The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kathy Greenlee, a strong proponent of home- and community-based services, as the next assistant secretary of aging in the Department of Health and Human Services.
Greenlee, who previously served as secretary of aging for the state of Kansas, advocates for more rebalancing of long-term care so more state Medicaid dollars are directed toward HCBS rather than to institutional care, such as nursing homes, according to AARP.org.
Greenlee served as secretary of aging for Kansas since 2006. Prior to that, she served as state long-term care ombudsman in the state. When she was secretary, her department in Kansas oversaw the State’s Older Americans Act programs, the distribution of Medicaid long-term care payments, and regulation of nursing home licensure and survey processes. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, former governor of Kansas, appointed Greenlee to head the state’s Department of Aging in 2006.
