You know by now that the New Jersey Department of Human Services has been developing a new Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program under its 2013 Comprehensive Medicaid Waiver. It’s still a work-in-progress. This program affects all elderly and disabled Medicaid applicants and Medicaid recipients who need long-term care Medicaid services outside of nursing homes. Three “Feedback Forums” (sometimes these are called “Stakeholders’ Forums) will take place to receive comments from the public. Stakeholder letter 10.9.14
The dates are October 21 (Central Region), October 24 (Southern Region) and October 31(Northern Region) from 10:00 am to noon. Considering that they will be doing a long presentation with explanations about the program, this is not a lot of time to receive public comments. However, if you wish to submit comments and questions you can do so by contacting the program liaison, CarolAnnConover@dhs.state.nj.us.
A major area of concern is the question of how the State will determine the amount of hours per week of home care a person will qualify for. To be eligible for MLTSS home services, the Medicaid applicant needs to require the same level of care as a nursing home resident. So maximizing the amount of hours is vital. If you are concerned about this issue or any other related questions about the MLTSS program, you may want to contact the state liaison, send in written comments, or attend the forum.