The South Carolina Department of Health and Human services (SCDHHS) will implement the Home Again program beginning on September 1, 2012. The Home Again Program is part of the nationwide initiative The Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program administered by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS has designed a Program that is aimed at helping people who have been in institutions for 90 days and wish to return to the community. However, at a minimum, the last day of care must be covered under Medicaid Sponsorship.
The Money Follows the Person demonstration was enacted into
law in 2006 by the Bush Administration. In 2007, 38 states applied for the
program and 31 states were awarded grants. 26 0f 29 states’ plans were approved
by CMS and 14 states started enrolling.
Although NC and SC were part of the Money Follows the Person
demonstration, both states did not start enrolling participants in 2007.
Based on the
participant’s need and level of care, they will be enrolled the Home Again
program and a home and community-based (HCBS) Medicaid Waiver, excluding the
Pervasive Development Disorder and the medically complex children’s waivers.
The enrollee will receive the services that Home Again offers and waiver
services for 365 days. At the end of this time period, the enrollee will
continue to receive the waivers and the services will end.
CMS has multiple programs directed at keeping participants
in their own home and community-based long term care services through the
assistance of a transition coordinator. The transition coordinator will help
optimize the participant’s safety and health and provide a mechanism for
managing access to home and community-based alternatives to institutional care.
This program’s long term goals are to rebalance the state’s
long term care and create more home and community-based services, increase the
use of HCBS and reduce the use of institutionally based services and eliminate
barriers that restrict use of Medicaid funds, so individuals receive support
for long supports and services (LTSS) in the setting of their choice. The
program also hopes to increase the ability of states to continue to provide
HCBS to individuals who chose to transition from institutions to the community.
HCBS’s target
populations are Adults who receive Medicaid and have either aged or are living
with disabilities residing in skilled nursing facilities. They will also
provide services to adults with intellectual disabilities residing in Intermediate
care facilities for intellectual disability and children with severe emotional
disturbances residing in Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities.
Home again services will vary based on a participant’s plan
of care. These services will be labeled pilot/demonstration services and are
being tested for possible inclusion in the waivers. The first two available
services will be transition coordinator and expanded goods and services. The
remaining services such as community living, guided care nurse services,
service animals, crisis intervention, wireless sensors, expanded employment
services and expanded assistive devices will be implemented over a several
month period.
For more information on the South Carolina Home
Again Program please visit their website. 
