Cash and Counseling

This Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report of September 9, 2003, describes South Carolina's pilot program that allows Medicaid beneficiaries to receive coverage for at-home care.

Powerpoint presentation on New Hampshire Consumer Directed Services Program.

This 133 page detailed manual from the state of Florida is designed for consultants responsible for assisting consumers with their participation in the Cash and Counseling Demonstration. Covers outreach and enrollment, consumer training, etc.

99-page detailed notebook for consumers on consumer directed care. Includes roles and responsibilities, budgetting, hiring, et. Created for consumers in Florida, but applicable to all states.

This audio conference was organized specifically to meet the needs of grantees who expressed interest in finding out more about both the Cash and Counseling demonstrations and the Independence Plus Waivers.

Under 1115 Research and Demonstration waivers granted by HCFA, the CCDE program was implemented in three states: Arkansas, New Jersey, and Florida. Consumers are able to choose between traditional agency-delivered personal assistance services and their cash equivalent. Outcomes from the treatment and control groups are compared in areas such as client satisfaction, quality of care, costs, the types and amounts of personal assistance services received.

In this segment of PBS News Hour, an Arkansas program provides new options in health care for the disabled. Independent Choice is a Cash & Counseling program.

This article reports on Arkansas' telephone survey of consumers and surrogates. The survey focused on consumer satisfaction with current services and consumers’ and surrogates’ perceptions regarding the cash option. Survey data address how Arkansas can reach the most interested consumers and surrogates, what messages Arkansas should emphasize in its communications and marketing, and what issues should be explored further in postsurvey focus groups.

The IndependentChoices Website has been provided for both participants and those looking for information about the program. IndependentChoices is a special project in Arkansas that gives people the opportunity to direct thier own care at home, by providing a monthly allowance in place of "Personal Care Services."

Arkansas is part of a demonstration project to measure the impact of substituting a cash allowance for Medicaid services from provider agencies. This report describes how the participants were randomly assigned to two groups, one that received Medicaid personal care through a provider agency and one that received a monthly cash allowance and services to help them effectively use the allowance, and their respective outcomes.