Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) allow people with significant physical and cognitive limitations to remain in their homes or home-like settings rather than in an institution. States can cover HCBS in their state plans or target services to certain populations through waivers under Section 1915(c) and Section 1115 of the Social Security Act. Such waivers permit states to limit the number of individuals served and establish waiting lists.
In this presentation, staff provide information from a recently published issue brief and compendium on waiver capacity that shed light on approaches to waiting list management, strategies to reduce waiting lists, and the experiences of individuals on waiting lists. As part of this work, staff reviewed Section 1915(c) and Section 1115 waivers and conducted 16 stakeholder interviews.