CMS has just updated it’s Home and Community Based Services website to include a matrix of HCBS Statewide Transition Plans, and while they’re not yet approved – they’re certainly a great resource.
Required by the HCBS Community Definition rule that went into effect on March 17, 2014, the posted Statewide Transition Plans provide the most recent information and available documents for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The matrix also includes “Clarifications and/or Modifications required for Initial Approval” (CMIA), which details the additional actions that must be taken by states affected in order to receive approval.
The following states have CMIAs as of right now:
- Alaska
- Colorado
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Tennessee
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
CMS isn’t the only place HCBS Transition plans are being talked about. They were a topic at the Arc National Council of Executives Conference a couple of weeks back and my boss Mike Holihan, MediSked’s Director of Sales and Marketing, was fortunate enough to attend an HCBS transition update talk given by John O’Brien from CMS.
He shared some of his notes with us once he returned to the office, and I wanted to share them with all of you as well.
Dates & Deadlines:
- By March 17, 2019 all states must be in compliance with CMS’s HCBS Transition Plan decree.
- CMS is currently reviewing transition plans. They have to complete their assessments by this winter, then track milestones over the next three years.
- States have to review each of their HCBS settings and conduct an assessment to determine whether or not each meets the HCBS characteristics
- Plans must be developed for any settings that do not meet the new requirements and states will have to identify benchmarks and critical milestones to show progress
- It is required that states receive public input on both initial and subsequent transition plans
- In order to help with these assessments, Medicaid.gov has published this helpful toolkit (you can also find it on the website by searching the term “Heightened Scrutiny”)
That’s about all that we know for sure, for now but we’ll certainly keep you posted as more information is released! If have any insight or info to share, feel free to leave it in the comments.
