New Choices Waiver
The New Choices Waiver pays for memory care services for those who qualify for nursing home level care but want to live in a non-institutional setting. It offers comprehensive coverage for long-term care services, including:
- Assisted living and memory care services
- Adult day health care
- Emergency response systems
- Financial management services
- Medication assistance services
- Attendant care
- Case management
- Housekeeping, laundry and linen services
- Nonemergency medical transportation
- Personal money management
- Respite services
- Specialized medical equipment
To be eligible for this program, applicants must meet age, financial and residency guidelines, and not all who qualify for services are guaranteed coverage. Applicants must be at least 65 years old, U.S. citizens or legal residents and permanent residents of Utah. They may have a monthly income of no more than $2,523 and no more than $2,000 in countable assets. Medicaid only counts assets, such as cash, money in checking and savings accounts, non-occupied real estate investment properties and stocks. It excludes personal belongings, the applicant’s primary residence and one personal vehicle. If spouses are both applying, these limits are doubled. If only one spouse is applying, they have an asset limit of $2,000, and the non-applying spouse can have up to $137,400.
The majority of slots are open exclusively to nursing home residents who want to move to a non-institutionalized setting. Non-reserved slots are limited and open to current assisted living and memory care residents. Applicants must have lived in a nursing home for at least 90 days or in a residential long-term care facility, such as a memory care facility, for 365 days before applying for the waiver. Nursing home residents can apply for the waiver at any time, but those already in residential long-term care can only apply during certain enrollment windows. The department must have the application within five days of the end of the enrollment period, or it will be automatically denied. Enrollment periods include:
- March 1-March 14
- July 1-July 14
- November 1-November 14
Historically, there are far more applicants than enrollment slots, so priority is given to those who’ve been in nursing home or residential care the longest. In most cases, memory care residents wait much longer than 365 days for enrollment.
Seniors can’t apply for this waiver program online, but they can request a paper application by calling (800) 662-9651 and selecting option 6. Seniors in nursing homes can request an application for reserved slots, and those in memory care facilities can request an application for non-reserved slots. After the application is completed, the individual can fax it to the UDOH Bureau of Long Term Services and Supports at (801) 323-1586 or mail it to:
UDOH Bureau of Long Term Services & Supports
P.O. Box 143112
288 North 1460 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84114