Federally approved BI, CAC, CADI, DD and EW waiver plans, Alternative Care (AC) program (Minn. Stat. §256B.0913), Essential Community Supports (ECS) program (Minn. Stat. §256B.0922)

Personal emergency response systems (PERS): A service that covers:

This page applies to PERS funded by the following home and community-based services (HCBS) programs:

AC, ECS and EW

For people on AC, ECS and EW, PERS is available under the specialized equipment and supplies service. For additional policies that apply to this service, refer to CBSM – Specialized equipment and supplies.

BI, CAC, CADI and DD

For people on BI, CAC, CADI and DD, PERS is available under the 24-hour emergency assistance service. For additional policies that apply to this service, refer to CBSM – 24-hour emergency assistance.

PERS includes three parts. Each part has its own limit per service agreement year:

The person may receive up to $3,000 total of PERS equipment and related services per service agreement year.

PERS does not cover:

Customized living

A 24-hour customized living provider may choose to use PERS equipment to provide a person with a system to request assistance or as part of the 24-hour supervision plan. The customized living provider may not receive additional payment for the PERS equipment because the cost is included in the 24-hour customized living rate.

For information about customized living, refer to CBSM – Customized living (including 24-hour customized living).

BI and CADI

If a person on BI or CADI receives:

EW

If a person on EW receives 24-hour customized living, they may only receive PERS as a separate waiver service when the PERS equipment is appropriate for the person to use outside of the customized living setting. The PERS provider cannot be the same provider as the person’s 24-hour customized living provider.

As with all waiver, AC and ECS services, the lead agency must use a person-centered approach to identify options available to meet the person’s needs and reflect the person’s preferences. This includes assessing the person’s needs and preferences and ensuring they are offered a choice among all qualified providers.

Assessment

The assessment of the person's needs and preferences for PERS equipment may include assessing the person’s:

Choice of provider

To support the person’s choice in provider, the lead agency should consider the following information.

Type of equipment or systems used to collect and transmit data to the provider

For example, the person’s choice of provider may be based on factors such as:

Type of and access to data collected and stored, if applicable

For example:

The following information must be documented in the person’s support plan:

If the provider has a written equipment purchase/use agreement with the above components, the provider can send this agreement to the lead agency. The lead agency can include the provider’s agreement in place of documenting these items in the support plan.

The lead agency authorizes PERS at the market rate for the services and equipment, up to the limits described above and in the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Service Rate Limits, DHS-3945 (PDF). For additional information, refer to CBSM – Market rate services.

Authorization codes and rate limits

Lead agencies must use the following codes to authorize PERS:

The maximum cost for all PERS codes combined is $3,000 per year.

CDCS

Do not use PERS-specific codes on CDCS service agreements. Continue to authorize PERS costs under the CDCS code T2028. For more information, refer to CDCS Manual – Purchasing traditional AC/waiver goods and services under CDCS.