Join us for a dynamic discussion of national and North Carolina IDD policy: ANCOR Executive Administration and Congressional advocacy updates; North Carolina Home-and Community-based Services and workforce legislative updates; and DHHS Olmstead plan updates. The US Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. is the most sweeping ruling that the disability community is likely to see in our lifetime. Olmstead affects all people with disabilities who are living in or at risk of entering an institutional setting. North Carolina’s Olmstead Plan is a roadmap for all levels of system change that are taking place, and providers are key to the State’s successful implementation of the plan. Find out how your organization can help lead North Carolina forward!

In this moderated conversation, Kurtis Taylor and Vic Armstrong will share from their experiences, both lived and professional, the unique challenges faced by historically marginalized communities when accessing addiction and mental health services. The conversation will cover the need for culturally relevant resources and creating access that resonates with the lived experience of communities served. The presenters will also address challenges faced by Black males regarding re-entry, and creating access by building upon existing community resources such as faith-based organizations.

This session will give an overview of the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency’s Supportive Housing Development Program (SHDP), a brief background of the Agency, who is eligible to apply for the SHDP, who the program serves, how loans are structured, and contact information. It will also focus on how IDD providers can leverage real estate strategies for improved service delivery and organizational growth. The panel explores not only housing options, but also ways for providers to optimize the care of those they serve and gain efficiencies in staffing using creative real estate solutions.

This presentation will include the history of employment services in North Carolina and the evolution and development of supported and customized employment services. Presenters will also bring updates on innovative employment services underway locally and across the nation such as Employment First (E1st), Individual Placement and Support (IPS), Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE), and 1915(i) services. Presenters will also discuss projected economic trends and how these forces may affect employment opportunities in the next several decades. Participants will engage in an interactive dialogue with the presenters.

Since North Carolina implemented “Raise the Age” through the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP) in 2019, the number of youth in this system having complex mental and behavioral health needs has increased. This session, with leadership from NC DJJDP, NC Integrated Care for Kids (NC InCK), and Children’s Hope Alliance, will introduce you to the overall work being done in North Carolina to ensure Juvenile Justice-involved youth are receiving integrated services to address all Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) needs wholistically. Each will provide a brief overview of their organization, followed by a moderated discussion about how integrating services for our state’s most vulnerable youth is having an impact beyond mental and behavioral health.

Join Joel Maynard for an in-depth review of NCPC Policy. Discussion topics to include: the latest from the NCGA, the status of budget negotiations, Tailored Care Management, Tailored Plan Launch, Medicaid Expansion, Samantha R, and DSP Pay Increases.

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act became federal law in 2014 and accounts have been available in NC since 2017. Individuals eligible for ABLE accounts: 1) have a disability with a written diagnosis before the age of 26; or 2) are eligible for SSI or SSDI because of a disability; or 3) have a condition from the Social Security Administration’s Compassionate Allowances list. ABLE accounts have both resource limits and deposit limits that can affect SSI payments, but SSI payments can be directly deposited into them. In this session you will hear about using ABLE accounts to secure Government benefit qualification; understanding the rules surrounding ABLE accounts, such as withdrawals for qualifying disability expenses; and how to use ABLE accounts in conjunction with Special Needs Trusts. In this session you will also learn about Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and the available work incentives (protections) that are available when a recipient is employed. Work incentives include Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE); Plan to Achieve Self Support (PASS); Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE); Medicaid protection; and 1619(b). You will also learn how Social Security counts as income when it is reported monthly. Come and learn more about helping individuals with disabilities make informed choices about employment!

The EBCI Tribal Option is the first Indian Managed Care Entity in the United States and part of NC Medicaid Transformation. This session will explore the role of intergenerational trauma in health disparaties and the model developed by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians to support resiliency and sovereignty. The session will highlight ideas and considerations for working with all indigenous people.

Dave Richard, Senior Vice President with McGuire Woods Consulting and former NC Medicaid Deputy Secretary, will lead a policy discussion of trending issues with members at the Monday evening Executive Leadership Forum.

Join us for an interactive discussion with Alliance Health, Partners Behavioral Health Management, Trillium Health Resources, and Vaya Health LME/MCO leadership and Healthy Blue, UnitedHealthcare, and WellCare leadership about successes and lessons learned to date for Medicaid managed care in North Carolina. Attendees will hear about strategies for provider network adequacy; beneficiary engagement with value-added benefits; and what to expect as the State transitions to whole person care provider networks under future Tailored Plans.

In this session, participants will hear about the work the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities and its initiative partners have been doing to impact the developmental disability community. Much of this work also has a direct impact on providers, and it has been in partnership with providers. This work includes advocacy and education on the Innovations Waiver waiting list; the Direct Support Professional workforce shortage; employment and meaningful day; and related policy areas. A critical initiative in this work is the collective impact work of Meet the Need NC, which is focused on the unmet needs of the I/DD community. Attendees will hear a focused presentation from this initiative, which is led by the Leadership Alliance for Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LAND).

States, payers, and providers are increasingly seeking to reduce the historic fragmentation within our health care delivery system. Substance Use Disorders (SUD) are often overlooked or ignored, which cannot only exacerbate this fragmentation but leave the individual lacking in critical care. In this session, we break down the why and the how – Why everyone can and should integrate SUD assessments into their practice and how this can practically be done. The presenters will also discuss upcoming changes to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Patient Placement Criteria and the impact those changes may have on North Carolina’s evolving Medicaid system.

Care Management at the provider level is a new concept but one that is paying immediate dividends. In this session participants will hear about Tailored Care Management from State Medicaid agency, LME/MCO, and Clinically Integrated Network perspectives: where Care Management is, where it’s going, and how provider-led Care Management can thrive and meet the needs of members.

In this session, panelists will discuss peer support: the basics of what a peer is; the benefits they provide; how they can be most effectively integrated into existing behavioral health service provider agencies; and what adequate supervision for a peer entails. This will be a discussion-based session. We invite and encourage participants to come with questions and share their experiences as peers or from working with peers.

The persistent problem of finding, hiring, and retaining the essential workers who provide care and support for North Carolina’s IDD population has reached an all-time high, given the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related factors. Immediate action is needed to address this worsening workforce crisis. In this interactive session of moderated discussion and audience Q&A, we will highlight key workforce trends, challenges, and opportunities. Session participants will gain a better understanding of what is happening at the policy level, as well as learn practical ways that they can help curb and ultimately overcome this crisis.

Timely access to appropriate care is vital for individuals with mental health and/or substance use challenges, but waiting lists, difficulty finding services covered by insurance or offered on a sliding fee scale, and several other factors can cause detrimental delays. Additionally, understanding the current landscape of behavioral health offerings is essential for NC DHHS, provider associations, payors in the state, and other stakeholders to appropriately distribute funding and to design additional services based on community need. Advances in technology are abating some of these challenges. In this session, Candice Sanford will present information on how BH SCAN is assisting providers in appropriate linkage to inpatient psychiatric units, and Kelsey Knowles will present how Treatment Atlas can help community members locate appropriate substance use disorder care. Each will provide a demonstration of their platform and explain how these tools are revolutionizing the way in which individuals can find care that suits their needs.

Representatives from NCDHHS, Alliance Health LME/MCO, and Vaya Health LME/MCO will present on processes to support the launch of BH & I/DD Tailored Plans. Topics will include provider enrollment and provider network development; provider contracting; and administrative simplification processes that DHHS and the LME/MCOs are partnering to address.

Join us for presentations from DHHS and DIT officials and learn more about the data systems that you use in your day-to-day operations! The NC HIEA is a business unit within the Data Division of the NC Department of Information Technology (DIT). NC HIEA manages the state-designated health information exchange (HIE) known as NC HealthConnex. During this panel discussion you will hear practical information about requirements to participate and answers to frequently asked questions (Is behavioral health provider connectivity mandatory or voluntary? How does involvement in Medicaid Tailored Plans overlap with participation in NC HealthConnex?); key steps to initiate connectivity and metrics on provider participation to date; and examples of how providers are using the HIE to improve care. The North Carolina Incident and Reporting System (IRIS) is a DMH/DD/SUS administered, Web-based reporting system in which community providers are required to enter Level II and Level III incidents for individuals receiving mental health, developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injury and substance use disorder services. LME/MCOs, Standard Plans, and State officials review incident information for health and safety concerns. During this panel discussion, you will hear an overview of IRIS submission requirements and responses to frequently asked questions.