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The federal agency responsible for overseeing how states administer entitlement programs like Medicaid approved Indiana‘s proposed waivers and waiver amendments related to its managed care transition and relevant home and community-based services.
Indiana will launch PathWays for Aging for Hoosiers 60 and older enrolled in Medicaid on July 1, as it phases out the waiver for the elderly and disabled. Hoosiers under age 60 served by that program will transition to the Health and Welfare waiver, which will be overseen by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
The traumatic brain injury exemption will also move from the FSSA Division of Aging to the Division of Disability and Rehabilitation Services.
To review approved waivers, scroll to the bottom of this FSSA Medicaid informational page.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the PathWays waiver for five years.
Tuesday’s additional approvals include changes to how the state pays for parental care of severely disabled children. Previously, parents could be paid an hourly wage for the care they provided to their children, but the lack of safety barriers meant some families claimed up to 120 hours a week.
After cutting the attendant care program to rectify a billion-dollar budget forecast error, families must now transition to Structured Family Care, which pays a per diem amount. A group of parents has sued the state in an attempt to stop the transition, but the federal judge has not yet issued a ruling.
A separate group flagged several concerns for Gov. Eric Holcomb and FSSA Leader Dan Rusyniak, including the three-tier system under Structured Family Care. Parents said the three tiers were not defined and accused the agency of reducing aides’ hours before the July 1 transition.
FSSA noted that other changes to the waiver include adjustments to structured family care to clarify qualified respite care and classification of levels of care, as well as allowing foster parents to access the program.
Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization covering state government, politics and elections.
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