KDADS files Medicaid waiver proposal

The state’s Medicaid waivers define which home
and community-based services are available for
frail elders, people with disabilities and
people with traumatic brain injuries. 

State officials have proposed several changes in the Medicaid waivers that define the state’s approach to helping frail elders and people with disabilities live in community-based settings rather than in nursing homes. 

The proposed changes, now posted on the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services website, were filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Dec. 31. CMS is expected to respond to the proposal within 90 days. 

Tom Laing is executive director at Interhab, told KHI News that InterHab's members were pleased that KDADS softened language that could have caused some consumers to lose access to the case managers they use to navigate the system. 

“We are pretty cautiously optimistic about the effort the state is making,” Laing said. “They’ve indicated that they are requesting some additional technical advice from CMS. We’ve expressed our desire to be a part of that discussion, and we think they are interested in receiving that feedback from us.” 

KDADS, Laing said, did a “good job” in gathering and responding to providers’ concerns before filing its final proposal.

Read the entire KHI News article HERE.