By Regina Woodard for Assisted Living Directory
Louisiana – New Orleans, the French Quarter, Mardi Gras, and jazz. That can sometimes sum up the description of the 18th state of the union. Thanks to the popularity of New Orleans, Louisiana is the 25th most popular state and the 31st most extensive with over four million people living there. As of 2013, there over 600,000 seniors who are over the age of 65 (US Census – Fact Finder) and with so many, it’s important that these citizens and their families are able to find Medicaid waivers.
Under the Office of Aging and Adult Services – which is a subsection of the Department of Health and Hospitals for the state of Louisiana – has several different Medicaid waivers for those looking to receive some help; many of these waivers are part of the Home and Community Based services for those who are elderly or have disabilities, which help to assist individuals in remaining in their homes and in the community.
Return to, or visit Assisted Living Directory’s Louisiana facilities section.
PACE
PACE, or the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, coordinates and provides all the needed preventive, primary health, acute, and long term care services so that seniors can continue to live within the community. Members of PACE are transported to and from their location PACE center to receive services, while providers are responsible for all necessary care and services including those that are available through Medicare and Medicaid.
Once someone has enrolled in the PACE program, Medicare and/or Medicaid will no longer pay for other provider services.
Come of the services that you get with PACE include primary care, nutritional counseling, transportation, adult day health care, home health care, inpatient hospital care, assistive devices, medical supplies, and more. TO be eligible for PACE, individuals must be 55 years of age or older, live in a PACE service area, certified by the state of Louisiana for nursing facility care, and meet the requirements for Medicaid.
If at any time you or your loved one would like to disenroll from the PACE program, you can and return back to the regular benefits afforded by Medicare and/or Medicaid.
Learn more about PACE
Adult Day Health Care Waiver
The Adult Day Health Care waiver or ADHC is a waiver that can be used as an alternative to being placed within a nursing facility and do not need care 24 hours a day/7 days a week. An assessment will determine what services will be provided, with individual needs met through medical and nursing services, medication supervision and administration, social services, and more.
To be eligible for this waiver, individuals must meet the eligibility requirements for Medicaid, be 22 years or older, and meet nursing facility level of care. Income limits for 2015 are $2,199 for individuals and $4,398 for a couple, if both need long term care.
Learn more about ADHC Waiver
Long Term Personal Care Services
The Long Term Personal Care Services or LT-PCS, helps to provide help with daily living activities for those who qualify. Services included in this program are eating, bathing, walking or using a wheelchair, light housekeeping, shopping, medication reminders, and others.
To be eligible, individuals must be 21 years of age or older, meeting the level of care for a nursing facility, require some limited assistance with one or more daily living activities, and be able to direct their care independently or through a responsible representative.
Learn more about LT-PCS waiver sheet
Community Choices Waiver
This waiver helps to provide services in home and in the community to seniors and adults with disabilities. Services offered by this waiver include support coordination, transition intensive support coordination, personal assistance services, adult day health care, assistive devices and medical supplies, home meal delivery, and more.
To be eligible, individuals must meet the requirements for Medicaid, be 21 years old or older, and meet the level of care for nursing facilitation.
There are other programs and waivers for those in Louisiana, including the PSH and the NOW programs, which help to assist with rental housing and self-determination for those who are developmentally disabled. All of these waivers help to ensure individuals are able to remain in their homes and their communities should they choose to, thus avoiding the need to reside in a nursing facility.
As with any state’s Medicaid programs or waivers, it’s always best to make sure you contact the organization or department that runs them in order to learn more about them. For any of the services mentioned here, you can contact the Louisiana Options within the Long Term Care Hotline at 877.456.1146, Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm; this is a toll free call.
You can also visit the website for the Office of Aging and Adult Services here, or click on the links below to learn more about their programs.
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