The Adult Day Health Care Council (ADHCC) is urging nursing homes currently reopening their adult day health care (ADHC) programs, or considering doing so soon, to reach out to Meg Everett, Executive Director, to inform ADHCC of the status of their programs.

As nursing home members may know, the Department of Health (DOH) will be announcing to ADHC programs soon the availability of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (eFMAP) monies for all open or actively reopening ADHC programs. This funding will be in the form of non-competitive directed payments. DOH has yet to announce the funding opportunity or the parameters for spending, but in late 2022 stated that the opportunity would likely be posted in early summer 2023, with distribution of funds in fall 2023.

Nursing home providers should also note that the 7.5 percent increase in Medicaid funding enacted in this year’s State budget also applies to ADHC programs.

ADHCC recently met with DOH to advocate for a more expeditious reopening process. Reopening ADHCs will have to submit policies and procedures to demonstrate compliance with the federal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule prior to reopening, but once that is done, the internal review process within DOH should take no longer than two weeks. Other submissions can occur after reopening takes place.

In conversations with the Department, ADHCC has learned that DOH has only one program listed as actively reopening. Meanwhile, we are aware that there are several programs with that status. If you have not already done so, please notify ADHCC by phone or email of your intention and timeframe to reopen. ADHCC will be looking into whether programs interested in pushing their reopening to the fall will be eligible for the eFMAP funding.

Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871