Background While cross-sectional data have been invaluable for describing national trends in disability over time, we know comparatively little, at a population level, about the long term experiences of persons living with a disability over the adult life course. Objective In this paper we use nationally representative data from the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics to describe the life course health and socioeconomic profiles of Americans who are aging with a work-limiting disability. Methods Data come from a cohort of adults age 20-34 in 1979, who were followed annually for 30 years to 2009 (to age 50-64). Disability is defined according to repeated measures of work limitations in prime working years. Using growth curve models we describe the life course profile of these Americans aging with work-limiting disability with respect to health, educational attainment, family formation, economic fortunes, and occupational history, and compare them to those who have not experienced repeated work-limiting disability in adulthood. Results Persons with persistent work-limiting disability prior to age 50 experienced lower rates of employment and lower household incomes over adulthood in comparison to those aging without a work-limiting disability. Additionally, in the mid-life period, adults with work-limiting disabilities were more likely to practice poor health behaviors (reflected by smoking, obesity, and sedentary activity) and to experience restrictions in functional independence than those without a work-limiting disability. Conclusions Our findings suggest that there are critical risk factors that make adults aging with work-limiting disability more vulnerable with respect to their health and independence as they age, suggesting avenues for intervention that may equalize the health and independence of Americans aging with and aging into disability in the years ahead.

application/pdf; "January 27, 2015."; Testimony before the Kansas Legislature, House Health and Human Services Committee, by Lea Taylor, Assistant Secretary, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Testimony in support of HB 2043,which "adds the Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services into the definition of "Secretary" in the statute in order to give authority to complete background checks.

"February 28, 2018."; Presentation before the Kansas Legislature, Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, by KanCare, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Presentation describing the individual and shared duties of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and the Kansas Department for Children and Families in the administration of the KanCare Program

application/pdf; "February 2, 2016."; Presentation before the Kansas Legislature, House Health and Human Services Committee, presented by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Presentation giving an overview of the history and status of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program, the Legislative Division of Post Audit's recommendations for ensuring the safety and well-being of program staff and offenders, and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services' itemized response to LPA recommendations

application/pdf; "January 29, 2018."; Presentation before the Kansas Legislature, House Health and Human Services Committee, by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.; This same presentation was given before the Kansas Legislature, House Social Services Budget Committee, by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, on January 29, 2018.Presentation giving an overview of the status of current Surveyor positions, the quality, certification, and administration of long-term care facilities in Kansas, the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program, new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policies and their impacts on Kansas, statistics on average nursing facility rates, and information about KDADS' review of the CARE Assessment program

BACKGROUND Persons aging with mobility disability (PAwMD) experience transportation barriers, which can hinder their ability to fully participate in society. Despite a vast infrastructure of federal laws and programs designed to ensure access to transportation, PAwMD remain a transportation-disadvantaged population. OBJECTIVES This paper presents detailed insights on transportation challenges experienced by PAwMD along with recent Federal programmatic initiatives designed to enhance access and mobility for transportation for older adults and people with disabilities. To identify policy gaps and opportunities to improve transportation services, we compared individual-level challenges from PAwMD to national survey data about barriers associated with delivering transportation services at state and local levels. METHODS To assess individual-level transportation challenges, we conducted in-depth, structured interviews with sixty older adult participants with self-identified mobility disabilities for at least 10 years. We also conducted a content analysis of end-user transportation challenges and agency-level transportation coordination barriers to identify correspondences. RESULTS Participants reported challenges utilizing public and private modes of transportation, related to availability; accessibility; safety; advanced planning; as well as societal attitudes. Barriers to the availability, delivery, and coordination of access and mobility services are linked directly or indirectly to the PAwMD reports of experiencing a shortage of accessible transportation options. CONCLUSIONS Findings highlight the complexity of federal transportation policies and programmatic initiatives designed to support older adults and people with disabilities, which contribute to implementation barriers and transportation challenges. Results highlight the importance of integrating end-user and state and local provider input into transportation policy development and program implementation.

application/pdf; "March 15, 2016."; Testimony before the Kansas Legislature, House Social Services Budget Committee, presented by Doug Wallace, KDADS Behavioral Health Services Commission, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services."Testimony on the Adult Continuum of Care (ACC) Committee, which was convened last year at the request of the Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). A diverse group of stakeholders, some of whom you'll hear from today, was assembled to review the current behavioral health system and to make recommendations to improve the system. Specifically, the ACC Committee was charged with developing recommendations that could be implemented by the KDADS Secretary in a relatively short timeframe, within existing authorities.&quot

The population worldwide is ageing. In the USA, the large baby-boom cohorts born 1946–64 are now reaching the ages at which risks of disability and use of long-term services and supports are substantial. There is also growing recognition that daily life for older adults depends not only on their physical, cognitive and sensory reserves but also the environments in which they live. The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) was initiated by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA) in 2008 to guide efforts to reduce disability, maximize health and independent functioning and enhance quality of life at older ages. The panel study is designed to answer new questions about how population-level disability trends change and how individual-level dynamics in late-life functioning unfold as the U.S. population ages. Additionally, the study facilitates investigation of differences in trends and trajectories for various at-risk subgroups and deeper understanding of the consequences of disability from age 65 through to the end of life. NHATS conducts annual in-home interviews with over 8000 older adults living in the USA. For individuals who die, an interview about the last month of life (LML) is conducted with a knowledgeable informant. NHATS also generates the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC) sample, which characterizes caregiving experiences of family and unpaid caregivers of NHATS participants. NHATS is funded through a cooperative agreement with NIA. The study has been led by faculty from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, with scientific input from a multidisciplinary group of co-investigators and two advisory groups. Westat, a research firm with expertise in data collection and management, conducts the fieldwork.

application/pdf; "February 5, 2015."; Testimony before the Kansas Legislature, House Health and Human Services Committee, by Lea Taylor, Assistant Secretary, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Testimony in support of HB 2119, "which would facilitate the return of licensed mental health technicians to state hospitals and other treatment settings.

"OSH Improvements 1/29/16, updated 4/13/16."; Date and committee name taken from Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services website.; Information presented to the Kansas Legislature, 2016 Special Committee on Larned and Osawatomie State Hospitals, by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Information concerning improvements made in nursing & medical services, hospital leadership, behavioral health, hospital environment, hospital security, and pharmacy management

"January 10, 2023." Presentation before the Kansas Legislature, Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee, presented by Andy Brown, Commissioner, Behavioral Health Services, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Presentation reporting on the Behavioral Health Services Commission. "The Behavioral Health Services Commission manages behavioral health services in Kansas, working with the 26 Community M ental H ealth C enters (CMHC) which are transitioning to Certified C ommunity B ehavioral H ealth C linics (CCBHC) across the state. In addition to mental health services, it oversees substance use disorder treatment and prevention programs, problem gambling services, community integration, suicide prevention and crisis services for the State of Kansas, including targeted workforce development initiatives. T he commission also works in close collaboration with the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council.

As population aging intensifies, it becomes increasingly important to elucidate the casual relationship between aging and changes in population health. Therefore, our study proposed to develop a systematic attribution framework to comprehensively evaluate the health impacts of population aging. We used health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) to measure quality of life and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) to quantify the burden of disease for the population of Guangzhou. The HALE and DALY projections were generated using both the Bayesian age-period-cohort models and the population prediction models. Changes in HALE and DALY between 2010–2020 and 2020–2030 were decomposed to isolate the effects of population aging. Three scenarios were analyzed to examine the relative relationship between disease burden and population aging. In Scenarios 1 and 2, the disease burden rates in 2030 were assumed to either remain at 2020 levels or follow historical trends. In Scenario 3, it was assumed that the absolute numbers of years of life lost (YLL) and years lived with disability (YLD) in 2030 would remain unchanged from the 2020 levels. Between 2010 and 2020, 56.24% [69.73%] of the increase in male [female, values in brackets] HALE was attributable to the mortality effects in the population aged 60 and over, while − 3.74% [− 9.29%] was attributable to the disability effects. The increase in DALY caused by changes in age structure accounted for 72.01% [46.68%] of the total increase in DALY. From 2020 to 2030, 61.43% [69.05%] of the increase in HALE is projected to result from the mortality effects in the population aged 60 and over, while − 3.88% [4.73%] will be attributable to the disability effects. The increase in DALY due to changes in age structure is expected to account for 102.93% [100.99%] of the total increase in DALY. In Scenario 1, YLL are projected to increase by 45.0% [54.7%], and YLD by 31.8% [33.8%], compared to 2020. In Scenario 2, YLL in 2030 is expected to decrease by − 2.9% [− 1.3%], while YLD will increase by 12.7% [14.7%] compared to 2020. In Scenario 3, the expected YLL rates and YLD rates in 2030 would need to be reduced by 15.3% [15.4%] and 15.4% [15.6%], respectively, compared to 2020. The disability effects among the elderly population hinder improvements in quality of life, while changes in age structure are the primary driver of disease burden accumulation. To mitigate the excess disease burden caused by population aging, it is essential to achieve a reduction of more than 15% in the disease burden by 2030 compared to 2020. Our proposed attribution framework evaluates the health impacts of population aging across two dimensions: quality of life and disease burden. This framework enables comparisons of these effects over time and across different regions.

"January 13, 2026." Presentation before the Kansas Legislature, Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee, presented by Laura Howard, Secretary, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. This same presentation was given before the Kansas Legislature, House Health & Human Services Committee, by Laura Howard, Secretary, Department of for Aging and Disability Services, on January 21, 2026.Presentation giving an overview of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, listing Major Program Areas, Reports to the 2026 Legislature, and discussing Accomplishments and Priorities for Aging Services, Behavioral Health Services, funding and aspirations for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, Long Term Services & Supports, the Direct Service Worker Career Ladder Project, Direct Care Workforce State Peer Learning Collaborative, and Kansas Employment First Training and Technical Assistance Center, IDD Modernization and the Community Support Waiver, State Hospitals, South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital, Survey, Certification & Credentialing, and specific 2026 Priorities such as the Rural Health Transformation Program, Budget Items, and Legislative Agenda

Objective: The present study compared indicators of impaired health and disability between older adults in same-sex cohabiting relationships and their peers in opposite-sex cohabiting relationships. Method: Data were obtained on men (n = 698) and women (n = 630) aged 50 years and older and in self-reported same-sex relationships from the National Health Interview Survey. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to estimate differences in physical health, mental health, and disability status. Results: Compared with their peers in married opposite-sex relationships, older men in same-sex relationships exhibited greater odds of psychological distress, and older women in same-sex relationships experienced elevated odds of poor/fair health, needing help with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, functional limitations, and psychological distress. Discussion: This study adds to the limited information on health and disability among older lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults. As this population grows, gerontologists must develop a better understanding of the unique issues and challenges facing them and their families.

Objective: This article addresses how stable functional disability statuses and disability transitions are related to change in depressive symptoms in the elderly. Method: The authors estimate longitudinal residual change models using two waves of data, 1986 and 1992, from the National Institute of Aging Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly, Duke University. Results: Both stable disability statuses and transitions in disability statuses are significantly related to change in depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale [CES D]). Stable disability statuses in strength and mobility, instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) items and activities of daily living (ADL) items have increasing effects on increment in CES-D scores by the follow-up. The onset of disability has stronger effects on change in CES-D scores than recovery. These effects also differ by types of transitions in disability statuses. Discussion: The authors discuss alternative interpretations of the findings and methodological concerns and also suggest avenues for future research.

application/pdf; "January 30, 2018."; Testimony before the Kansas Legislature, House Health and Human Services Committee, presented by Brenda Dreher, Director, Health Occupations Credentialing, Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.Testimony in support of HB 2501, "which amends existing statutes K.S.A. 39-936 and 39-979; K.S.A. 65-3503, K.S.A. 65-5913 and K.S.A. 65-6512 and creates a Health Occupations Credentialing Fee Fund. Fees from the credentialing of particular health care workers will be dedicated to the costs of administering these programs.