October 30th, 2008

Reports the Sun-Gazette:

The state Department of Aging Waiver Program uses funds originally earmarked to fund non-medical in-home health care through Medical Assistance as an alternative to nursing home placement, Jean Sullivan, director of the Lycoming County waiver program, said.

To be eligible for the waiver program, a person must be age 60 or over, require the level of care provided in a nursing home, have a monthly income not exceeding $1,911 and own no more than $8,000 in countable assets, Sullivan said.

The waiver program is a “payer of last resort,” which means if services can be paid through insurance or Medicare, then they must be.

To begin the the application process for the waiver program, a referral is made by the applicant, a family member or a friend. The potential consumer is asked for a medical history and paper work is sent to their physician.

A care manager is then sent to the consumer who does a level of care assessment to determine if they are “nursing facility care eligible.”

Visit the Sun-Gazette  and the Aging Dept.’s website on the program[linked to above] for more details.