California Home and Community-Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver
“The HCBA Waiver (formerly the Nursing Facility/Acute Hospital (NF/AH) Waiver) was approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on May 16, 2017. Medicaid’s Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver programs, including the HCBA Waiver, are authorized under Section 1915(c) of the Social Security Act; governed by Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); and administered by CMS.
The HCBA Waiver provides care management services to persons at risk for nursing home or institutional placement. The care management services are provided by a multidisciplinary care team comprised of a nurse and social worker. The care management team coordinates Waiver and State Plan services (e.g., medical, behavioral health, In-Home Supportive Services, etc.), and arranges for other available long-term services and supports available in the local community. Care management and Waiver services are provided in the Participant’s community-based residence. This residence can be privately owned, secured through a tenant lease arrangement, or the residence of a Participant’s family member. “
California Disability Employment Accelerator PY 20-21 Awards (2021)
“The Employment Development Department (EDD), in coordination with the California Workforce Development Board, and on behalf of the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, is pleased to announce the award of $2 million of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for the Disability Employment Accelerator (DEA) grant for Program Year (PY) 2020-21. These funds will provide job training and employment opportunities to 535 people with disabilities (PWD) facing barriers to employment.
Funds will connect applicants and employers in the following California Counties: Amador, Calaveras, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Sacramento, San Diego, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Ventura counties. Six organizations were selected for funding. All six entities submitted proposals via a competitive process.
Awards ranged from $250,000-$350,000 and will be used to support projects that increase access for target populations, align WIOA programs, implement co-enrollment strategies, leverage other program funding, provide supportive services and create onramps to career pathways and or pre-apprenticeship/apprenticeship opportunities for California’s PWD population. This year’s DEA focuses on implementing strategies to target viable industry sectors, these organizations will work with local businesses and industry leaders to develop work-based learning programs to help PWD obtain and retain competitive, integrated employment. These organizations will provide the training needed to fill positions in local, high-growth industries such as advanced manufacturing, construction, educational services, healthcare, information technology, logistics and transportation, professional and business services, and technology.”
“DOR believes in the talent and potential of individuals with disabilities. We have posted the following jobs in partnership with our business partners who are actively working to diversify their workplace by including opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Anyone can apply for the jobs listed below, but DOR program participants are strongly encouraged to work with their employment team to prepare for the opportunities listed below and apply!”
California SB 81: Developmental services (2019-2020)
“(1) Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
This bill would require the department to consult, commencing in the summer of 2019, with specified stakeholders, including representatives of the Developmental Services Task Force and the Department of Rehabilitation, to discuss system reforms to better serve consumers with developmental disabilities, to perform various duties, such as evaluating compliance with federal rules relating to specified services, to report on the progress of these efforts, and to post specified material on its internet website, including a summary of public comments.”
“The Medicaid State Plan is based on the requirements set forth in Title XIX of the Social Security Act and is a comprehensive written document created by the State of California that describes the nature and scope of its Medicaid (Medi-Cal) program. It serves as a contractual agreement between the State of California and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and must be administered in conformity with specific requirements of Title XIX of the Social Security Act and regulations outlined in Chapter IV of the Code of Federal Regulations. The State Plan contains all information necessary for CMS to determine if the State can receive Federal Financial Participation (FFP) for its Medicaid program. This website includes the current Medicaid State Plan for California as well as State Plan Amendments (SPAs). For all Title XXI- Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) State Plan Amendments please visit the CHIP Homepage.”
California AB 1019: Apprenticeship: developmentally disabled person (2019)
“Existing law establishes the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (committee) within the Division of Apprenticeship Standards within the Department of Industrial Relations, and requires that committee to provide advice and guidance to the Administrator of Apprenticeship and the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards on apprenticeship programs, standards, and agreements, as well as preapprenticeship, certification, and on-the-job training and retraining programs, in nonbuilding trades industries…
This bill would add to the ex officio members of the committee the Director of Rehabilitation and the executive director of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. The bill would require the committee to create a subcommittee to address apprenticeship for the disabled community.”
California SB 289: An Act… relating to Medi-Cal (2019)
“This bill would require the retention of placement on the waiting list for, or the reenrollment in, specified HCBS waiver programs for an individual who is a dependent child or spouse of an active duty military service member and who transfers out of state with the military service member on official military orders, if the individual subsequently reestablishes residence in this state and meets other specified procedural requirements.”
“Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, is a jointly-funded, federal-state health insurance program for certain low income and needy people that includes long-term care benefits… The HCBS Waiver program recognizes that many individuals at risk of being placed in medical facilities can be cared for in their homes and communities, preserving their independence and ties to family and friends at a cost no higher than that of institutional care…
“Current Waiver
Effective April 1, 2020, this amendment adds State-operated Community Crisis Homes, Enhanced Behavioral Supports Homes, and Mobile Crisis Teams as new waiver services.”
California Medicaid 1915(c) Waiver Amendment (0336.R04.04 DDS)
“The Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver program is authorized in §1915(c) of the Social Security Act. The program permits a state to furnish an array of home and community-based services that assist Medicaid beneficiaries to live in the community and avoid institutionalization. The State has broad discretion to design its waiver program to address the needs of the waivers target population. Waiver services complement and/or supplement the services that are available to participants through the Medicaid State plan and other federal, state and local public programs as well as the supports that families and communities provide.”
California Welfare and Institutions Code §§4868 et seq.: Employment First
“Establishes an Employment First Committee under the authority of the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. It pledges to “make services and supports available to enable persons with developmental disabilities to approximate the pattern of everyday living available to people without disabilities of the same age, to support the integration of persons with developmental disabilities into the mainstream life of the community, and to bring about more independent, productive, and normal lives for the persons served, it is the policy of the state that opportunities for integrated, competitive employment shall be given the highest priority for working age individuals with developmental disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This policy shall be known as the Employment First Policy.”
