Family & Social Services Administration
Response to Indiana Division of Aging Update
Subject: Home and Community-Based Services Modernization
The Indiana Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (“INNAELA”) supports the Indiana Division of Aging in its efforts to move funds to support the Indiana plan to age in place. We favor the shift of funds to home and community-based waiver programs so that more Hoosiers are able to receive care at home instead of in institutions.
We particularly believe enhanced Consumer Directed Attendant Care Services (“CDAC”) need to be promoted in Indiana. We understand only about 400 Hoosier families benefit from such services at present. We understand more than 850,000 families benefit from these services each year in the United States.
Current waiver recipients in Indiana receive most of their care at home through authorized home health care agencies. While these providers are dedicated in their care efforts, there are many recipients that would prefer to hire friends, neighbors, and family to perform these same services at less cost. This means the care recipients could get more hours of care each week at the same cost to the State. Other benefits include:
- Family, neighbors, and friends are not strangers. Many care recipients suffer from dementia; they find it difficult to allow strangers in their home to provide services.
- The same person shows up to provide services. Agencies send whoever is available.
- Family, neighbors and friends are more likely to show up every day to help care for their loved ones.
- The Public Partnership, LLC helps train the caregivers to meet the needs of the care recipient.
We believe that the growth of the CDAC program is the fastest way for the State of Indiana to meet its goal of moving to 50% individual care and 50% institutional care by the year 2020.
INNAELA also supports growth of the assisted living waiver program in Indiana. We encourage the Division of Aging to publish a monthly update of authorized assisted living waiver providers in Indiana, including information about which providers have beds available for participation in the program.
We encourage the Division of Aging to seek relaxation of the assisted living presumed institutional rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Our clients would much rather be in assisted living than the nursing home, even if they have an admission agreement instead of a lease.
INNAELA is willing to partner with FSSA and the Division of Aging to develop guidelines for expanding these programs in Indiana.
Respectfully Submitted,
Keith P. Huffman, INNAELA