by George Kutnerian
In a previous post, we let our readers know that California’s new budget would provide for an increase in funding for the Home and Community Based Services waiver programs, which includes the Assisted Living Waiver Program. At that time, the specific rates to take effect on January 1, 2017 had not yet been announced.
DHCS recently announced the specific provider rates that are to take effect on January 1, 2017. The new provider rates are as follows:
Effective 2017 Current
Tier 1 $55/day $52/day
Tier 2 $66/day $62/day
Tier 3 $75/day $71/day
Tier 4 $87/day $82/day
This marks the first rate increase the Assisted Living Waiver Program has received since its inception as a pilot program in 2006 when it began serving Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties.
The primary goal of the Assisted Living Waiver Program is to enable low-income, Medi-Cal eligible seniors and persons with disabilities, who would otherwise require nursing facility services, to remain in or relocate to the community. The program was approved by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare and is currently in the midst of its second five-year waiver that will run into 2019. The Assisted Living Waiver Program currently operates in 14 counties throughout the State.
6-bed RCFEs play an important role in the Assisted Living Waiver Program. The Assisted Living Waiver Program provider rate increase is yet another signal of the effectiveness of 6Beds’ advocacy in Sacramento, where 6Beds has persistently been advocating for provider rate increases for programs that impact 6-bed facilities as well as new funding sources for 6-bed facilities to cope with the rising costs of doing business in California.
Best Regards,
George Kutnerian, M.S., MBA
Senior Vice President — Public Policy & Legislation