Revised HCBS Settings Rule Transition Plan Issued in February

The Department of Health (DOH) held a webinar regarding the federal Home and Community Based (HCBS) Settings rule to provide an update on the State's work progress implementing the rule. Unfortunately, the audio of the program was difficult to hear, however we wanted to provide members with a sense of next steps.

You may recall that DOH issued an initial transition plan last year. According to the webinar, DOH received only five comments on the initial plan, and LeadingAge New York was one of them. Our comments can be viewed here. Based on the comments received, DOH will issue a revised transition plan in February, and the public will have thirty days to comment on the plan. DOH will again revise the plan based on additional comments received, and submit a final plan to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in March. At that point, New York will have five years to come into compliance with the rule.

LeadingAge NY is monitoring this issue closely and analyzing the impact it may have on our members and the people they serve. We will keep you apprised of developments and encourage you to consider responding to the transition plan, once available.

Click here for more information about the HCBS Settings rule, including the most recent resources provided by CMS.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, or Cheryl Udell, cudell@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383