The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), MA chapter is pushing hard to raise the limits. See a portion of their letter below to state representatives explaining the benefits of more people qualifying for home care services.
Currently, a nursing home eligible senior or person with a disability can apply for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) and if they have income up to 300% of the federal benefit rate ($2,523), they receive HCBS services without a deductible. If that individual is over the income level, even by $1, they can still receive services at home but must spend down to $542/month as a deductible first. Because it is near impossible to live at home paying for the costs of living at home, including insurance, utilities, home repair, food and other aspects of daily life, many of these individuals make the difficult decision to leave their homes and communities to enter a nursing home which is more easily paid for by MassHealth. If the deductible were eliminated, community-based services would be far more accessible.
The sign-on letter urges MassHealth to apply to CMS to allow Massachusetts to change the income eligibility standards, according to the CMS guidance, to make home based services more financially accessible for nursing home eligible seniors and people with disabilities…
Call Senior Resource Center Inc. to see if you or a loved one would currently qualify or if you would qualify with the increased eligibility.
