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CMS Launches Webpage to Share Innovative State
Actions to Expand Medicaid Home and Community-based Services
CMS also approves earlier application for
Alabama’s section 1115 demonstration to improve access to home and
community-based services
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
launched a new “one-stop shop” for state Medicaid agencies and stakeholders
on Medicaid.gov to advance transparency and innovation for home and
community-based services. Home and community-based services allow people
enrolled in Medicaid to receive services and supports in a preferred
setting outside of an institution, such as in their own home. Through this
new webpage, state Medicaid agencies and stakeholders can access
information about states’ plans to enhance, expand, and strengthen home and
community-based services across the country using new Medicaid funding made
available by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP).
Additionally,
CMS is approving today a new Medicaid section 1115 demonstration in
Alabama, entitled the “Community Waiver Program,” to operate concurrently
with a home and community-based services 1915(c) waiver. This new
opportunity in the state’s Medicaid program will increase access to home
and community-based services, and allow the state to meet the needs of
additional individuals who prefer to get long-term care services and
supports in their home or community rather than an institutional setting.
“One-stop Shop” for Plans to Enhance,
Expand, & Strengthen Home and Community-based Services
To
encourage states to expand home and community-based services and strengthen
their programs, the Biden-Harris Administration implemented a funding
increase established by the ARP. The ARP provided states with a temporary
10 percentage point increase in federal Medicaid funding for certain
Medicaid home and community-based services from April 1, 2021 through March
31, 2022, if they meet certain requirements. As the COVID-19 pandemic
continues, the additional federal funding made available under the ARP
allows those enrolled in Medicaid who need long-term services and supports
to receive the assistance required to reside in the setting of their
choice.
“The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes the value and
dignity that come with access to home and community-based services,” said
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we can
support states working to expand access to home and community-based
services for Medicaid beneficiaries. With the launch of this new online
hub, we’re making it easy for states to exchange ideas on how best to care
for their residents.”
“The
ability to access health care at home or in the community is essential for
many low-income families, older adults, and individuals with disabilities
who rely on Medicaid services — especially during this unprecedented public
health emergency,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “Thanks
to the American Rescue Plan, CMS is providing state Medicaid agencies with
the tools and funding needed to expand this important care. We welcome the
opportunity to work with states to expand home and community-based services
to meet the needs of their communities.”
The announcement issued today reinforces CMS’s commitment to
assist states in response to the public health emergency. State
administrators and stakeholders are encouraged to visit Medicaid.gov to
view states’ programs and activities to identify innovative approaches that
can support home and community-based services and improve capacity building
and infrastructure in their area by drawing inspiration from other states.
For example, some states are delivering vaccines to people with
disabilities and older adults through mobile COVID-19 vaccination programs.
Other states are focusing on the potential of home and community-based
services to help people with Medicaid coverage receive care outside a
skilled nursing facility after a hospitalization, when aligned with the
beneficiary’s goals. Other activities may include expanding and
implementing new, community-based behavioral health crisis response
services, ensuring that a qualified provider with training quickly and
properly responds to mental health and substance use-related crisis
situations. Many states are also providing recruitment and retention
bonuses and increasing pay for direct support professionals, as well as
implementing new training programs and other strategies to strengthen the
direct support workforce. These actions allow Medicaid enrollees to receive
care in the comfort of their own home or in a preferred community setting.
To
view the home and community-based services webpage with states’ ARP section
9817 spending plans and narratives, letters issued to states on their
spending plans and narratives, and other important information related to
the implementation of ARP section 9817, please visit https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/home-community-based-services/guidance/strengthening-and-investing-home-and-community-based-services-for-medicaid-beneficiaries-american-rescue-plan-act-of-2021-section-9817-spending-plans-and-narratives/index.html.
For additional information on ARP funding for home and
community-based services, see the guidance that CMS issued to states via a State Medicaid Director Letter in May of
this year.
New Demonstration for Home and
Community-based Services in Alabama
The
Biden-Harris Administration is proud to help states that have long been at
work to advance home and community-based services. Separate from the new
website launched today, CMS has approved Alabama’s earlier application for
a section 1115 demonstration, entitled “Community Waiver Program.” The 1115
demonstration will operate concurrently with a home and community-based
services 1915(c) waiver in Alabama, a new opportunity in the state’s
Medicaid program to meet the needs of additional individuals who prefer to
get long-term care services and supports in their home or community rather
than an institutional setting. Together, Alabama’s 1115 demonstration and
1915(c) waiver will increase access to home and community-based services
for many Alabamans who are currently on a waiting list.
The state
will now be able to redesign its home and community-based services delivery
system to address concerns, such as long waiting lists, high use of
residential services and out-of-home placements, and low integrated
community employment rates among its residents. CMS will also provide the
authority needed for Alabama to create a new program that supports
individuals with intellectual disabilities who choose to work, live with
family, or live independently.
“It is important we find ways to collaborate to help Alabamians
in need, particularly those with intellectual disabilities. My
Administration is pleased to offer the Community Waiver Program, which
focuses on serving individuals with intellectual disabilities before they
are in crisis,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. “The partnership between
the Alabama Department of Mental Health and the Alabama Medicaid Agency
will help integrate these individuals in the community, giving them a
better chance to develop skills to work and live independently.”
To view Alabama’s section 1115 demonstration approval and the
new 1915(c) waiver, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/section-1115-demo/demonstration-and-waiver-list/101016.
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