OHIO TO EXPAND HOME-BASED SERVICES TO PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES
COLUMBUS (December 6, 2002) - Governor Bob Taft today announced that Ohio has
received approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand
in-home services under the Medicaid Home and Community-based waiver program.
The federal agency approved Ohio's new Level One Waiver to allow an additional
6,000 people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities to receive
in-home care. This is the administration's fourth increase in waivers for people
with disabilities since January 2000.
"More families can now receive the assistance they need to help keep a
loved one at home rather than in a long-term care facility," said Taft.
"We are committed to strengthening families by providing them with more
options. This new waiver gives them that flexibility."
The Home and Community-based waiver program allows states to use Medicaid funding to cover services for individuals living in the community that are not ordinarily covered by Medicaid. Ohio developed the Level One Waiver as part of a redesign of its Medicaid program to improve care options for people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. Many of the in-home supports covered under waivers are presently only available in an institutionalized setting.
Enrollment in the program is expected to begin in mid-February. After development and approval of the administrative rules, the 6,000 slots would be implemented over the next three years. Up to 3,000 individuals could be enrolled in the waiver the first year; up to 2,000 would be eligible in year two; and the remaining 1,000 slots would open up in year three.
"This new waiver is a measure of the state's commitment to serve all people with disabilities," said Kenneth W. Ritchey, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. "This expansion meets the new vision outlined by Governor Taft two years ago in the Ohio Access for People With Disabilities report and the department's mission of helping people live the lives they choose."
The waiver covers services such as homemaker/personal care, transportation,
respite care, supported employment, specialized medical equipment and supplies,
emergency response systems, environmental modifications, accessibility adaptations
and emergency assistance.
# # #
Contact: Joe Andrews, Governor's Office, at (614) 644-0957; or
Robert Jennings, MR/DD, at (614) 466-6896.