National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative

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Mission Statement

The mission of the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC) is to provide cross-disability information and support to Navigators and other enrollment specialists thereby ensuring people with disabilities receive accurate information when selecting and enrolling in insurance through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces.

NDNRC Overview

AAHD Launches ACA National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC)

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) www.aahd.us is pleased to announce the establishment of an Affordable Care Act (ACA) National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC). The 12 month collaborative is made possible by a one-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.rwjf.org. The NDNRC website will be launched on Dec. 1, 2013. The URL for the project website is www.nationaldisabilitynavigator.org

The purpose of the project is to assist the development of cross-disability competence in ACA CMS funded navigator programs and consider how to assist state-based navigators, connectors and assisters. An estimated 3.5 million people between the ages of 16 and 65 with pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities are currently uninsured. Persons with disabilities lacking current health insurance face at least the following options as key elements of the Affordable Care Act go into effect in January 2014: Medicaid in their state, possible Medicaid buy-in in their state, possible Medicaid expansion in their state, and Exchange-Marketplace insurance coverage.

The Collaborative will supplement federal agency communications to ensure consistency and accuracy of message. The project will share project work with, and seek ACA enrollment experience from the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Task Force on Health.

The project will develop disability-content materials, including a technical assistance guide; a dedicated website with URL that will include all materials as well as state-specific information, resources, and experiences; provide on-going TA to navigators via typical TA methods (e.g. webinars, topic-specific fact sheets, short issue briefs, newsletters, list serves); and will discuss the feasibility of providing “hands-on” technical assistance to navigators and/or their host organizations.

AAHD Public Policy Director, Dr. E. Clarke Ross, will serve as Project Coordinator. AAHD Executive Director, Roberta Carlin, MS, JD, will serve as Project Director. Karl Cooper, Esq., (kcooper@aahd.us) will serve as Project Associate and is the primary contact person for the project. All materials will be researched, authored, and prepared by the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund (DREDF).

A key strategy of this Collaborative is the National Partner Advisory Board: Seven national disability organizations, representing a cross-disability experience; will provide disability-specific content into all materials; will review all final draft materials to ensure disability content is accurate and appropriate; will help the project decide the scope, content, and techniques for providing more individualized technical assistance to navigators-connectors-assisters; and will encourage linkage between their state and local affiliates and navigators-connectors-assisters. The heart and soul of the project is the Collaborative. The partners are:

Please visit www.aahd.us to learn more about AAHD, and www.aahd.us/initiatives/initiativesrwj_ndnrc to learn more about the National Disability Navigator Resource Collaborative (NDNRC).

To receive electronic updates about the NDNRC, please contact Karl Cooper at Kcooper@aahd.us