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| Medicaid is a service system that mixes together both state and federal money. The Consumer Support Grant Program allows a recipient to convert the state portion of payments for specific home care services into a cash grant. Eligible participants receive monthly cash grants to replace fee-for-service home care services payments. With county assistance, consumers can manage and pay for a variety of home and community-based services. |
| The CSG Program provides consumers with greater flexibility and freedom of choice in service selection, payment rates, service delivery specifications and employment of service providers. Parents, spouses, family members, trusted neighbors or friends can be paid for service, as well as employees of traditional home care provider agencies. |
| To be eligible for CSG, a person must meet all these criteria: |
| • Be eligible to receive home care services from the Medical Assistance Home Care Program |
| • Demonstrate limitations in everyday functioning, such as, self-care, language, learning, mobility, self direction, capacity for independent living and economic self-sufficiency |
| • Require ongoing supports to live in the community |
| • Live in a natural home setting |
| Eligible consumers who convert their eligible MA-funded home care services to CSG grants will develop with their case manager a service plan that identifies the supports they need and a method to document their expenditures for those supports. Grants may be distributed as cash, vouchers for services or direct payments to vendors. The administering agency determines the method and schedule for grant distribution. |
| Grants are based on home care assessments and ratings for the home health aide, private duty nursing or personal care assistant services. Consumers can obtain an estimate of their grant from their county coordinator or the DHS Consumer Support Grant coordinator. |
| Once the consumer enrolls in the program, the grant can be used to purchase a variety of supports beyond those services. The service or item selected for payment must be related to the consumer’s functional limitation and be over and above the normal costs of caring for the person if they had no disability. |
| • Modifications to the home |
| All other available sources of payment should be exhausted before use of the Consumer Support Grant. |
| Application for the Consumer Support Grant Program can be made at your local county social service agency. Currently not all counties offer CSG. Consumers should contact their local county social service agency with questions about the Consumer Support Grant. |
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