are designed to foster independence, self-sufficiency, and community integration. Their Home and Community Based (HCBS) service coordination department provides services to approximately 2,000 clients annually and recently achieved NCQA Case Management LTSS Accreditation. The HCBS department is dedicated to advancing the abilities that empower individuals to live independently and safely at home. They are guided by a mission to provide quality services in the home and community that enhance the independence and enrich the lives of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The highest priority amongst those served through the HCBS department is to remain in their home. To facilitate this they developed a Quality Management Program that incorporates multiple measures to reduce preventable hospitalizations by identifying and mitigating high risk factors. This work has driven their business practice and created synergy with other professionals in their community.  [Read more…]

• Friday, September 28, 2018; 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Eastern
• Register online

Trends change. Keeping an eye on changes in the business environment can help community based organizations (CBOs) identify ways to expand their businesses, modify their practices or meet new and enhanced outcomes for the people they serve.

In 2017, Community Options Enterprises, a subsidiary of Community Options, a national non-profit organization, conducted an environmental scan that included a review of labor statistics and other corporate and business trends. They found that of the days they worked, 38% of people in management, business, financial and other professional occupations did some or all their work from home. The trend for more businesses and industries to utilize remote workers inspired Community Options Enterprises to develop a business model that meets the needs of changing corporate practices while fulfilling their organizational mission to develop and operate entrepreneurial businesses that successfully integrate people with disabilities into the workforce.  [Read more…]

The HCBS Business Acumen Center, administered by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD), with support from its national partners and with funding provided by the Administration for Community Living, launched the Stories from the Field Contest in March 2018 to collect examples of business strategies used by disability community-based organizations (CBOs) to sustain or grow their community-based business.

This contest was designed to encourage community-based organizations serving people with disabilities to share their experiences building new business relationships, negotiating contracts, and expanding or establishing new lines of business.  [Read more…]

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) is pleased to announce that state teams from Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia have been selected to participate in the 2018 – 2019 Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Business Acumen Center Business Development Learning Collaborative. The learning collaborative launched in May at the NASUAD 2018 MLTSS Symposium and Spring Meeting in Philadelphia, PA.

Each state team participating in the learning collaborative is comprised of community-based organizations* (CBO) serving persons with disabilities, state agencies and other related partner organizations. Together, they will evaluate the CBOs business environment and develop and implement business strategies that are designed to strengthen and sustain the CBOs operations. The partners within the state team will support successful implementation of the strategic plan by helping to identify, understand and developing strategies to minimize or alleviate any obstacles.

This effort is led by NASUAD in partnership with seven national organizations and funded through a grant from the Administration for Community Living. To learn more about the resources and opportunities available through the Business Acumen Center, please visit the HCBS Business Acumen Center at hcbsbusinessacumen.org.  [Read more…]

HCBS Business Acumen Center Toolkit – Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations

Step 1: Prepare. Understand the Business Environment and Your Place within It

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) is pleased to announce the release of the first module of the HCBS Business Center Toolkit, “Disability Network Business Strategies: A Roadmap to Financial and Programmatic Sustainability for Community-Based Organizations”. This resource is a “how-to’ guide designed to help Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) evaluate, plan, develop and implement strategies to help build and sustain their organizations in various business climates.

The first module, Step 1: Prepare. Understand the Business Environment and Your Place within It provides guidance to CBOs serving people with disabilities on the information, data and people needed to inform the development of their strategic plan. This module will help the CBO identify and/or refine their vision and mission, conduct an environmental scan and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis, and identify champions. This user-friendly resource includes a collection of templates that CBOs and their teams can use to document their findings and ideas.

You can access the first module of the toolkit in PDF or plain text.  [Read more…]

Dear Aging and Disability I&R Professionals,

Earlier this month, we invited aging and disability I&R/A programs to take the 2018 Aging and Disability I&R/A National Survey. Given its comprehensive nature, the deadline to complete the survey has been extended to April 30.

For efficiency and consistency, your agency may wish to coordinate a single response to the survey on behalf of your agency. The I&R Center’s director, Nanette Relave, is available to address questions, offer assistance, and provide the survey in an alternate formats. She can be contacted at 202-898-2578 x305 or nrelave@nasuad.org.

The 2018 Aging and Disability I&R/A National Survey is designed to assess the state of Information and Referral/Assistance (I&R/A) systems serving older adults, persons with disabilities, and caregivers. Findings from the survey will highlight important trends and developments in the provision of I&R/A services as well as innovative practices. The results of the survey will be compiled into a final report and shared with the I&R/A network. This survey is being conducted in partnership with NCIL.

We truly appreciate your time and assistance in completing this survey to increase our collective knowledge and understanding of the delivery of I&R/A to older adults and individuals with disabilities!

The HCBS Business Acumen Center is accepting applications for its second learning collaborative, the Business Development Learning Collaborative. The purpose of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Business Acumen Business Development Learning Collaborative is to bring together three to five (3-5) state teams comprised of community-based organizations (CBO) serving persons with disabilities, state agencies and other related partner organizations to evaluate their business environment and develop business strategies to strengthen and sustain community-based organizations that serve people with disabilities.

Each team will work together to evaluate the environment that CBOs currently work within, conduct a strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis of their operations, analyze and utilize the combined external and internal data to develop a strategic plan that describes how each disability-focused CBO will maximize reimbursement, diversify payer sources and expand their business portfolio with the goal of long-term sustainability for their operations and meaningful outcomes for the individuals they serve. The partners within the state team will help each CBO identify, understand and develop strategies to minimize or alleviate any obstacles to their success and support implementation of the strategic plan.

Applications are due by Tuesday, April 10, 2018.

Access the application and further information.