News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 12, 2004 |
Contact: CMS Public Affairs
(202) 690-6145
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HHS Approves California Plan to Continue Program Allowing Elderly to Receive Self Directed Home Care
California to Receive $1.7 Billion Over Five Years for Program
Nearly 66,000 elderly California residents or people with
disabilities will continue their home and community-based services
allowing them to live at home rather than in an institution, as a
result of an approval of the largest Independence Plus Medicaid
waiver ever granted by President Bush and HHS Secretary Tommy G.
Thompson. The number of people who will continue to
receive service also includes those receiving services under the
state’s existing Medicaid plan.
The Independence Plus program, created by President Bush,
helps states to achieve the goals established in President
Bush’s New Freedom Initiative. The initiative is
intended “to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity
to live close to their families and friends, to live more
independently, to engage in productive employment and to promote
community life, and it a cornerstone of the President’s
commitment to helping Americans lead fuller, productive lives at
home.
The program, known in California as In-Home Supportive Services,
was threatened during the state’s budget debate, but the
approval saved the program, which gives power to participants to
direct their own personal care services rather than have their care
designed by a home health agency. Independent living is the
primary goal of the Independence Plus waiver program.
California will receive $1.7 billion over five years to keep the
program operating.
“Living at home is where most
Americans want to be as they grow older, even when their health
starts to fail. California’s program lets people to
stay in their own homes by giving them and their families the power
to decide how and what community-based services they need at home
to live the life they want,” Secretary Thompson said
“Today’s action shows the strong partnership between
HHS and California and how we can work together to address the need
of all Americans. We encourage and will support other states
in designing programs like California’s to help persons of
all ages with disabilities live fuller, more independent
lives.”
Consumers and their families will be involved in planning all
aspects of service delivery, including but not limited to the
hiring, direction and appraisal of service providers. A
“support broker” --sometimes a social worker -- and a
financial management service model will assist families and
individuals with the self-directed process including payroll tasks.
“Allowing persons with disabilities and their families to
engage in ‘self-direction’ is a high priority for the
Bush Administration and my agency,” said Mark B. McClellan,
M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees federal health
insurance programs.”
California joins five other states with Independence Plus programs:
New Hampshire, Louisiana, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. In
addition, the 2003 Real Choice Systems Change grants awarded grants
to 12 states to develop Independence Plus programs or build
infrastructure towards that end.
As former governors, President Bush and Secretary Thompson have
made it a priority to make it simpler for states to submit Medicaid
and State Children’s Health Insurance Program waiver requests
and to initiate new programs such as Independence Plus. Since
January 2001, HHS has approved waivers and plan amendments that
have given states the authority to expand eligibility to more than
two million people and enhance benefits for more than six million
people.
Additional information regarding federal support of self-direction
options can be obtained at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/independenceplus.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: August 12, 2004
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