1410-11328

National: This investment supports National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) to develop and administer a survey designed to improve knowledge and understanding of existing services and supports for seniors and people with disabilities, particularly in managed care environments; and increase integration and coordination of aging and disability policy with Medicaid oral health policy. Specifically, NASUAD will design a comprehensive survey on Medicaid oral health services for older adults and individuals with disabilities; incorporate questions into a survey of seniors and people with disabilities about individuals� access to and utilization of oral health care services; convene meetings of leaders in the aging and disability as well as the Medicaid dental fields to foster collaboration between the two groups; develop a report and disseminate the findings in multiple venues; and create an online training that includes best practices regarding oral health for seniors and people with disabilities. Due to the lack of coverage for dental benefits and complex eligibility requirements between publicly funded health care programs, Medicaid represents the primary source of dental coverage for many seniors and people with disabilities. This proposed work will create a baseline of dental benefit coverage that can be compared across states and used by policymakers and advocates to develop strategies to increase coverage for and utilization of oral health services in publicly funded health plans for aging and disabled adults. $295,479 will be used to support personnel time to implement and administer the survey, engage and convene stakeholders, and develop reports; consultant services to design the written report; travel and meeting expenses; and administrative costs associated with the implementation of this work. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal 1 of mandating the inclusion of an adult dental benefit in publicly funded health insurance and the target that At least 30 states have an extensive Medicaid adult dental benefit, and no states that currently have a Medicaid adult dental benefit roll back or eliminate that coverage.