PUBLIC NOTICE
Public Input Process for Proposed Amendments to the Intensive Supports Waiver, Adult Supports Waiver, and Community Living Waiver
Monday, January 25, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
A public listening session for the Intensive Supports Waiver, Adult Supports Waiver, and Community Living Waiver will be held remotely, with an option for people to join a video conference on their computer or call into a designated phone number.
Online Video (from computer): https://statema.webex.com/statema/j.php?MTID=m5490da9ba710cb56e3a7f4c1daab81dc
Phone Number:
(866) 692-3580
Meeting number: 178 935 9699
Password: eJKdCwzx365
Comments must be submitted by February 12, 2021
Overview
MassHealth and the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) jointly propose amendments to the Intensive Supports Waiver, Adults Supports Waiver, and Community Living Waiver. The purpose of these amendments is to add Remote Supports as a waiver service, expand the scope of the existing Individualized Home Supports waiver service, expand the scope of the existing Assistive Technology waiver service, and increase flexibility for certain waiver related administrative activities to occur remotely/via telehealth. In addition, the proposed amendment to the Intensive Supports waiver expands the scope of existing Transitional Assistance waiver service in that Waiver.
Please see below for links to the draft amendments and information about how to provide feedback on the proposed amendments to MassHealth and DDS. Please note that feedback must be submitted by February 12, 2021.
Hard copies of these documents are available upon request. Please email or send a written request:
By e-mail: HCBSWaivers@Mass.gov
or
By regular mail:
UMass Waiver Unit
Attn: ID Waiver Comments
333 South Street
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Send Us Your Comments
We invite public comment on the draft amendments to the Intensive Supports Waiver, Adults Supports Waiver, and Community Living Waiver before we submit them to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for approval. Comments must be submitted by February 12, 2021. Please see below for how you can submit comments.
By e-mail: HCBSWaivers@Mass.gov
or
By regular mail:
UMass Waiver Unit
Attn: ID Waiver Comments
333 South Street
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
or
Orally at a public listening session to be held remotely on January 25, 2021.
Here at MFOFC, we are driven by the vision of empowerment for individual and family support that includes planning, choices and decision-making.
Person-centered planning is very much in line with this vision, as it puts the individual at the center, helping them develop a vision, plan for their future and foster an environment to help make that future possible.
“It is useful to recognize person-centeredness as something that begins within people and radiates outward to others,” says Dr. Michael Kendrick, an international consultant in values-based service design, in his article titled Person-centeredness: a characteristic of people, not systems.
Person-centered planning for individuals with disabilities therefore focuses on the individual’s abilities, hopes, needs and dreams for the future and building a support system to facilitate that future.
A person-centered plan is not static and will continue to evolve over a person’s lifetime. As Dr. Kendrick puts it, “A better approach is to recognize that what we think of as personal identity, while so seemingly fixed in many ways, is actually a “work in progress” and is always in a state of unfolding.”
Getting started with person-centered planning
This resource from PACER’s National Parent Center on Transition and Employment provides a detailed guide, including the steps and tools that will help your family get started on the person-centered planning process. The website includes a section on housing with videos that share personal stories of individuals who have transitioned to independent living.
Assessing your child’s readiness for independent living
Of course, an essential component of planning to live independently is to acquire life skills needed to manage different aspects such as personal safety, chores and finance – and this will take time, commitment and practice. If you are helping your child work toward this goal, the “Independent Living Preparation Guide” from Home of My Own WNY is a useful tool to gauge readiness for independent living.
Upcoming webinar on intentional communities
Learn how an intentional community can promote person-centered living for individuals with disabilities. Our next webinar will share the history of Deohaeko Support Network, a 30-year old intentional community based in Ontario, Canada. It’s happening on April 8 at 1 pm. Register to join us for the webinar here.
Do you have examples of person-centered planning or inclusive living arrangements you’d like to share with us? Would you like to give us your feedback? Send an email to hello@massfamilies.org.