CMS Approves Community HealthChoices Waiver Renewal

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) Community HealthChoices (CHC) Waiver renewal. The renewal will be effective on January 1, 2025.

The current approved CHC Waiver document is available here. Additional information about the CHC Waiver is located here.

Changes in the approved renewal include:

1. Amend the following service definitions:
   1. Benefits Counseling
   2. Employment Skills Development Home Adaptations
   3. Telecare
2. Add teleservices to the following services (details regarding teleservices can be found within each service definition as well as in the Main Module):
   1. Cognitive Rehabilitation
   2. Counseling Services
   3. Nutritional Consultation
3. Add Chore Services as a new waiver service.
4. Add language to reinforce that if a participant’s rights in a setting need to be modified due to an assessed need, it must be documented in the Person-Centered Service Plan (PCSP), and if a provider creates a treatment or service plan, that plan must be incorporated into the PCSP.
5. Remove references to the Organized Health Care Delivery System (OHCDS) and the Participant Review Tool.
6. Reduce timeframes for developing and implementing Person-Centered Service Plans from 30 days to 15 business days.
7. Reduce the years of experience needed for Structured Day Habilitation Support Staff from five years to two years.
8. Update Appendix C-5 to include information about the Home and Community-Based Settings Rule.
9. Update Appendix E: Participant Direction of Services that Service Coordinators are responsible to inform the participant of the availability of the direct care worker referral and matching system.
10. Update Appendix G: Participant Safeguards to the current process.
11. Update the Quality Strategy to current process.
12. Modify language throughout for better readability.

Questions about the 2025 CHC renewal can be submitted electronically.