Deal reached on VA reforms (POLITICO, July 27)
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Jeff Miller have reached an agreement to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to an aide briefed on the matter.
How employers are tapping talents of disabled workers (CNBC, July 25)
A long-overlooked players in the American workplace is finally getting some extra attention: The disabled worker.
HELP committee approves seven bipartisan bills, builds on record of accomplishments (Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, July 23)
The bills address public health issues, including obesity, muscular dystrophy, emergency medical care and traumatic brain injury. Summaries of the bills included at the above link.
Medicaid transformation will help aging N.J. residents stay in their homes longer (NJBIZ, July 23)
New Jerseyans will have an easier time remaining in their homes as they age, instead of moving to a nursing home, under a major transformation of the Medicaid program the state launched this summer. And experts say the changes combine the best of both worlds: Most seniors want to continue living in their communities — and they will cost Medicaid less money if they do.
Obama signs law limiting sheltered workshop eligibility (Disability Scoop, July 22)
The transition from school to work for students with disabilities will undergo sweeping changes under a bill President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday.
Act would create tax-free savings accounts for the disabled (The Washington Times, July 22)
“The bill aims to ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing and transportation,” said an NDSS statement.
Foreign Relations committee approves disability treaty (The Hill, July 22)
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday approved a United Nations treaty to protect people with disabilities from discrimination. The committee approved the treaty on a 12-6 vote.
Virginia psychiatric-bed registry does not work as intended, lawmakers told (The Washington Post, July 22)
A four-month-old psychiatric-bed registry that is supposed to provide up-to-the-minute information for Virginians who need emergency mental health treatment is being updated as seldom as once a day, state officials told a panel of lawmakers this week.
New funds jump-start mental illness research (Los Angeles Times, July 22)
Scientists on Tuesday predicted that the world could see the same kind of progress in understanding schizophrenia and bipolar disorder that’s been seen in the last decade in the fight against cancer. Such a path forward became evident with two new developments…
Obama nominee McDonald pledges to ‘transform’ VA
President Barack Obama’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs pledged to transform the beleaguered agency, saying that “systematic failures” must be addressed. Robert McDonald cited problems with patient access to health care, transparency, accountability and integrity.