Larson, SherylNeidorf, JonVegas, LauraBrown, Shasta2024-09-052024-09-052024https://hdl.handle.net/11299/265374This presentation will share perspectives on the impact of the 2014 HCBS Final Rule. First, we will discuss our findings from a series of focus groups conducted in the fall of 2022 with state IDD agency directors and staff and the staff of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) on the impact of the rule. UMN and NASDDDS staff will discuss focus group participants’ views on changing HCBS programs to address provisions of the rule, challenges associated with changes in the federal guidance, ways that the provisions of the rule were embedded into state policy, changes in service delivery, and challenges and opportunities of the COVID public health emergency. Then, a staff member from Washington, DC’s IDD agency will reflect on DC’s experiences coming into compliance with the final rule, including on how they navigated the public health emergency, and systematic changes instituted. Finally, a staff member from NASDDDS will discuss the impact of the final rule and COVID in a broader context of HCBS nationally currently and how it might impact future services.Presentation