Federal Long-Term Care Program Slated for Changes before Implementation An important component of the federal health care reform law is a provision creating a new voluntary national insurance program for long-term services and supports, known as the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. The CLASS Act is a voluntary cash benefit program designed to assist beneficiaries with the cost of long-term... 

The excerpt below is from the NASW’s Lunchtime webinar on social worker safety. NASW’s members click here for more details. Client Violence and Social Worker Safety But what I think you can conclude by what I have shared with you so far is first of all, client violence towards social workers is not a rare event. Rather it’s relatively common across types of practice. But the most common type of violence being... 

A factsheet from the Urban Institute provides a quick overview of recent research on poverty, including its effects on immigrants, health care, children, infants with depressed mothers, employment, assets, and neighborhoods.  To view the factsheet, go to:  http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=412300.  Read More →

On February 17, 2011 Rep. Grace F. Napolitano and a panel of mental health advocates and experts, including LA Laker Ron Artest and champion boxer Mia St. John, will examine the Mental Health in Schools Act, a bill authored by Napolitano to allocate funding to mental health services in schools. One in five children and adolescents currently suffer from emotional and behavioral issues, but less than one third ever receives... 

A new online resource is available outlining the benefits of the health care law for women. You can read more about Women and the Affordable Care Act at http://www.healthcare.gov/foryou/women/index.html.  Read More →

House Preps Big Cuts in Domestic Spending House Republicans are preparing legislation funding the government for the remainder of the current fiscal year and finishing up appropriations legislation deferred late last year when Democrats lost control of the House. The “continuing resolution” or CR is necessary to fund the government for the last seven months of the current fiscal year, beginning on March 4. Separately,... 

NASW, alongside over 140 organizations, networks and civil society organizations from 50 countries, signed a letter to the United States Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OCAG), to release the PEPFAR Field Guidance on Men who have Sex with Men (MSM).  OGAC is responsible for implementing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (or PEPFAR).   The letter, addressed to Ambassador Eric Goosby, ... 

Update 2/18/2011 – Click here to view remarks from this Congressional Briefing. NASW is pleased to announce that Congressman Edolphus Towns, sponsor of the Dorothy I. Height and Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act, and a professional social worker, is holding a congressional briefing entitled, “Implications of Health Care Reform on the Social Work Profession” on February 16, 2011... 

Social workers should be aware of an important component of the Affordable Care Act, which can provide immediate coverage for Individuals with pre-existing health care conditions. The Federal Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) is a transitional program that will be in effect until 2014, when the new Health Insurance Exchanges become operational. The PCIP offers comprehensive benefits including physician’s... 

Excerpts below are from the NASW Specialty Practice Sections (SPS) live webinar on the commercial exploitation of children. SPS members can download the on demand audio recording or read the transcript by visiting the NASW Section page for details. CE credits are also available. Q: How do you suggest that I work with a young person who really doesn’t see her situation as exploitive? A: So we encourage service providers...