Waiver

Overview

Section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act permits states to offer, under a waiver of statutory requirements, an array of home and community-based services (HCBS) that an individual needs to avoid institutionalization. Eligibility for all waiver programs requires the following:

  • The recipient would require institutionalization in the absence of the waiver or other home-based services.
  • The total Medicaid cost of serving the recipients on the waiver (waiver cost plus other Medicaid services) cannot exceed the total cost to Medicaid that would have been incurred for serving the recipients in an appropriate institutional setting had the waiver not been granted. (Note: Services to individual waiver recipients may cost more than the services in institutional settings. The total cost of the waiver programs or the average per capita cost of services to an individual cannot exceed the equivalent institutional level-of-care costs if waiver did not exist.)

HCBS Waivers in Indiana

Indiana administers five HCBS waivers and two demonstration grant waivers through the Indiana Family and Social Service Administration (FSSA) Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS), the Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA), and the Division of Aging (DA). HCBS waivers and demonstration grants are funded with state and federal dollars and are approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a specified time.

The following waivers, administered by the Division of Aging, assist individuals who meet nursing facility level of care:

  • Aged and Disabled (A&D) Waiver
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Waiver

The following waivers, administered by the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, assist individuals who meet intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) level of care:

  • Autism (AU) Waiver
  • Developmental Disabilities (DD) Waiver
  • Support Services (SS) Waiver

The following demonstration grant waivers help individuals transition from and/or avoid placement in institutional settings. Once the demonstration period is complete, and CMS authorizes the programs, these demonstration grants could transition to HCBS 1915(c) waivers:

  • Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Grant
  • Community Alternative to Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (CA-PRTF) Demonstration Grant

Within each HCBS waiver program, there are specific services that can be accessed to meet individual needs. These services are submitted by the recipient's case manager to the state agency for approval and are listed on the individual's Plan of Care (POC)/Notice of Action (NOA).

Enrolling as a Waiver Provider

Before enrolling as a Medicaid provider, a waiver provider must be certified by the FSSA Division that administers the waiver. Waiver providers can be certified to provide multiple waiver services. Please contact the appropriate division to learn how to become a certified waiver provider. After certification, the provider follows the enrollment process for the IHCP.

Note: A provider may qualify for a Medicaid provider number and a waiver provider number. When a provider is enrolled with Medicaid and waiver provider identification numbers, Medicaid services must be billed using the Medicaid provider number, and the waiver services must be billed using the waiver provider number.

More Information

For more information about HCBS waivers in Indiana, please see the HCBS Waiver Provider Manual.