Historical Perspective

Decades of Achievement

With almost four years into the new millennium, it is interesting to review some of ANCOR’s achievements over the past decade. At the beginning of the 90s, there were 489 member agencies plus a few Associate members. Today, ANCOR represents almost 700 agencies and Associates that, with the agencies served by state organizations that are members of ANCOR, together support more than 160,000 people with disabilities nationwide.

From NAPRR to ANCOR: The compelling vision statement approved by the Board of Directors in December 1992 led to a change of name for the association, the National Association of Private Residential Resources became the American Network of Community Options and Resources. This change also paved the way to open membership to agencies that focus on areas other than residential services, so that those providing employment, placement and other supports could enjoy the privileges of full membership.

National Accrediting Organizations: Since the 1970s, ANCOR has been very involved with national accrediting bodies. By the end of the 1990s, ANCOR was a member of the Council on Quality and Leadership In Supports for People with Disabilities, the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission (which still uses the acronym CARF) and the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children. ANCOR members serve on the boards of The Council and CARF, and we have a representative to the Council on Accreditation. We are involved in the development of standards with all of these groups.

Civil Rights: The decade began with passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark legislation for all people with disabilities. ANCOR joined other disability organizations and advocates in promoting passage of this enlightened federal policy.

Medicaid: A great deal of time over the past decade has revolved around health care reform and other issues affecting the Medicaid program. There is not space enough here to relate all of the areas pertaining to this topic in which ANCOR was extensively involved during the 1990s. With the help of other disability organizations, we strongly and successfully opposed the conversion of Medicaid to a block grant. We also had a major part in eliminating the requirement that people with disabilities had to have been institutionalized before they could receive Home and Community-based Services Waiver funding for vocational and employment services.

ANCOR has been invited to participate in a number Health Care Financing Administration advisory groups over the years. In the early 90s, the Active Treatment Workgroup explored the potential of developing a workable set of performance criteria for intermediate care facilities for people with mental retardation (ICFs/MR). ANCOR was designated to circulate a CMS (formerly HCFA) survey to providers and analyze results as part of a "Spotters" program designed to identify problems with the 1988 ICF/MR rules. More recently, ANCOR was selected as a national partner in an advisory group charged with developing and evaluating technical assistance and regulatory proposals on Medicaid manage care for people with disabilities. At the end of the decade, ANCOR was participating in three ongoing advisory groups pulled together by HCFA dealing with: abuse and neglect prevention, ICF/MR standards, and HCBS Waiver quality performance. In addition, ANCOR has been given one (sometimes two) seats for private providers at HCFA’s regularly scheduled ICF/MR surveyor training, both beginning and advanced.

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