Long Term Care Waiver

Hi Again,

Here's the info Judy & Marilyn requested about the Waivers. Remember, this is Virginia, and your state will be different.
All you have to do is pull up your states Medicaid site and search for waivers. There are a lot of different ones, but only 2 in Virginia apply to Spina Bifida. (I just got back on the Medicaid Website and they have combined the two waivers into one that covers everything, so that must be why there is a waiting list now!!)

I also forgot to mention that if you qualify for the waiver, you will automatically receive Medicaid, which pays for the Long Term Care. The advantage to this is that they also pay for any medical bills not covered by your primary insurance. If you already have Medicaid, then nothing will change since they already cover you.

Some people are opposed to having Medicaid because they think there is some sort of stigma attached to it. Please don't feel that way. We all know how expensive it is to care for a disabled child, and you have to take help where you can get it. For the first 19 years of Sarah's life, we didn't have Medicaid, and the medical bills, especially during her first years, were unbelievable. The copays for just one surgery can set you back for years, not to mention 15-30 surgeries that are normal for our kids!!!!!

From the VA Medicaid Website:

Medicaid Waivers were developed to encourage people with disabilities and the elderly to access services in their homes and communities. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program. Medicaid Waivers provide funding to serve people who are eligible for long-term care in institutions such as hospitals, nursing facilities, and intermediate-care facilities. Through Medicaid Waivers, states can “waive” certain requirements including the requirement that individuals live in institutions in order to receive Medicaid funding.

The financial eligibility requirements for waivers are quite different from the financial eligibility requirements for regular Medicaid coverage. Regardless of the age of the person with a disability, financial eligibility for a Medicaid Waiver is based on the individual’s income and assets only. Other sources of income and assets, such as those of the individual’s parents, are disregarded. A person with a disability may have income equal to 300% of the maximum Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment amount, and up to $2,000 in available assets such as savings, stocks, and bonds. If a child’s parents or caregivers have an income that is too high to qualify the family for Medicaid, the child with a disability may still receive a waiver slot. Having a waiver does not affect any other government funds for which a person is eligible.

Individual & Family Developmental Disabilities Support (DD or IFDDS) Waiver

Services available: day support, companion services (agency or consumer directed), supported employment, in-home residential support, therapeutic consultation, personal care services (agency or consumer directed), respite care (agency or consumer directed), supported employment, skilled nursing services, attendant services, family and caregiver training, crisis supervision, environmental modifications, assistive technology, personal emergency response system (PERS), and prevocational services. Support coordination is also provided.

Eligibility: The DD Waiver provides services to individuals 6 years of age and older who have a diagnosis of a developmental disability and do not have a diagnosis of mental retardation. Individuals also must require the level of care provided in an intermediate- care facility for persons with mental retardation or other related conditions (ICF/MR). Children who do not have a diagnosis of mental retardation, and have received services through the MR/ID Waiver, become ineligible for the MR/ID Waiver when they reach the age of 6. At that time, they can be screened for eligibility for the DD Waiver; if found eligible they will receive a DD waiver slot without being placed on the DD waiver waiting list.

I hope that helps explain it a little better. As in Judy's case, Virginia will now have to wait forever before receiving these services because they combined the waivers. Your state may not be that way yet, so check it out as soon as possible to avoid potential delays!!

Blessings,

Waiver Update & Rebel

Sarah says I love the dog the best of all my children! She says that because I call Rebel by their names all the time. She asked to borrow my cell phone the other day when hers was dead, and I went and got it and took it to Rebel.

I didn't do it on purpose, I wasn't paying attention. She thinks because I go to Rebel first when I'm not paying attention means I love him more!

He even sleeps right beside me! And yea, he gets the good pillow!

The other day I told her I had to stop by the vet to get more medicine for Bobby's ears cause he was scratching again. She asked me if Bobby was gonna go outside and shake his head and roll in the grass afterward like Rebel does.

It's an HONEST mistake!! I call Rebel Bobby ALL THE TIME! Just because Rebel is nicer to me and listens to me better doesn't mean I love him more...

does it?

I better move on.

About the waiver. Remember I was supposed to have a screening set up around the end of January. Here it is the end of February and no screening yet. They did call last week asking "What is it exactly that you are applying for?".

So here's what happened. After they requested additional info from me, and I hand delivered it to them, they evidently put it on the wrong person's desk and there it sat for a whole week before her supervisor finally figured out she wasn't supposed to have it, and called ME to see who was supposed to get it!!

So now they are telling me it will be about a week, maybe two, and we should here something from them, but if not, to call them. Oh, I'll be calling! I've worked in the medical field off and on since I was 16, and I know how things get pushed to the background (in some offices) unless you keep on top of it.

It didn't take me this long with Sarah's screening. It all depends on where you live. My aunt lives in the same town that we moved from because the school system was so bad when it came to working with special needs, so I'm not surprised by this delay.

I wish I had more news, I want to let everyone know exactly what happens during the screening, so hopefully it will be soon!

This is what Mom does at my house when she's supposed to be working with Sarah!
Just kidding, Mommy! Really, we work her so hard that she just drops when she finally stops!

Long Term Care Waiver Update

I finally made it to my Aunt Claudine's house yesterday to fill out the application for Medicaid so she can receive the waiver. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. In her case anyway, because she doesn't have much in the way of income or assets.

The first three pages look overwhelming because you have to list every little detail about every person living in your home, but when you get to reading it, it's pretty simple stuff like name, DOB, SS#, school info, etc .

The next section was on resources. This was the only tricky part for me. Here you have to list Checking Acct info, Stocks or bonds, Questions about personal property, vehicles owned, health insurance, and life insurance. I didn't understand the stock section, but hubby helped me with the one part I couldn't figure out.

The third section is on income. This is where you have to list ALL sources of money coming into the home, that was easy since all she has is Social Security and Retirement.

All in all it was fairly simple. It took us about 1 hour to complete, mostly because she had to keep getting up to find information, and she's not moving so fast these days. Of course, she's the only one in her household, and she doesn't own much, so anyone with a family could expect to take a little more time since you have to list every family member.

I will mail the form back today, and we'll see how it goes from there. I'll let ya know!!

eBay News:

Wow, I sold 5 things yesterday, and got up this morning and had sold 2 more things overnight! Praise the Lord! I think I'll keep at this a little longer!

I was sooo disappointed that we didn't get snow the other day, but no worries, one of my customers from CT told me she would mail me some cause they had a blizzard there!! Now there's an idea for some of you eBayers. Mail order snow. I bet you could make a killing!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great day :)

~Scroll down to see Pics of Sarah, my daughter with Spina Bifida~

I Promised I would keep you up to date on how the whole Screening process goes for the Long Term Care Waiver for my Aunt, so here's what's happened so far.

By the way, if you didn't read the post about waivers, there is a waiver that disabled children and adults can get that pays someone of your choice to take care of your child. In my daughter Sarah's case, it pays up to 30 hours a week, plus 720 hours a year in respite care. Both of her grandmothers are paid to take care of her. You can use the respite care to supplement the 30 hours if you need someone longer than 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. You can email me at crystalcooks63@aim.com if you want more info.

On Thursday I called our local Social Services Department to request a screening for the EDCD Waiver for Long Term Care. The first person on the phone had no idea what I was talking about but she finally connected me with someone who did. If you get the same response, insist on talking to a Supervisor or someone who knows about Medicaid Waivers.

Once I got the correct person, she knew exactly what I needed. She said she would mail out an application for Medicaid the next day, and I should apply for that before they do they screening for the Long Term Care. She did write on the application "Long Term Care" so it would not automatically be denied because of income.


On Saturday, the application came in the mail. That was incredibly fast I thought, so I was impressed!! Here's another look at the application, there are 13 pages, but we only have to fill out about 8 of them. They mark out what you don't need to fill out. That helps, because any paperwork like this is quite confusing to me.

This is just a typical Medicaid application. If you've ever applied for Medicaid, then you know what type of questions they ask. If not, there is a section for General Information, for Resources (like Checking Acct, etc.), for Income. I admit I had to have my husband help me fill out Sarah's, and even then we weren't sure about some of it. You can always go to Social Services and have them help you if need be. If you already receive Medicaid, you don't need to do this step. They will just schedule a screening for you. The lady told me the screening should be able to be done by January 30, she would call me with a date soon, so that's not a long wait.

So now I will take this application to my Aunts house on Tuesday (weather permitting) and I'll let you know how it goes as far as getting it completed!!

One thing I would like to tell you is that here in Virginia, there will be a waiting list for this waiver starting in July, so they encourage anybody who wants to apply to do it as soon as possible. That may be the case in all states, but I'm not sure.

Now, on to other things. I have been looking at pics of Sarah when she was little, and want to share some of her pics with equipment that she's used, etc. As soon as I figure out how to use my new scanner, I'll get right to that!!! For now, I'll share a recent pic of her. She'll always be my baby girl, even though she's 22 now!
Sarah has a best friend one year older than her that also has Spina Bifida. They've been best buds since 6th grade.
That's all the Spina Bifida talk today, I've got to read a scanner manual!!!!!!!!

But, here's the ooey, gooey dessert I made last night. It was really good, but soooo sweet. I only ate a bite, been doing great on the diet and lost 5 pounds this week, so I divided it up and took some to Church for the Hospitality Room and the rest to my Mother in laws for dinner!! One diet disaster averted, we'll see how the rest of the week goes.

Ebay has picked up a little bit. It's been very, very slow since Christmas, but I have sold a few things this weekend, so I'm not complaining. It probably helps that I have more things going to auction right now, so it drives more traffic to the store. I still have a whole giant bucket of brand new shorts to list, but I can't seem to find the time.

This is the HATE part of my Love/Hate relationship with eBay. That used to be my fireplace, now it's just temporary storage for my summer stock. Can't wait to finish listing, and get that stuff put away. But honestly, it never really goes away. As soon as I finish that, there will be more. There always is :(

You should see the other side of the room. Not gonna show that yet, I haven't got that brave!!!!!!!

God Bless everyone today with a great, relaxing Sunday!
Crystal :)