Waiver templates

Medicaid officials in every state are enacting a variety of cost cutting measures as states’ spending is projected to increase 28.7% in FY2012 to make up for the loss of federal stimulus money. The survey finds cost containment actions ranging from restrictions on payments to providers & benefits, to new copayments for beneficiaries & additional efforts to contain the costs of prescription drugs. States are also trying to make their programs more efficient through a number of procedures.

 This is Alabama's application for a Self-Directed Personal Assistance Services State Plan, used to implement their Cash & Counseling project.

Launched on November 17, 2006, this website assists states in applying for their waiver. The site offers training materials, a migration protocol, a copy of the application, and a technical guide. Many questions can be answered in the FAQ section. The application can be downloaded as an html file in order to save your work. States can also allow CMS to view a draft before submitting a final copy.

As part of the Massachusetts Independence Plus grant, the workgroup recognized there was a certain amount of risk associated with individualized budgeting. They devised a “Incident Reporting” System that would document any incidents (such as fall, funding problems, injuries) that would compromise the health of an individual with disabilities being served under the program. The forms were created to assist a future Massachusetts IP waiver and have not yet been adopted

The Medicaid Home and Community-Based services waiver program is authorized in §1915(c) of the Social Security Act. The program permits a State to furnish an array of services that assist beneficiaries to live in the community and avoid institutionalization. CMS recognizes design and operation features of a waiver program will vary depending on the specific needs of the target population, the resources available, service delivery system structure, State goals and objectives, and other factors.

The Big Sky Bonanza (BSB) quality management strategy was included in the state's CMS waiver application and has recently been approved by CMS. The process will weave together quality assurance and quality improvement strategies using a three-tiered process. Tier I of the process is the individual/provider level. Tier II is the Regional level. Tier III is the State/Division level.

CMS has developed the final revised working draft of the 1915 (c) HCBS waiver application, Instructions and Technical Guide, Resource Documents, and the CMS Review Instrument. This is the version that CMS is currently automating for use as a web-based application available in Feb 2006. The new application was designed to solicit more complete information from states about the design of their waiver program to better determine whether a proposed waiver has the capacity to meet the requirements.

Draft Version 3.0 of the1915c Medicaid HCBS Waiver Application and the “Instructions, Technical Guide and Review Criteria.” are now available. These materials provide guidance for completing the application, background information on program requirements and assurances, an explanation of options available to states and review criteria. States interested in using the draft application prior to 1/’06 should notify your CMS Regional Office which will provide you with the most current -Version 3.2.

This document provides an overview of essential elements of a non-profit business plan for the ADRC. Sections II and III are written to serve as a template that can be easily adapted by each ADRC. This should only require filling in information in certain sections and modifying text to better fit your effort. Sections IV through VIII contain discussions and tools to complete each of these sections. They will require more effort and original writing to complete.

This is the Official CMS Template for 1915 (c)Waivers. This initiative expedites the ability of states to offer families with a member who requires long-term supports and services, or individuals who require long-term supports and services, greater opportunities to take charge of their own health and direct their own services. Families and individuals will exercise greater choice, control and responsibility for their services within cost neutral standards.