DISABILITY ISSUES
Vol. 21 No. 2

Employment & Health Care:

New Office Willing to Work

Often all that stands between a person with a disability and a good job is a part of the medical industry. It may be a medical professional or a stubborn regulation or simple ignorance which keeps the right person and the right job apart. It has taken a long time for the nexus of health care and employment to be addressed systematically.

A new office to assist persons with disabilities gain and maintain competitive employment is scheduled to open this summer as part of a four-year, $4.3 million federal grant called the Massachusetts Medical Infrastructure Grant (MMIG). The Office of Health Care Coordination, a collaborative effort of the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance and the University of Massachusetts medical school, will assist people with disabilities in the following ways:

l Fill existing gaps in the current Medicaid system by improving access to health insurance and health-related services;

l Expand awareness among medical providers, employers, and consumers about ways to enhance and evaluate work capacity; and

l Facilitate communication among consumers, employers, and health care professionals to improve employment outcomes.

The MMIG is authorized by the federal Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) and funded through the Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA). All 50 states were eligible to apply for grant monies and 25 received some support. Massachusetts was one of two states to receive full funding because of the strength of the CommonHealth buy-in and other programs that the Division of Medical Assistance has created.

Massachusetts is one of a few states focusing on evaluating what is working with current programs and identifying opportunities for improvement. The initial step in the MMIG was to convene groups of stakeholders, in an advisory capacity, to get feedback on ways that the Office of Health Care Coordination can facilitate the delivery of existing services and benefits to more effectively support persons with disabilities in their working lives.

In December 2000, a group of state agencies met to form the Interagency Advisory Group (IAG). In April a group of persons in leadership roles in disability advocacy organizations met as the Consumer and Advocacy Advisory Panel (CAAP). Most of these members are persons with disabilities. The next group to meet will be the Professional Advisory Group (PAG), consisting of employers and professionals working to help persons with disabilities find jobs. None of these groups are exclusive and may contain some overlapping members. [Several members of the board of the Information Center are actively participating on these advisory panels as representatives of various groups and organizations.]

Another part of the MMIG is to form state-to-state partnerships to help other states receive and provide technical assistance in the design and implementation of Medicaid programs. These partnerships will establish policies to improve health and employment outcomes for persons with significant disabilities and share what is discovered to be the best practice with state partners across the country. In addition, the MMIG will conduct a number of monitoring and evaluation projects to help improve current programs and establish more effective health care services to assist persons with disabilities gain and maintain their employment goals.

Co-directors of the MMIG are Jay Himmelstein, MD, MPH, Director of the University of Massachusetts Medical School's Center for Health Policy; and Ellie Shea-Delaney, MPA, Director of Plans for the Elderly and Disabled at the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance. Anyone needing more information on the MMIG can call Leslie Olin at (508) 856-4039 or e-mail Leslie.Olin@umassmed.edu.

Recruiting is underway to fill staff positions for this office. Anyone with an interest and experience working in this area who would like further information regarding available positions may contact Sylvia Spencer at (508) 856-4226 or e-mail sylvia.spencer@umassmed.edu