Public Comment period for Core and Community Protection waiver amendments

Department of Social and Health Service’s Developmental Disabilities Administration sent this bulletin at 06/14/2018 11:32 AM PDT

Developmental Disabilities Administration Update

June 14, 2018

Dear DDA Stakeholder:

The Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) is in the process of preparing to file a third amendment for the Core Home and Community-Based (HCBS) waiver and a second amendment for the Community Protection HCBS waiver with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). 

Stakeholders have an opportunity to review the draft waiver amendments before they go to CMS. The official 30-day public comment period is June 14 through July 14, 2018. The amendments are long documents (285 and 325 pages) so this is a brief summary:

  • DSHS proposes to amend the Core and Community Protection HCBS waivers with an effective date of January 1, 2019. The amendments propose to revise the rate methodology for residential habilitation from an administrative complex system that develops 4,000 unique client rates to a streamlined process that features a tiered rate system with nine tiers.
  • Both rate systems rely on a person-centered assessment system to determine client needs. Both systems include annual cost reports to substantiate expenditures for client supports.
  • The tiered rate methodology was developed by a stakeholder workgroup composed of residential providers and state agency staff. The Washington State Legislature endorsed this workgroup’s recommended rate methodology in Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6032, providing funding to hold community residential service provider rates harmless during an 18-month transition period following the adoption of this revised rate methodology.
  • Pages 16-17 of the draft Core waiver amendment and pages 16-17 of the draft Community Protection waiver amendment provide more detail on the proposed tiered rate methodology. We believe these proposed changes will have no negative impacts on current or future DDA waiver participants.

You can read the full amendments on our website. Official notices are also located in the Washington State Register and in our field services offices.

Send your comments to Bob Beckman during the comment period.

All future announcements of waiver amendments, waiver renewals and new waivers will be made using this communication system in addition to the Washington Register and flyers in DDA office lobbies.

Contact us for questions or feedback.