Parent to Parent of New York State

http://parenttoparentnys.org/index.html

 Mission

The mission of Parent to Parent of New York State is to connect and support families of individuals with special needs.

This Mission is accomplished by: Matching parents of children with disabilities and children with special health care needs with volunteer support parents for emotional support. 
Recruiting and training support parent volunteers.
 
Providing educational resources, on a variety of disability related issues, to professionals, parent groups, organizations and the larger community.
 
Providing information and referrals to parents or guardians of persons with disabilities from birth to adulthood on community and statewide resources (i.e., educational advocacy, person centered planning, Medicaid Service Coordination).

 

Home and Community Based Waivers

HCBS Waivers provide services and supports to children and adults with long-term needs and their families to enable them to remain at home and in the community.  

Waiver services are designed for people who, but for these services, require the Level of Care provided in a long-term care facility.

Waiver services allow Medicaid to pay for some services not provided through “regular” Medicaid, such as case management, respite and home adaptations.

Under the HCBS Waivers, parental income and assets are not considered when determining the child’s eligibility for Medicaid. Only the child’s income and assets are counted.

Although the Medicaid funding obtained only applies to the child, it can be used to defray the costs of caring for the child at home.

Waiver funding is 50% Federal dollars and 50% State or in some cases partially funded by Counties.

NYS has several types of waivers that serve children with long-term care needs:

1.  Care at Home Waiver for Children with Developmental Disabilities

NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD)

Program Goal: To provide medical assistance to families with children living at home who have severe disabilities or medical conditions.

To be eligible a child must be under 18 years of age; have a developmental disability; demonstrate complex health care needs; be eligible for the level of care provided by an intermediate care facility; not be hospitalized; and be ineligible for Medicaid. Contact your local Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO), Care at Home Waiver Coordinator.

Website: www.omr.state.ny.us

2.  Care at Home Programs for Children with Physical Disabilities

NYS Department of Health (DOH)

Program Goal: To assist families in caring for their physically disabled children in the home setting. 

To be eligible a child must be under 18 years of age; be declared physically disabled according to standards in the Social Security Act; have been hospitalized or in a skilled nursing facility for 30 consecutive days; be able to be cared for at home safely, and at no greater cost than in the appropriate facility.

Contact your local County Department of Social Services, Care at Home Coordinator.

3.  Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waiver

NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD)

Program Goal:  To enable persons with developmental disabilities to obtain the supports and services needed to obtain his or her goals in life. A person’s independence and inclusion in the community are the primary concern in designing this package of supports and services.

To be eligible a person must have a documented developmental disability; have needs comparable to a person residing in an Intermediate Care Facility; be enrolled in Medicaid*; and live in either a Family Care home, their own, an Individual Residential Alternative, or a Community Residence.

*Children under the age of 18 may not have Medicaid upon application for enrollment in the waiver. The local Developmental Disabilities Services Office (DDSO) will provide guidance for how to apply.

Website: www.omr.state.ny.us

4. HCBS Waiver for Children and Adolescents with Serious Emotional Disabilities

Program Goal: To provide services and support children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families to enable them to remain at home and in the community. 

To be eligible a child must be under 18 years of age; have serious emotional disturbances; demonstrate complex health and mental health needs; require or be at imminent risk of needing psychiatric inpatient care; have service and support needs that cannot be met by one agency/system; have a consistent and viable living arrangement with family that is able and willing to participate in the waiver; and be eligible for Medicaid.

Contact the Bureau of Children and Families in the NYS Office of Mental Health at 518-474-8394.

 

 

5.  Traumatic Brain Injury Waiver (TBI)

To be eligible for this program a person must be diagnosed with TBI or a related condition; be eligible for nursing facility level of care, enrolled in Medicaid, and be between 18 and 64 years of age, and injured after the age of 18.

Contact the NYS Department of Health at:  www.health.state.ny.us