Notice of Intent to Submit Amendments to the Comprehensive Supports Medicaid Waiver, Individual and Family Support Medicaid Waiver, and Employment and Day Supports Medicaid Waiver
In accordance with the provisions of section 17b-8 of the Connecticut General Statutes, notice is hereby given that the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services (“DSS” or the “Department”) intends to submit various amendments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) related to the following 1915(c) home and community-based services waivers operated by the Department of Developmental Services (DDS):
• Comprehensive Supports Medicaid waiver
• Individual and Family Support Medicaid waiver
• Employment and Day Supports Medicaid waiver
The intent of these amendments is to transfer the temporary authority of already approved Appendix K provisions to the permanent authorities under the aforementioned Medicaid waivers. All provisions were previously approved by the Connecticut General Assembly and pending approval by CMS.
Appendix K provisions are temporary and expire six months following the expiration of the federal public health emergency related to the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, November 2023.
The provisions must be amended into the permanent Medicaid waivers to ensure the ability to execute section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) throughout the ARPA period until March 2025.
A summary of the provisions include the following:
- Stabilization payments for qualified provider types;
- Payments for qualified provider types to modernize billing processes and systems;
- Incentive-based outcome payments to any qualified day provider covered under the specific waivers that submits a transition plan that is approved by DDS;
- Incentive-based outcome payments to any qualified residential or day provider covered under the specific waivers that transitions a waiver participant from a congregate residential setting toward a more integrated community-based setting or a waiver participant from a congregate day setting toward a more community-based employment setting, as identified in the approved transition plan;
- Incentive-based outcome payments to any qualified residential or day provider covered under the specific waivers that completes one of the objectives listed in the application, as part of the approved transition plan to the satisfaction of DDS;
- An incentive payment for any DDS qualified provider that completes the National Core Indicator IDD State of the Workforce Survey;
- An incentive payment for any DDS qualified provider for each job coach or job developer that completes training expectations consistent with professional standards from accepted accreditation or certification entities such as the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE), or other similarly recognized organizations;
- An incentive payment for any DDS qualified provider that has one or more of their staff complete training certification expectations consistent with Technology First SHIFT LLC, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) Assistive Technology professional, or other similarly recognized organizations that focus on utilization of assistive technology;
- Temporary enhanced rate/rate increases for specific employment and residential waiver service authorizations covered under the specific waivers.
For a copy of the full waiver Application for the amendment of the Comprehensive Supports Waiver, please follow this link. COMP Waiver amendment draft 6-12-23
For a copy of the full waiver Application for the amendment of the Individual and Family Support Waiver, please follow this link. IFS Waiver amendment draft 6-12-23
For a copy of the full waiver Application for the amendment of the Employment and Day Supports Waiver, please follow this link. EDS WAIVER amendment draft 6-12-23
All written comments regarding these applications must be submitted by July 13, 2023 to: Krista Ostaszewski, Health Management Administrator, DDS Central Office, 460 Capitol Avenue Hartford, Connecticut, 06106, or via email at Krista.Ostaszewski@ct.gov.
