ADvancing States and our partners with the ARPA HCBS Technical Assistance Collective are proud to release two papers that provide information about state efforts and activities under their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) HCBS spending plans. Through the generous support of The SCAN Foundation, The John A. Hartford Foundation, The Milbank Memorial Fund, and Arnold Ventures, the TA Collective operated two Affinity Groups (AG) to support states, facilitate information exchange, and share innovations, promising practices, and other strategies to expand and enhance their HCBS programs. One AG focused on HCBS Workforce Shortages and state efforts to increase worker compensation and to improve training and education activities while the other AG was dedicated to incorporating enabling technology into state HCBS programs. Each paper provides an overview of the issue, a summary of the discussions and ideas presented, examples of state innovations, and a discussion of future activities, challenges, and considerations as states continue to address these issues.

Click here to read State Implementation of American Rescue Plan Act Initiatives to Increase Wages and Expand Career Opportunities for Direct Service Workers: Summary of a State Affinity Group.

Click here to read State Implementation of American Rescue Plan Act Initiatives to Expand Access to Enabling Technology: Summary of a State Affinity Group.