ADvancing States in collaboration with the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) today released the results from a six-state deployment of the National Core Indicators – Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD™) adult consumer survey. While 13 states are participating in the NCI-AD survey in 2016, six of the states - Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, and North Carolina- opted for a rapid-cycle survey period in order to receive their results more quickly. A report with data from all 13 states – including Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas - will be released in winter 2017.

The NCI-AD project’s primary aim is to collect and maintain valid and reliable data that give states a broad view of how their publicly-funded long term services and supports (LTSS) impact the quality of life and outcomes of service participants. NCI-AD brings an important value proposition to the field of aging and disability services through development of indicators and outcomes that assess quality of life, community integration, and person-centered services. The project will help to address long-recognized gaps in assessing outcomes in long term services and supports (LTSS) service systems that go beyond measures of health and safety to address important social, community, and person-centered goals as well as quality of life.

Data for the project is gathered through yearly in-person consumer surveys administered by state agencies to a sample of at least 400 individuals, which includes older adults and adults with physical disabilities—including those with Acquired or Traumatic Brain Injury—accessing publicly-funded services through Medicaid (both HCBS waiver and state plan services as well as nursing facilities), state-funded programs, and older adults served by Older Americans Act programs. The survey measures consumer outcomes in the following domains: community participation, rights and respect, choice and decision making, health care, relationships, medications, satisfaction, safety and wellness, service and care coordination, everyday living and affordability, access, planning for the future, self-direction of care, control, and work/employment.

“Our members have been searching for a tool like this for a long time,” said Martha Roherty, ADvancing States Executive Director. “We commend them for taking the initiative to measure and improve the quality of life of seniors and adults with physical disabilities they serve across their LTSS system.

View the full report here.

ADvancing States and HSRI also launched a new website dedicated to the NCI-AD project. NCI-AD.org is a repository of information, reports and data about the NCI-AD project, and includes profiles of each participating state, overview materials and published reports. As state data is finalized, they will be published on the site as well.

View the full press release here.