FAHSA Member Testifies at Delegation Meeting - On November 15, Luanne Reese (Mease Manor, Dunedin) testified before the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation. She pointed out that the proposed constitutional amendment to automatically repeal sales tax exclusions and exemptions is fraught with problems and will have unintended consequences for the public. The resulting sales on all but a few services will be particularly troublesome for vulnerable populations, like frail elders, who must purchase a variety of services to maintain a decent quality of life.

Luanne also urged local legislators not to reduce nursing home funding if another round of budget cuts take place as a result of the poor economy and housing slump. Please go to FAHSA's Legislative Issues page (click on Public Policy Priorities 2008) for the list of these and other public policy priorities that Luanne distributed to Delegation members.

Legislative delegation meetings are an important way of educating lawmakers about FAHSA's public policy concerns. Please contact Mary Ellen Early (meearly@fahsa.org) if you are willing to represent the association at one of these meetings.

Upcoming Membership Events:

• November 28 -- FAHSA District 3 Meeting, Terry Conference Center, DePaul Building, St. Vincent's Campus, Jacksonville
• December 5 -- FAHSA District 7 Meeting, Kramer Training Room, The Tradition of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach
• December 11 -- FAHSA District 5 Meeting, Sheraton Orlando Downtown, 60 South Ivanhoe Blvd., Orlando
• January 8-9, 2008 - FAHSA Board of Trustees Meeting, Boca Raton Resort & Club, Boca Raton
• January 15-16 -- FAHSA's Dynamic Directions Advanced Nurse Leadership Workshop including QIS Training, Safety Harbor, FL
• April 14 -- FAHSA Board of Trustees Meeting, Wingate Inn, Tallahassee

Use FAHSA's Self-Study Training Modules to Meet Regulatory Requirements - If your community is looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to ensure that new and existing staff meet mandatory educational training requirements, consider purchasing one or more of FAHSA's training Videos/DVDs:

• HIV/AIDS Prevention & Treatment
• Domestic Violence
• Medical Errors
• OSHA Universal Precautions & Infection Control
• Resident Abuse Prevention Program

The advantage of using the training series is that individuals can work at their own pace and complete the training on their own or as part of a group. For new hires, this option in invaluable. It not only saves time, it saves money in regulatory problems!

See a list of programs at: http ://www.fahsa.org/documentsvideos.htm -- Click on the FAHSA Training Courses and Products Brochure.

END OF YEAR SPECIAL -- There is a 10 percent discount if you order by 12/31/07!

MDS Coding and Care Planning Webinar -- November 27 at 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

This Webinar will relate to the new QIS process and is specifically designed for MDS Coordinators, RNs, LPNs, DONs, ADONs, administrators and other nursing home direct care staff and administrators.

The Long-Term Care Minimum Data Set (MDS) is the single most important data instrument that can impact resident care, care planning, financial success or failure, legal defense, survey outcomes, quality assurance and communication between facility staff.

Please visit the FAHSA Calendar of Events to view the brochure or register online.

Plan to Attend - We're putting a fresh face on FAHSA's January Dynamic Directions: Advanced Nurse Workshop....just for you! With the help of our dynamic planning team, we're putting together a program that will meet the needs of not only Directors of Nursing, but quality assurance nurses, staff development nurses, charge nurses and CNA instructors. Nurses practicing in nursing homes, and assisted living settings will want to attend. Please visit the FAHSA Calendar of Events to view the brochure or register online.

Upcoming Educational Events:

• November 27, 2007 - MDS Coding and Care Planning Webinar
• January 15-16, 2008 -- FAHSA's Dynamic Directions Advanced Nurse Leadership Workshop including QIS Training, Safety Harbor
• April 15-16, 2008 -- FAHSA's Legislative Workshop, Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee

Citizenship Department Refines Employment Credentials - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a list of acceptable credentials that companies can use to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.

Employers may now accept the following documents under "List A" of Form I-9: U.S. passport, permanent resident card or alien registration receipt card, an unexpired foreign passport with a temporary I-551 stamp, an unexpired Employment Authorization Document that contains a photograph, and an unexpired foreign passport with an unexpired "Arrival- Departure Record."

Employers no longer can accept the following under "List A": a certificate of U.S. citizenship, certificate of naturalization, an alien registration receipt, an unexpired re-entry permit, and an unexpired refugee travel document. Nursing homes, which employ many immigrants, are becoming increasingly concerned as the government cracks down on employees of illegal status.

Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Launches FloridaHealthFinder.gov - The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has launched a new consumer health care Web site aimed at assisting Floridians in search of accurate and trusted health care information. The newly designed site builds on past developments by combining www.Florida HealthStat.com and www.Flori daCompareCare.gov into one central site. It also provides additional health care information, including a health encyclopedia with thousands of articles and illustrations, and a list of health care facilities, information about insurance, medications, seniors, medical conditions, health care data, and resources for medical care and health care professionals.

Senate to Vote on Housing Bill after the Holidays -- Recently, the House of Representatives passed the FY08 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) conference report by a vote of 270- 147. The vote was short of the two-thirds majority of those present needed to override a presidential veto. The voter list is available by clicking on the Web site link -- htt p://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll1102.xml.

The White House then issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP), threatening a veto because the bill exceeded the president's spending requests by nearly $3 billion, and does not cut what the president deemed ineffective programs. The HUD portion of the bill contains $183.5 million in Economic Development Initiative earmarks where the FY07 HUD spending bill did not include Economic Development Initiative earmarks.

The Senate was to have taken up the FY08 THUD conference report before Thanksgiving recess but failed to do so. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill when it returns from recess the week of December 3. Until then, HUD is operating on a continuing resolution that expires December 14 that is currently providing funding for HUD program at the FY07 levels.

Other Housing News:

• HUD Supports Display of Religious Symbols During Holiday Season
• HUD Publishes CDBG Study
• Available Grant Funding Notice
• Question of the Week: The Latest Information about LEP

Senate to Review Regulatory Requirements for Home Health Agencies - A Senate Interim Project will study the proliferation of new home health agencies and review licensure requirements and regulatory standards prior to the 2008 legislative session. Based on the findings of the project, new legislation and regulations affecting home health agencies may be proposed. While there is currently no moratorium on new licensure of HHAs, new licensure certification surveys have been placed on the lowest priority level for the coming year, and Associated Home Health Industries of Florida has identified the issuance of a moratorium on new HHA licensure as its top priority for the 2008 legislative session. The findings of this study could be used to bolster AHHIF's claims that widespread fraud exists within the home health market, and that a moratorium would give the legislature and regulatory agencies the time needed to investigate the fraud and develop stronger rules governing HHAs.

Florida Senior Care Back on the Table - FAHSA has been invited by AHCA Secretary Andrew Agwunobi to participate in a panel presentation specifically on the evaluation of Florida Senior Care. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 29. FAHSA COO Erwin Bodo will represent the Association. He will reiterate the importance of an independent evaluation that focuses on quality, consumer choice, and resource adequacy. From FAHSA's perspective, it is extremely important that Florida Senior Care enrollees are refereed to appropriate and good providers rather than the least costly options. Immediately prior to the afternoon meeting, there will be an opportunity for public comment on the 1915 (c) waiver amendment. Dr. Bodo will also be representing the Association at this meeting.

Secretary Agwunobi Invites Administrators to NH Roundtable - The Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, has invited all nursing home administrators to an informal roundtable discussion with him. The roundtable is scheduled for Tuesday, November 27 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Read more on this and the issues listed below in the latest Nursing Home Alert, NH 07-32.

Other Nursing Home News:

• Revisit Fees Will Continue Until Mid-December
• MDS Coding & Care Planning Webinar -- November 27 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• MDS Coding Corner
• MedWatch Warnings and Alerts
• Special Open Door Forum Conference Call: How to Become a Quality Improvement Organization
• Providers Take Beating in Capitol Hill Hearings
• Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Campaign

Alternative Investments and Nonprofits: The Danger of Oversimplifying Asset Classes - Now more than ever, institutional investors are being urged to allocate funds to alternative investments. The conventional wisdom is that this kind of portfolio diversification will improve future returns, since returns from these non-publicly-traded investments are not correlated with those of conventional asset classes. While it is true that in many cases, asset classes within the alternative investment universe have significantly outperformed equities and fixed income without obvious evidence of increased risk, it is also true that there is no free lunch: Investments promising outsized returns are always associated with significant risks that may or may not be appropriate. The key to deciding whether to make an allocation to an alternative investment asset class is a strong understanding of what is available and of the nonprofit organization's ability to understand the product. To read the complete article please click HERE. This article was provided by Lancaster Pollard, one of FAHSA Preferred Business Associates.

FAHSA's Preferred Business Associates Program (PBAs) -- A list of PBAs can be found by on the FAHSA Web site www.fahsa.org and selecting Preferred Business Associates from the left side menu bar. FAHSA members can also use the on- line directory to search for PBAs by specialty.

FAHSA is pleased to provide an opportunity for you to advertise your "position wanted" or "position available" through the FAHSA Link newsletter and on our Web Page.

FAHSA members may use the Job Mart services at no charge. A nominal fee of $25 will be charged to nonmembers.

Your Job Mart advertisement will be displayed on our Web site for approximately three months. The FAHSA Link is published weekly and distributed to our membership which is comprised of nursing homes, CCRCs, HUD housing, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities and companies/firms.

To reserve advertisement space in our Job Mart program, please complete the application and fax it to FAHSA at (850) 671-3790 or E-mail Erin Steele at esteele@fahsa.org