DOH Solicits Comments on 1115 Waiver Amendments
(Nov. 26, 2024) The Department of Health (DOH) is seeking public comment on two proposed amendments to the State's Medicaid 1115 Waiver. The first amendment pertains to the Career Pathways Training (CPT) Program, and the second pertains to the Medicaid Buy-In for Working People with Disabilities (MBI-WPD).
The Department is requesting an expansion of the CPT Program to allow for an increase in the backfill payments available to providers with employees participating in the CPT Program. The current waiver allows for only two days of backfill payments per week. The amendment would allow for up to five days of backfill payments. LeadingAge NY will be submitting comments in support of this expansion and will also ask the Department to seek additional amendments to incorporate aide training into the CPT Program and to allow students who are already participating in training programs to receive supports through the CPT Program.
The Department is also seeking to expand the financial eligibility for the MBI-WPD Program. This is a successful program that enables individuals with severe disabilities to work and earn and save amounts above Medicaid limits without losing their eligibility for Medicaid. Under current income and resource limits, individuals with disabilities are often forced to limit their earnings in order to keep the Medicaid benefits that enable them to work. Participants in the program pay a premium for their coverage based on a percentage of their income. The amendment would raise financial thresholds, modify the premium structure, and eliminate the current age limit of 65. LeadingAge NY will also be supporting this amendment.
A copy of the proposed waiver amendments is available here.
Members are encouraged to comment on the amendments. Written comments may be submitted by Dec. 6th by email here. Oral comments may be provided in a virtual public hearing to be held on Dec. 4th between 1 and 3 p.m. Registration is available here, and individuals wishing to speak are asked to pre-register and to insert "sp" in front of their name. Questions may be submitted to DOH here.
Contact: Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org