American Rescue Plan Act: 2024 Wisconsin HCBS Innovation Grants Summit
In October 2024, Wisconsin's Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Grants initiative culminated with a two-day conference where attendees came together to share the lessons learned from the grant experience, take home practical and actionable ideas, and together shape the future of HCBS in Wisconsin.
"This is a working conference. You are a part of this conference. You live this everyday. Your experience matters. We want to hear your voice. I'm excited to hear your voice."
- Bill Hanna, Medicaid Director
"I encourage all of you to think about things that you can do that are creative. This Summit is about providing the opportunity to talk about some of those things that are working in Wisconsin. .....learn from each other in this room."
- Kirsten Johnson, DHS Secretary
Explore and watch featured sessions
Learn more about this important working conference and explore on-demand videos captured during the 2024 Wisconsin HCBS Innovation Grants Summit. And, hear from attendees why the HCBS program is so important and why they do the work they do.
Shaping the future of HCBS
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has a long history of helping Wisconsinites live independently at home and in their communities. We recently increased our commitment to improve HCBS statewide.
Since May 2022, we have distributed almost $30 million in grants to 158 organizations. Funds were widely dispersed throughout the state, with all 72 counties receiving at least one award. We chose the grantees from over 1,100 applications requesting more than $286 million!
HCBS Innovation Grants Summit goals
Innovate
Turn grant projects into sustainable practices. Grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allowed grantees to pilot new and innovative projects. The summit provided the opportunity to share these innovative grant projects with other organizations for sustainable statewide best practices.
Collaborate
A statewide network of HCBS organizations and collaborators. Collaborators from all areas of the state, both rural and urban, came together to network and share ideas. All provider types and sizes were present which provided a unique opportunity to connect like never before.
Communicate
Connect providers and agencies at all levels to DHS. Providers connected with key decision-makers at DHS and national speakers. The summit provided the space and place for providers to communicate their needs, organizational goals for the future, and funding priorities.
Impact statistics - ARPA HCBS Innovation Grant funding
Who benefited from the grants
How projects were awarded
What projects focused on
Summit feedback and idea exchange sessions
Participants were asked to share their feedback through a variety of surveys and in four highly interactive idea exchange sessions held each day of the summit.
In the idea exchange sessions, small groups focused on the shared challenges of providing HCBS. These collaborative environments encouraged all participants to brainstorm innovative solutions, exchange valuable insights, and envision a sustainable future for Wisconsin HCBS programs. Idea exchange sessions included:
- Workforce Development
- Transportation
- Technology
- Children's Services
Summit feedback was collected during and after the event and attendees were urged to participate. 118 responses were collected from virtual and in-person attendees. Overall, survey respondents reported positive experiences and spoke to the value of the event.
Summit featured speakers and presenters
"The keynote speakers were inspiring and provided a wealth of knowledge. Their perspectives helped shape my thinking about the future of HCBS and gave me fresh insights into how to better serve my clients."
- Survey response from Summit participant