Home and Community Based Services Waiver for the Frail Elderly
The HCBS-FE Waiver is a nursing home diversion program designed to delay or prevent the institutionalization of frail and elderly Nevada residents who meet the criteria for nursing home placement.
Formerly known as CHIP, this Waiver is administered by Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services Division. The Waiver funds nonmedical support services to help enrollees remain in either their own home, or a noninstitutional setting such as an assisted living facility with a dedicated memory care program.
HCBS-FE services are assigned on an individual, as-needed basis and may include:
- Ongoing case management from a licensed social worker
- Assistance with personal care, such as bathing, toileting, dressing, eating and grooming
- Homemaker services, including personal laundry and light housekeeping
- Half- or full-day adult day care on an ongoing basis
- Adult companionship and supervision
- Access to a personal emergency response system
In addition to the services listed above, Nevada’s HCBS-FE Waiver also covers augmented personal care services delivered in a licensed residential care facility such as an assisted living community that provides memory care. Covered personal care services go beyond the mandatory minimum required for all licensed assisted living facilities in Nevada.
To qualify for the HCBS-FE Waiver, seniors must be eligible for Medicaid and be deemed at risk of institutionalization in a nursing home if they don’t receive enhanced supports.
Community Services Options Program for the Elderly
Like the HCBS-FE Waiver, the Community Services Options Program for the Elderly, or COPE, covers a range of nonmedical services for seniors who are at risk of nursing home placement.
COPE services are determined based on the needs of each participant, as well as available funding. All COPE participants are assigned a licensed social worker who provides ongoing case management services.
COPE-funded supports include:
- Assistance with activities of daily living, such as transferring, toileting, bathing, dressing and eating
- Help with light housekeeping, laundry and shopping
- Placement in an adult day care program for at least 4 hours per day on one or more days each week
- Non Medical supervision, including socialization and assistance with recreational activities
- Wearable medical alert devices
- Respite care
To qualify for COPE benefits, seniors must be aged 65 or older, meet the criteria for nursing home placement and have an annual income and assets that fall within the current limits.
How to Apply for the HCBS-FE Waiver or COPE Program
A completed application the HCBS-FE Waiver or COPE program can be submitted to one of the four Aging and Disability Services Division regional offices. Alternatively, applicants can call their area’s ADSD office to complete a telephone application with the assistance of an ADSD intake worker.