Kansas State Alzheimer’s Plan Overview
In May 2019, Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order No. 19-08, establishing the Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Task Force. The Task Force was responsible for assessing the impact of Alzheimer’s disease in Kansas, including the services and resources in place and needed to address the needs of people living with dementia and their caregivers. The Task Force was then tasked with a strategy to mobilize a state response to the Alzheimer’s public health crisis in Kansas. The members were divided into committees that studied, researched and documented: public awareness, access to care, family caregivers, training and workforce, safety and legal, research and data, dementia care, and rural. The Task Force met bi-monthly between the months of August and November of 2019 and in January 2020, published the 2020 Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Plan. An executive summary was also prepared.
Kansas 2025 Policy Priorities
Empower Long Term Care Ombudsman Staff with Dementia Training
Individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia often utilize long-term care services. The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman works with nursing home and assisted living residents to answer resident concerns and complaints. To ensure Ombudsman staff can effectively support people living with dementia, the Alzheimer’s Association is calling on the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman to include training focused on the needs and rights of long-term care residents living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia in the annual ombudsman training.
Establish Licensing Requirements for Memory Care Units
Individuals living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia make up a significant portion of those using long-term care services. They also have unique needs that often make care delivery and communication more challenging. Some assisted living facilities in Kansas offer memory care units for residents living with dementia. However, these units do not have additional licensing requirements that qualify them to deliver specialized care to these residents, causing Kansans in long-term care to pay more each month for services they may not be receiving. The Alzheimer’s Association is urging state lawmakers to support legislation creating a memory care licensing structure for assisted living facilities.
Medicaid Reimbursement for Care Planning and Cognitive Assessments
Early intervention can provide individuals living with dementia more time to plan for the future, adopt lifestyle changes, participate in clinical trials and live more fully with a higher quality of life for as long as possible. Medicare beneficiaries in Kansas have access to a billing code that covers cognitive assessments and care planning. However, individuals under 65 relying on Medicaid do not have access to this critical service. With current promising treatments only effective in the early stages of the disease, getting an early diagnosis is more important than ever. The Alzheimer’s Association is calling on state lawmakers to approve $40,000 in state funding for the Kansas Department for Health and Environment to add CPT Code 99483 to the state Medicaid plan.
Kansas State Advocacy Day
Join us at our annual State Advocacy Day in Topeka on Tuesday, February 4 to meet with elected officials, hear from outstanding speakers and connect with fellow advocates. This event gathers advocates from all across the state to raise our collective voices for our cause. Sign up for this free event in advance to secure your spot!
Sign Up to Learn About Advocacy Opportunities in Kansas
Find My Chapter
Together, we’re making an impact. Find an Alzheimer’s Association chapter in your community for more ways to engage.
54,500
people living with Alzheimer’s in Kansas
89,000
Kansans are providing unpaid care
$473 Million
Medicaid cost of caring for people living with Alzheimer’s (2020)
805
deaths from Alzheimer’s in 2021
18%
in hospice with a primary diagnosis of dementia
505.0%
increase of geriatricians in Kansas needed to meet the demand in 2050
Resources to Drive Change in Kansas
The following resources developed by AIM and the Alzheimer’s Association will help you learn more about the issues impacting people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers, how Kansas policymakers are addressing these gaps, and how you can help drive change.