Non-Medical Transportation Services Fall Under Which Waiver?

People with developmental disabilities who are on Medicaid can get help with non-medical transportation with a SELF waiver. This federally funded program provides transportation to and from work, access to adult day care, trips for vocational habilitation, individual employment support, group employment support, and career planning.

What’s a SELF waiver?

A Self-Empowered Life Funding Waiver is the federal government’s way of allowing people who receive help for developmental disabilities to be in charge of some of their own services. If you have a SELF waiver, you can choose and hire some of the people who help you find your way to self-sufficiency.

Who is Eligible for a SELF Waiver?

SELF waivers are designed for people with developmental disabilities who:

• Receive Medicaid,
• Require a level of care specified for people with developmental disabilities.
• Need one or more services that require a SELF waiver,
• Are reasonably expected not to be exposed to harm while using their SELF waiver, and
• Are capable of managing a budget, directing the staff they hire to support them for at least one SELF waiver service, or can choose someone to do those things for them.

Some of the kinds of services provided under a SELF waiver include adult day support, assistive technology, career planning, clinical intervention, community respite care, functional behavioral assessment, individual employment support, participant-directed personal care, participant-directed home care, remote support, and vocational habilitation.

If you are eligible for any of these services under a SELF waiver, you are eligible for assistance with transportation through a SELF waiver, too.

Funding Limits for SELF Waivers

Adults eligible for SELF waivers can receive up to $45,000 during each waiver span. Children who are eligible for SELF waivers can receive up to $30,000.

A SELF waiver span is typically 12 months. Your total support brokerage cost cannot exceed $8,000 per waiver period, and the one functional assessment you can receive every year cannot cost more than $1,500. These amounts include associated transportation costs. The amount of support you can receive for other SELF waivers is calculated with something called an acuity assessment.

Participant Direction

The person receiving the SELF waiver or their representative must make the choices and do the hiring for the activity funded by the waiver.

How does non-medical transportation figure into SELF waivers?

Most people with developmental challenges can’t drive themselves from place to place. Their primary caregivers may not be able to manage wheelchairs or medical equipment while driving the SELF recipient from location to location. Professional transportation help may be needed.

Around the Sound has decades of experience in making sure that people with developmental disabilities arrive where they need to be when they need to be there. Around the Sound hires trained, licensed, caring drivers who can deal with contingencies that come up in arriving to SELF appointments on time. And Around the Sound can give you information you need about signing up for the SELF program.

Call Around the Sound Today

Around the Sound is Western Washington’s leading provider of local and regional transportation for people who have special transportation needs. Call us at (253) 858-7088 to discuss your options or Reserve a Ride Now!

Categorised in: blog, Medical Transportation Service

This post was written by admin