1915(c) HCBS Waivers

KY Cabinet for Health and Family Services: Division of Community Alternatives COVID-19 provides information for 1915(c) HCBS Waivers.

Due to confusion over the process during the COVID-19 state of emergency, the Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL) is suspending all family member exemption (FME) reviews until the state of emergency ends. Please do not submit FMEs to DAIL for review unless otherwise notified. If you are currently waiting on a review submitted previously, DAIL is disregarding the request and you should follow the directions below.
Any immediate family member wishing to provide PDS services due to provider gaps or other issues related to COVID-19 may still be added to the participant’s plan by using the PDS Immediate Family Member Request Approval Letter. The process below is in effect until the state of emergency is lifted, for which at least 48-hours of advanced notice will be given.

• If an immediate family member wishes to provide services, please initiate all required pre-employment and background check paperwork and simultaneously have the individual begin working as soon as possible. Submit the required background checks and any pre-employment requirements that can be fulfilled. For requirements that cannot be fulfilled, please enter a case note indicating that due to COVID-19, it is not possible to complete that requirement (i.e. First Aid and CPR classes, TB Skin Tests.)
• If the background check information comes back with a result of substantiation or conviction of past abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or a violent felony (in accordance with regulation language), the individual must immediately cease working and another employee must be found. KARES is not currently performing fingerprinting. If you have someone who has previously resided out-of-state, you will need to have the state check completed that is equivalent for our Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) check in the state where they resided.
• Complete all other requirements as they are able to be completed.
• If this is to alleviate a situation due to COVID-19, there will be no need to submit an FME. If, after COVID-19 is resolved, the individual wishes to remain a PDS Employee, the FME process will then need to be completed.
• Submit the form letter below for Immediate Family Members who will be providing services temporarily during the emergency period and upload in the Medicaid Waiver Management Application (MWMA). You will continue to enter the relationship as Immediate Family Member and upload the form letter until the emergency is over.

Immediate Family Member Request Approval Letter
DAIL has already made a modification to the DAIL Monthly Report to track the added employees.  Please continue utilizing the modified report.
If you have questions about this process, please contact DAIL at (502) 564-6930.

For the 4-24-2020 Updated FAQ:

COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions for Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waivers

Here are a few things to know about the 4-7-2020 updated FAQ:

• • Questions have been re-arranged and grouped by topic. Some questions fall under multiple topics. We recommend reviewing questions via the “Contents” section to identify questions and answers of interest to you. Clicking on the question in the “Contents” section will take you to the answer in the FAQ.
  • Each question/answer includes the date it was added or revised. To help you more quickly identify new or updated questions/answers, we have highlighted the date field in yellow for newly added questions and green for revised ones.

• If you do not see the question you asked or a similar one, it may be included in a later version of this FAQ. DMS is continuously receiving questions and will update the FAQ in the near future.You can view all resources DMS has released regarding the 1915(c) HCBS waivers on the Division of Community Alternatives website. Available resources include the Waiver Updates Webinar presentation and recording. If you still have questions after reviewing the FAQ and other waiver-related COVID-19 guidance, please contact the 1915(c) Waiver Help Desk at 1915cWaiverHelpDesk@ky.gov or (844) 784-5614. DMS plans to hold at least one more live question and answer session for waiver stakeholders via Zoom very soon. We will send a notification as soon as it is scheduled.

We thank you, again, for your patience with us as we figure out how to keep these essential services going for the Kentuckians who need them while keeping everyone safe. We will get through this together!