Building More Equitable Home and Community-Based Systems Across the Country In March, we released two resources aimed at ensuring Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) are inclusive, equitable, and support the right of low-income older adults and people with disabilities to live in the setting of their choice. In the third paper of a four part series, California’s Assisted Living Waiver: An Equity Analysis, and an accompanying webinar, we describe the recently released equity framework for California’s HCBS programs and its five domains where inequities can arise; summarize how inequities arise in the Assisted Living Waiver; and put forward recommendations for state agencies, policymakers, and advocates on how to address inequities through the state’s current efforts to update the Assisted Living Waiver. We have already heard reports of agencies and community-based organizations using these resources to ensure their HCBS programs are equitable. A new issue brief, The HCBS Settings Rule—A Guide for New Jersey Advocates, provides an overview of the HCBS Settings Rule, which establishes minimum standards to ensure that people receiving HCBS live in settings that are truly non-institutional and equips New Jersey advocates with needed information to ensure compliance and equitable implementation of the rule. | 
