Dear Friends and Colleagues: As you may know, with the upcoming transition my service as Commissioner of the Administration for Disabilities will soon be coming to an end. It has been a true honor to serve at the Administration for Community Living for nearly four years.

The Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended through P.L. 114-144 in 2016, included a provision requiring the Assistant Secretary for Aging to issue guidance to the Aging Services Network on serving Holocaust survivors.

In 2014, regulation was issued by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services which finalized the criteria for home and community-based services (HCBS) for the purposes of Medicaid funding. The criteria require settings receiving HCBS funding to facilitate beneficiary independence and decision-making in defining desired community-based living.

Today we join President Obama and communities around the world in observing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The IDPD was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of persons with disabilities.

In a new handbook from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services entitled "Coordination of Benefits and Third Party Liability (COB/TPL) in Medicaid," guidance is provided that services provided under the Older Americans Act are an exception to the "Medicaid is payer of last resort" rule.

November is National Native American Heritage Month and ACL joins the President in honoring the legacy of American Indians and Alaska Natives. According to the U.S. Census, there were more than five million Native Americans living in the United States in 2011. These individuals represent a rich and diverse culture that includes 566 federally-recognized tribes, each with its own traditions, beliefs, and history.

Family caregivers are the backbone of America’s long-term care system and are often referred to as selfless, tireless and courageous. Stepping in to provide care for a friend or loved one can be a rewarding and uplifting experience and reflects the very best in human nature. While family caregivers are all these things and more, they are human nonetheless. They are not immune to stress, fatigue, burnout or illness. In fact, research shows they may be more vulnerable in this regard.

At ACL, we believe that every person has the right to make choices and to control their own decisions. This right is independent of age or disability. This right also is not diminished by illness. People who have advanced illnesses should have control over their care and services.

This post tells the personal story of Cynthia LaCounte, about how her grandmother, a tribal elder of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa in North Dakota, prepared her to work on aging programs.

Fifty three years ago today, President John F. Kennedy signed a historic piece of legislation that we now know as the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act). At the time, people with developmental disabilities (DD) faced exclusion from many spheres of public and private life, including most schools and community spaces. Many spent nearly their entire lives in large, state-run institutions that were often grossly underfunded and where reports of systemic abuse and neglect were common.