An Overview of Waiver Eligibility and Services
Presented by Jill Martin from Lancaster County BHDS
On April 2nd, Aaron’s Acres facilitated a virtual seminar entitled “The Intellectual Disability/Autism Waivers: An Overview of Eligibility and Services”. Jill Martin, from Lancaster County BHDS was the presenter. Ms. Martin has been working in the intellectual and developmental disabilities field for over 31 years. Her current role is Program Planner/Evaluator for Intellectual Disability/Autism Services with BHDS.
Ms. Martin shared the following: “Waiver funding is based on the philosophy of serving individuals with long term care needs in their homes and communities instead of in institutional settings. The minimum age requirement is age 3, however most enroll after graduation. Some enroll as teens or during school years”.
Securing waiver funding is extremely important for individuals as they transition from a school setting. Families need to plan for after graduation—what does their child’s living situation look like and what supports need to be in place for him to be as independent as possible? Within the school setting, your child might have received services and supports which often end once he graduates from high school. Affording these services can present as a major challenge or even impossible without assistance from outside resources.
In this presentation, Ms. Martin reviewed the various waivers that are available and provided information regarding specific criteria for eligibility for these waiver programs.
An important take away from this seminar is the following:
Families should open a case with BHDS to begin this process. The intake phone number is: 717-399-7355. If your child meets the criteria after clinically assessing his/her eligibility, a case is opened and a Supports Coordinator is assigned in order to work with you through this process. Developing an Individual Support Plan is a critical piece as that will guide decisions made about service needs. If it is determined that paid services are needed, then your Supports Coordinator can provide information to you about the various waivers as well as what services might be available (in home, community support, companion, employment supports, day programs, transportation or residential programs, etc.).
Planning for your child’s future can be overwhelming as there are so many aspects of that planning piece. However, tapping into the appropriate resources within our community before there is a crisis results in a more well-developed plan, with the right supports and services in place to ensure safety and security for your child (who is becoming an adult). Ms. Martin acknowledged that it can be a challenging time, however, she informed us that Governor Josh Shapiro recently approved an increase in waiver funding with his goal being to eliminate a waiting list for this type of funding. She strongly recommended that families reach out to BHDS as their child nears high school graduation in order to begin this waiver application process. By securing this type of funding, your adult child can live in a way that he is as independent as possible, receiving the services that he needs within his community.
Resources & Materials
The following materials were provided to registered attendees:
- Waiver PowerPoint presentation used during April 2nd seminar
- 2023 Gold Book: Understanding the Office of Developmental Programs
Download these resources by clicking the links below.
Save the date for our next virtual seminar!
Next Virtual Seminar
MAY
- Date: Tuesday, May 28
- Time: 5 PM
- Topic: Creating Connections for You and Your Child
- Presenter: Meg Kutz from 3.21 For Life PA
Upcoming Virtual Seminars:
JULY
- Date: Wednesday, July 24
- Time: 5 PM
- Topic: Financial Planning When Raising a Child with A Disability – a Panel Discussion
- Presenter: 1847 Financial
SEMPTEMBER
- Date: Wednesday, September 25
- Time: 5:30 PM
- Topic: Understanding ABLE Accounts
- Presenter: Joanna Craney and Karen Carr
We hope you consider joining us for our upcoming virtual seminars!
Please reach out to Events & Communications Coordinator Gabi Kime Toews at gabriellakimetoews@aaronsacres.org with any suggestions you may have for future seminar topics and stay tuned for additional virtual seminars that will be posted later this year.
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