New Choices Waiver
The current New Choices Waiver will expire on 6/30/2015. In order to continue the program, the Utah Department of Health will be submitting a waiver renewal application to CMS.
The draft Implementation Plan is available for review on this site: New Choices Waiver Renewal. Public comments will be accepted through March 15, 2015 in any of the following ways:
- DOH Website: http://health.utah.gov/ltc/publiccomment.html
- Mail: Utah Department of Health
Division of Medicaid & Health Financing
Attn: New Choices Waiver Comments
PO BOX 143112
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-3112 - Fax: 801-323-1588
Purpose
This waiver is designed to serve people who meet nursing facility levelof care and who have been residing long term in a nursing facility or assisted living facility. The program provides supportive services to enable individuals to live in their own homes or in other community based settings.
Eligibility Requirements
- Must be at least 18 years old;
- The primary condition must not be attributable to a mental illness;
- The individual does not meet ‘Intensive Skilled’ level of care criteria; and
- The individual does not meet level of care criteria for admission to an intermediate care facility for people with intellectual disability (ICF/ID)
In addition, eligible individuals must be:
- Receiving Medicaid reimbursed nursing facility care on an extended stay basis of 90 days or more; or
- Currently receiving Medicare reimbursed care in a licensed Utah medical institution (that is not an Institution for Mental Disease), on an extended stay of at least 30 days, and will discharge to a Medicaid certified nursing facility for an extended stay of at least 60 days; or
- Receiving Medicaid reimbursed services through another of Utah’s 1915(c) waivers and have been identified as in need of immediate or impending nursing facility care.
- Residing in a licensed assisted living facility on an extended stay bases of 180 days or more.
Limitations
- Serves a limited number of individuals (1400)
- Individuals can use only those services they are assessed as needing.
Waiver Services
- Adult Day Care
- Adult Residential Services
- Assistive Technology Devices
- Attendant Care
- Caregiver Training
- Case Management
- Chore Services
- Consumer Preparation Services
- Emergency Response Systems
- Environmental Accessibility Adaptations
- Financial Management Services
- Habilitation Services
- Home Delivered Meals
- Homemaker Services
- Community Transition Services
- Medication Assistance Services
- Non-medical Transportation
- Personal Budget Assistance
- Respite Care
- Specialized Medical Equipment
- Supportive Maintenance