The Aged and Disabled (A&D) Waiver from Indiana Medicaid (Hoosier Care) became the Health & Wellness (H&W) Waiver on July 1, 2024. The H&W Waiver is for persons aged 59 and younger and is administered by the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative services within Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. On 7/1/24, A&D Waiver beneficiaries aged 60+ were transitioned to Indiana’s new Medicaid program, Pathways for Aging, a managed care program for seniors through which they receive their medical care and long-term services and supports. While the A&D Waiver no longer exists, this page remains for historic reference.
The Aged and Disabled Waiver provides home and community-based services (HCBS) for Indiana residents who are elderly, blind, and disabled and are at risk of being institutionalized (being placed in a nursing home). The available long-term services and supports are many and the exact benefits that program participants receive are based on their needs and circumstances. Benefits may include in-home personal care assistance, adult day care, home modifications for safety and accessibility, personal emergency response systems, and homemaker services. Assistance with security deposits and utility set-up fees for persons who wish to move back home or to another community living setting from a nursing home facility is also available.
Some services, such as attendant care, can be participant-directed via the Aged and Disabled Medicaid Waiver. Persons may hear this option referred to as Self-Directed Attendant Care, Participant Directed Attendant Care (PDAC), or Participant Directed Home Care Service (PDHCS). Participant-directed care allows program participants to hire the caregiver of their choosing to provide personal care assistance and help with other daily living activities, such as mobility and preparation / cleanup of meals. Relatives, including adult children and spouses, as well as legal guardians, can be hired as the caregiver. Persons who cannot self-direct their own care can choose someone to do so on their behalf. A financial management services agency handles the financial aspects of employment responsibilities such as tax withholding and caregiver payments.
Services can be received in one’s home, the home of a loved one, an adult family care home (adult foster care), or an assisted living residence. However, the A&D Waiver will not cover the cost of room and board in these settings.
The A&D Waiver is not an entitlement program; meeting eligibility requirements does not equate to immediate receipt of program benefits. Instead, the Waiver has a limited number of participant enrollment slots, and when these slots are full, a waitlist for program participation forms. In fact, effective on 4/3/24, the Family and Social Services Administration’s Division of Aging announced that a waiting list is being implemented.
Indiana’s Aged & Disabled Waiver is a 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Medicaid Waiver. In IN, the Medicaid program is also called Indiana Health Coverage Programs (IHCP).
Your request has been received. You’ll be contacted within one business day.Wait List Alternatives: Are you interested in connecting with a Medicaid Planning Professional to discuss alternatives to the Aged & Disabled Waiver? Waitlists can last from months to years, but there are other Medicaid programs that offer immediate care outside of nursing homes.