Transcript Virginia’s Money Follows the Person Jason Rachel, Money Follows the Person Project Director, DMAS Governor’s Housing Conference November 19, 2009

Virginia’s Money Follows the Person
Jason Rachel, Money Follows the Person Project Director, DMAS
Governor’s Housing Conference
November 19, 2009
Overview: Money Follows the
Person Demonstration Project
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Four-year Medicaid Demonstration Project to assist
seniors and people with disabilities who currently live in
institutions to move to the community if they choose to
– Person-centered: Over 1,000 individuals in Virginia to move to the
community, each with an individual plan, supports they need, and
someone to work with them before and after they move
– Community-based: Partnerships among human services and
housing agencies (local government and private) are key
– State-planned and administered: Department of Medical
Assistance Services (DMAS) (Virginia’s Medicaid agency) working
with many other agencies, including state housing agencies
– Federally-sponsored: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) (federal Medicaid agency)
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Community Supports for
Individuals Who Transition
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Each individual will enroll in a Medicaid home
and community-based “waiver” or a Medicaid
program called “PACE”
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All Medicaid waivers and PACE pay for a variety
of services available to people enrolled, based
on their individual needs for each service
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Non-Medicaid services will also be available
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Housing for Individuals
Who Transition
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Each individual must move to a “qualified
residence” in the community
– Home owned or leased by the individual/family member
– Apartment leased by the individual/family member
– Setting in which no more than four unrelated individuals
reside
• Group homes (4 or fewer beds)
• Sponsored residential settings
• 4-bed Assisted Living Facilities
• Adult Foster Care
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New Medicaid Services Under
Money Follows the Person
• Transition Services
– Up-front household expenses when setting up a
household
– Being added to five waivers
– $5,000 lifetime maximum per person
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Transition Coordination
– 2 months before and 12 months after the individual
moves
– Added to Elderly or Disabled with Consumer Direction
Waiver
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Demonstration Services Under
Money Follows the Person
• Environmental Modifications
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Assistance with making modifications to homes and primary vehicles to
make them accessible
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Added to the Elderly or Disabled with Consumer-Direction and
AIDS/HIV Waivers
• Assistive Technology
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Devices that enhance one’s ability to function and communicate, such
as specialized toilets, braces, chairs, and computer hardware and
software
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Added to the Elderly or Disabled with Consumer-Direction and
AIDS/HIV Waivers
• 24-Hour Emergency Back-up Through 2-1-1 VIRGINIA for the first
12 months following transition to the community
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Non-Medicaid Services Under
Money Follows the Person
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Supplemental home modification funding if
amount needed exceeds Medicaid $5,000
maximum
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“Bridge rent” for up to 90 days after signing a
lease if needed for home modifications to be
completed before the individual moves
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Funding for each provided by the Virginia
Department of Housing and Community
Development
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Waiver Services That Help
People Find Community Housing
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Depending on the waiver, one of the following
providers is available to assist individuals
moving to the community from institutions:
– Case Managers (MR, DD and AIDs Waivers)
– Transition Coordinators (EDCD Waiver)
– Health Care Coordinators (TECH Waiver)
• These are the people who will be contacting
housing agencies when rental assistance is
needed
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More Information on MFP
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Operational Protocol (Project Manual) contains
extensive section and Appendices on housing:
– Transition services, environmental and supplemental
home modifications, and bridge rent
– Qualified residences
• Owning your own home
• Renting a home or apartment (including HUD subsidies)
• Living in adult foster care, assisted living facilities, sponsored
residential programs, and group homes
– Transportation information also included
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The Housing Challenges
• Lack of accessible housing stock
• Housing and human services plan in different systems
• Inability to afford housing
– People living in institutions often have no, or extremely low, income.
• Sole income of many will be SSI, currently $638 per month.
• Some gave up homes to receive services in institutions because they
could not access the services and supports they needed to stay in the
community.
• While some may obtain employment, they will not have sufficient income
at the time of transition to afford rent.
– Medicaid program cannot pay
– No state-funded programs exist
– Federal housing rental vouchers are scarce, and those available are
not dedicated to individuals transitioning
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MFP Annual Housing and
Transportation Action Plan
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STRATEGIES
1.
Increase the affordability and availability of
community housing for seniors and people with
disabilities
2.
Increase the availability of accessible transportation
for seniors and individuals with disabilities
3.
Recognize the importance of the link between
housing and transportation
4.
Focus on education, awareness, and partnership
building among housing and human service
agencies and the individuals they serve
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MFP Annual Housing and
Transportation Action Plan
• Each strategy has:
– A lead agency
– A timeline
• Strategies recommended by Task Force
have detailed work plans
• Office of Community Integration to track
results
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Increase Affordability and
Availability of Housing
• Develop a state-funded community living supplement
• Increase availability of sponsored residential and adult
foster care providers through marketing and provider
fairs
• Make the auxiliary grant portable for all populations
• Produce new housing units through QAP LIHTC and
non-LIHTC initiatives, and low-interest loan programs
– VHDA Housing Solutions Work Group
• Assess local housing capacity and assure that needs are
included in local planning
• Direct federal housing trust fund monies, when they
become available, to these populations
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Increase availability of
accessible transportation
• Disseminate information about transportation
providers that offer accessible vehicles, and
about new services available under the New
Freedom initiative
• Incentivize specialized transportation providers
to coordinate their services beyond geographic
boundaries
• Incentivize specialized transportation providers
to provide door through door transportation
• Develop a transportation voucher system
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Recognize importance of the
link between housing and
transportation
• Develop interactive housing and
transportation website
• Use the existing Transportation and
Housing Alliance Toolkit as a resource
• Create incentives to develop housing on
public transportation routes
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Educate the housing community;
awareness, and partnership
building
– Offer assistance in follow up to HUD and Governor’s letters to
PHAs
– Provide technical assistance to local housing offices, planning
authorities and HUD offices on understanding the needs of
persons transitioning, on www.accessva.org, and on laws that
govern housing services, options and choice Encourage use of
Virginia Easy Access.
– Distribute Rutgers Medicaid Services Primer at Governor’s
Housing Conference
– Encourage PHAs to list accessible housing units on
www.accessva.org
– Through speaking engagements, e-distribution list, HUD Lines
and tele-tutorials, educate housing-related groups, including:
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VAHCDO, PHAS, Housing Counselors
COSCDA
Housing Commission
Local planners and contract administrators
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Educate disability/aging
communities
– Orient individuals, advocates, local agencies to housing/transportation planning
– Disseminate Annual Action Plan
– Ensure input of disability/aging communities is considered in housing planning
activities; create a mechanism to track local changes in policy and relate ongoing
needs/solutions to statewide and national housing funding agents and authorities
– Develop HOME, CDBG, and HCV contact lists; disseminate to organizations to
encourage participation in needs statements and priorities for resource allocation
– Document changes in housing policy; work with the SILC to interface with multiple
policy makers/funding agents to foster and sustain increased housing options
– Assure that service agencies and advocates have information about housing agencies
and a description of the services they offer through:
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Virginia Easy Access
A housing resource bank on www.olmsteadva.com/mfp/
Dissemination of information on HUD-Assisted Apartments
Training of Transition Coordinators
Developing a Housing Primer for services agencies and advocates
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For Further Information
Visit the Money Follows the Person Website
http://www.olmsteadva.com/mfp/
E-mail [email protected]
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