DDES Memo Series 2006-06
Date: March 14, 2006
To: Area Administrators / Human Services Area Coordinators
DDES Bureau Directors
County Adult Family Home Coordinators
County Departments of Community Programs Directors
County Departments of Developmental Disabilities Services Directors
County Departments of Human Services Directors
County Departments of Social Services Directors
County Developmental Disability Coordinators
Licensing Chiefs / Section Chiefs
Tribal Chairpersons / Human Services Facilitators
County Waiver Contacts
From: Sinikka Santala, Administrator
Subject: Certified Adult Family Homes
Document Summary
This memo announces that homes that are currently certified as one or
two person adult family homes, that may not qualify for the renewal of
certification as a result of the revised Medicaid Home and Community Based
Waiver standards, may be eligible for grandfathering.
Background
Memo Series 2005-13, dated August 24, 2005 provided the updated
Medicaid Home and Community Based Waiver standards that are required to be
used for the certification of one or two person adult family homes.
Certain changes in the waiver standards may disqualify a currently
certified home from meeting standards for the renewal of certification.
Although maintaining an existing community living arrangement that serves
people well, and is of high quality, would be desirable, the inability to
comply with the standards may result in the participant having to relocate
from their home. Therefore, homes that had been previously certified but
are no longer able to meet the definition or standards of adult family
home certification, may be allowed to continue to be certified, or
"grandfathered," under certain circumstances.
Policy and Procedure
Counties that wish to request grandfathering for homes that are
currently certified adult family homes that may no longer meet the
standards, must complete the attached request and submit it to the Bureau
of Long-Term Support (see contact information below). The Bureau will
respond to the request within 15 working days. Grandfathering will be
participant, provider and/or location specific. Therefore, if the
individual moves from the home, the exception no longer applies to the
adult family home for another participant. Likewise, if the participant
moves into another adult family home, that home must conform to the new
standards.
Because the standards are considered minimum standards, it is the
Department's expectation that every effort be made to ensure that
currently certified homes conform to the new standards. This
grandfathering policy is intended for those instances where it is not
feasible or burdensome to comply with the new standards and may result in
a participant move.
Examples
Examples of acceptable requests include:
1. A certified home that is the home of the participant. In the waiver
program, when services are received in a participant's own home (either by
a live-in staff or shift staff), this is defined as supportive home care.
Every effort should be made to convert these arrangements to ones where
supportive home care is provided. However, if there is a hardship to the
county or the participant in making this conversion, grandfathering may be
a possibility.
2. A non-ambulatory individual with a bedroom on the second floor. The
new standards do not allow an individual that is non-ambulatory to live on
the second floor in a home that does not have a bedroom available for that
person on the first floor. So long as health and safety can adequately be
assured, including emergency evacuation, grandfathering may be a
possibility.
3. A lofted bedroom without full-height walls. The standards require
bedroom walls to be full height walls. Lofted bedrooms may not meet this
standard. So long as privacy can be assured for the individual and it
continues to be their preference, grandfathering may be considered.
The revised standards provided much needed clarity and standardization
for the certification of adult family homes. By allowing grandfathering
for individualized circumstances, the Department recognizes that certain
family accepted arrangements may need a longer time frame to transition or
phase out.
REGIONAL OFFICE CONTACT: Human Services Area Coordinators
CENTRAL OFFICE CONTACT: Carrie Molke, Residential Policy Specialist
Bureau of Long-Term Support
P. O. Box 7851
Madison, WI 53707-7851
(608) 267-5267
molkeca@dhfs.state.wi.us
MEMO WEB SITE: http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/dsl_info/
Attachments:
Adult
Family Home (AFH) Renewal of Certification - Grandfathering Request
(DDE-439) (PDF, 119 KB)
Word Fillable version - Adult
Family Home (AFH) Renewal of Certification - Grandfathering Request
cc: Community Integration Specialists
The Management Group
Last Revised: October 24, 2008 |
