Last week we shared with you that the Mississippi Division of Medicaid published a notice about the 2023 renewal of 1915c waiver programs and requested comments and recommendations on those renewals. Below are some essential points from that notice. (Italicized print is quoted directly from Medicaid.)
The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) Office of Long-Term Care is preparing to submit renewals for each of the 1915c waiver programs listed below. DOM is requesting your initial feedback in the renewal of these programs and is seeking input regarding recommended changes from all stakeholders prior to the submission of the renewal application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) slated for early 2023. DOM is requesting all comments and recommendations by January 15, 2023.
- The current Assisted Living Waiver is available for review at: https://medicaid.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/AL-Waiver-effective-100118.pdf
- The current Elderly and Disabled Waiver is available for review at: https://medicaid.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Elderly-Disabled-Waiver-approved-document.pdf
- The current Independent Living Waiver is available for review at: https://medicaid.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Independent-Living-Waiver-approved-document.pdf
- The current Traumatic Brain Injury/Spinal Cord Injury Waiver is available for review at: https://medicaid.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/TBI.SCI-Waiver-amendment-11.2.21-1.pdf
To provide recommendations or input regarding the upcoming renewal of the Home and Community Based Waivers, please contact:
Mississippi Division of Medicaid Office of Long Term Care
• Toll-free: 800-421-2408
• Phone: 601-359-6141
• Fax: 601-359-9521
• Email: LTSSPrograms@Medicaid.MS.Gov
• Mail: MS Division of Medicaid Office of Long Term Care Walter Sillers Building 550 High Street, Suite 1000 Jackson, MS 39201
While public input is always welcome, recommendations specific to the upcoming renewal is requested by January 15, 2023.
We also shared this information about the applications:
Each of the renewal applications is over 100 pages long. The applications include summaries of proposed changes at the beginning and information about past public comments and responses.
The traumatic brain injury/spinal cord injury waiver serves children and adults. The independent-living waiver serves people ages 16 and over. If you have a child with special health care needs, these waivers may apply to them. The elderly and disabled waiver and the assisted living waiver serve people 21 years and older. The Department of Medicaid did not include the waiver for people with intellectual disabilities in the current renewals.
If you are the person receiving these waivers or their family member, you have valuable information to share that no one else does. You know how well these waivers are working for the people they are intended to help. If you have a child who meets the qualification for these waivers, regardless of whether or not they are receiving waiver services, you know what your child needs. This information is helpful to Medicaid in addition to any feedback you have specific to the renewals.
These are the public comments Families as Allies submitted:
- Mississippi would benefit from a well-thought-out model of conflict-free case management developed with all stakeholders, including individuals receiving services, their families and the organizations that represent them, at the table. We urge consideration of such models as care management entities (and similar models for adults) before designating that a state agency provide case management/care coordination. State agencies providing care coordination could introduce potential conflicts of interest.
- We urge the Division of Medicaid to work with families and other stakeholders to identify and consider successful models in other states to pay family members, including spouses and parents, to provide care while still successfully managing risk.
- We recommend that all waiver applications provide for participant-direction opportunities. We note that “CMS urges states to afford all waiver participants the opportunity to direct their services. Participant direction of services includes the participant exercising decision-making authority over workers who provide services, a participant-managed budget or both.
