Tips for Reading the FAHSA Link
Welcome to this edition of the FAHSA Link.
Please note that news topics are highlighted in a brief paragraph or
two. To read the complete document related to a specific member
type, click on the link directly following the article (which will
take you to the Alerts Page for ALFs, CCRCs, HUDs, General, or
Nursing Homes) and then click on the latest ALERT. Please remember
that last year, the FAHSA Board of Trustees made the decision that
your membership dues will entitle you to access only those Web pages
that relate to the membership type your dues cover. That is, if you
pay dues for nursing home beds only then will you be able to access
all general membership and nursing home-related Web pages, but you
will be unable to access housing, ALF or CCRC topics. Suggestions/Comments
FAHSA Quick Links
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Nursing Home Budget Cut Update -- Governor
Crist released his latest proposal for reducing this year's
expenditures to stay in line with expected revenue
collections. For the nursing home line item, the Governor
recommends a four percent reduction in the overall increase
for the year. In practical terms, this means that nursing
homes may have their rates frozen on January 1, 2008 or
possibly get a smaller than usual increase. This is a
significant improvement over the previous 10% cut
recommendation. Please note: (see the Legislative News
Section) The Special Session scheduled for September 18 has
been postponed to give legislative leaders sufficient time to
study and react to the Governor's proposal.
Spotlight on Section 202 Housing Communities - In
the last edition of the FAHSA LINK, we highlighted the
role of nursing homes. This week, the focus is on "Section
202/811 Housing Communities", commonly referred to as
low-income independent housing or affordable senior housing.
Approximately 40,000 low income seniors over the age of 62
and disabled persons reside in Florida's 313 HUD affordable
senior housing communities, the vast majority of which were
financed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development. Of that number, FAHSA represents 150 communities
with more than 18,000 units. Most of these properties provide
either extremely-low, very-low or low-income housing and offer
some type of rental assistance, depending on the community
type.
There are several different types of HUD and affordable
housing communities that we will spotlight in next week's
LINK, but the most prevalent is the Section 202/811
program. HUD's Section 202 program provides a valuable housing
resource for very-low income elderly households and the
Section 811 program provides resources for disabled persons of
any age.
Although the Section 202 program represents a small
share of elderly households, very-low income elderly renters
have acute housing affordability problems because of their
limited income and the need for supportive services. This
program offers about 260,000 rental units nationwide and
ensures that residents receive rental assistance and access to
services that promote independent living. Section 202 is the
only federal program devoted exclusively to providing this
type of housing. However, even with the program's exclusive
focus, Section 202 has reached only about an estimated eight
percent of very low income elderly households. The need for
affordable housing far outweighs the number of units
available. According to AARP, there are at least nine seniors
waiting for every occupied unit of Section 202 housing.
The Section 202 program provides two types of financial
support to nonprofit sponsors that develop and operate
projects. First, project sponsors receive a capital advance,
or a grant, to cover land and construction costs for projects
that comply with HUD's minimum property standards. The grants
are very competitive and fewer units are receiving federal
funding each year. (A bill filed this year by Florida
Congressman Tim Mahoney and cosponsored by Florida
Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite would shift some of the
Section 202 budget to the state level.) After the project is
completed and the elderly low-income tenants move in, the
sponsor receives a second type of funding, monthly rental
assistance payments, to defray some of the operating expenses.
The combination of a debt-free project and rental
assistance payments enables project sponsors to offer units at
rents that are generally equal to 30 percent of the renter's
income. This percentage remains constant, so the amount of
rent tenants pay increases only when household income rises,
protecting them from rent increases.
HUD communities are heavily regulated. In Florida, the
North Tampa Housing Development Corporation, the state's
performance-based contract administrator, along with four
regional HUD field offices located in Jacksonville, Miami,
Orlando, and Tampa, oversee the management and occupancy
requirements.
More on PRACs, Section 236, Section 221(d) 3 and 4's and
tax credit properties next week.
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| ALF News |
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New Tool for Keeping Your Workplace Safe -
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
recently released a guide to help you comply with OSHA's
regulations for health care employers. The new resource
covers OSHA's requirements for the workplace and how to
identify and prevent hazards at health care facilities,
including reporting requirements. It also identifies a
number of sector-specific resources for nursing homes
and personal care facilities. See
the guide.
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| CCRC / Retirement Community
News |
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Bond Market Affected by
Subprime Lending Woes - If you are thinking about
refinancing or expanding, be sure to read the Zeigler
Z-News for the week of 8/24/07. The bond market is
beginning to feel the effects of the housing slump and
sub-prime lending problems. "The current sub-prime
meltdown has rippled through the market, starting with
widening credit spreads in corporate markets, and then
spilling over into the muni markets. ... While signs of
stability are beginning to be seen, it is too early to
call a market plateau; as billions of dollars of
subprime adjustable rate mortgages get their "teaser"
rates reset to market rates, additional pressures are
expected, along with more bad news headlines.... Despite
turmoil in other markets, the derivatives markets are
alive and well." Refinancing may still be viable if you
want to change your covenants rather than your
yield.
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| District/Membership News
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Guidelines to Help Senior
Care Providers Respond to a Disaster - Life Care
Services had the opportunity to test its Critical
Emergency Planning Guidelines when major hurricanes hit
Florida and Louisiana in 2004 and 2005. The guidelines,
which LCS has graciously given us permission to share
with FAHSA members, include critical thinking and
planning requirements to ensure that the senior care
environments are prepared to respond appropriately to
emergency events. Plans should be adapted to meet the
unique needs and nuances of individual communities.
Nonetheless, the LCS guidelines could help as you refine
your organization's emergency management plan. Although
the guidelines were developed specifically for
multi-service retirement communities with a nursing home
component, many of the suggestions are relevant for all
types of senior care settings. For a copy of the
document, please go to FAHSA's Hurricane
Relief Web Page.
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| Education News |
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HUD, Service Coordinator and HCBS Workshops
Late Registration - On Tuesday, September 18,
participants in the HCBS workshop will learn about risk
management, working with family and private caregivers,
and home safety and modifications for seniors aging in
place. Topics addressed in the joint HCBS / Service
Coordinator workshop on the 19th will include quality
assurance, disability services, liability issues, CARES
and Communities for a Lifetime, funding sources, and an
update on the Area Agency / Aging Resource Center
transition. HUD participants will discuss new handbook
changes (CHG 2), compliance issues, balancing work and
life, workplace conflict, and training issues. A
reception and silent auction will be held on Wednesday
evening. The workshops will wrap up on Thursday with a
joint HUD and Service Coordinator workshop focusing on
legal, regulatory and fair housing topics as well as
contract administration, the role of service
coordinators, and dementia training.
Register by next Wednesday by downloading the
registration form or signing up online at FAHSA's Web
site. On-site registration will also be available.
Hotel rooms are available at the Crown Plaza Hotel,
right next door to the Wyndham, for the same discounted
rate. Please call the Crown Plaza at (904) 398-8800
today to reserve your room. Mention that you will be
attending the FAHSA event.
Upcoming Workshops:
- September 18 & 19 -- FAHSA's Home
and Community-Based Services Workshop, Wyndham
Jacksonville Riverwalk, Jacksonville
- September 19 & 20 -- FAHSA's Annual
HUD and Service Coordinator Workshop, Wyndham
Jacksonville Riverwalk, Jacksonville
- October 2 -- QIS Training, Joseph L.
Morse Geriatric Center, West Palm Beach
- October 5 -- QIS Training, Fleet
Landing, Jacksonville, FL
- October 9 & 10 -- Board of Trustees
Meeting, Orlando, FL
- October 11 -- QIS Training, Orlando
Lutheran Towers, Orlando, FL
- November 15 - FAHSA's Maintenance
Workshop, Holiday Inn, Orlando, FL
- January 15 & 16, 2008 -- FAHSA's
Dynamic Directions Advanced Nurse Leadership
Workshop, Safety Harbor
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| General News |
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Salaries Jump for Nurse Aides - Between
1997 and 2005, nursing aides, orderlies and attendants
saw a 31% bump in their average hourly earnings - from
$8.23 to $10.77 per hour, according to the Labor
Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. This puts them
at 392 out of 418 occupations or 26 from the bottom. In
2005, aides were among the lowest earning occupations,
which ranged from $4.71 per hour for wait staff to
$10.05 per hour for agricultural products inspectors,
vehicle washers and equipment cleaners. SEE
THE ANALYSIS
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| Housing News |
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Four FAHSA Members Chosen to Testify on
Section 202 Bill -- On Thursday, September 6th, four
FAHSA members, Deje Kondor, Executive Director,
Presbyterian Homes and Housing Foundation; Steve
Protulis, President, Elderly Housing Development
Operations Center; Thomas W. Slemmer, CEO, National
Church Residences; and Terry Allton, VP of Support
Services, National Church Residences testified during
the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
hearing on Capitol Hill in support of H.R. 2930, the
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of
2007. This bill was filed by two Florida Congressmen,
Congressman Tim Mahoney and Congresswoman Ginny
Brown-Waite.
Ellen Feingold, President, Jewish Community Housing
for the Elderly, David Lizarraga, President and CEO,
TELACU; and Michael Frigo, Administrator, Mayslake
Village, also testified. Copies of the testimonies will
be available by clicking
here and then clicking on the individual's name to
read their testimony.
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| Home and Community-Based Services
News |
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DOEA 2007 Summary of Programs and Services
Available - The publication, released this week,
contains comprehensive information about the activities
of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. It describes
the responsibilities of each division and bureau,
provides maps and contact information for the
department's services network including area agency on
aging, CARES and Ombudsman Program, and Public Guardian
and Communities for a Lifetime offices. The summary
defines each service, the programs providing the
service, and the number of units of service provided for
the last complete program year. An alphabetic listing of
OAA, general revenue, Medicaid, and other department
programs is included, with information such as program
administration, eligibility, statutory authority,
appropriation history and funding source. Technical
information on department programs includes annualized
program cost comparisons per customer served,
classification of programs by activity and budget entity
as per the department's Long Range Program Plan (LRRP),
budget by revenue source, nine-year budget history with
customer counts, elder population statistics and program
enrollment by county, customer profiles by assessment
priority level, a list of agencies with long- term care
functions, and a list of acronyms. DOWNLOAD
THE SUMMARY
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| Legislative News
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Special Session On Hold - On Wednesday, a
letter from House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-Miami) and
Senate President Ken Pruitt (R- Port St. Lucie) was
released stating that the Special Session to reduce the
state's budget and which was to begin on September 18th
has been placed on hold. In the letter, both legislative
leaders agree that there is still much work to be done
on the issue of budget cuts and that holding a Special
Session at this time would not be the most productive.
READ
THE OFFICIAL LETTER
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| Nursing Home News
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Reminder: Post NH Watch List and Guide -
Please remember that each nursing home licensee must
retrieve the most recent version of the Nursing Home
Guide from the Agency for Health Care Administration
(AHCA) Web site and post the pages from the Nursing Home
Guide about their facility in a visible place. For more
on this issue and those listed below, please go to the
latest Nursing Home Alert NH 07-25 dated 9/6/07.
Other Nursing Homes News:
- Completion Date Change for QIS Staff Training in
Delray and Tampa-St. Petersburg
- Joint Commission Revamps Emergency Management
Standards
- New OSHA Tool for Keeping Your Workplace Safe
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| Preferred Business Associate
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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.
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| JobMart |
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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
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