Waiting Lists

Home and community based long-term services and supports provide people with disabilities and chronic health conditions with choices, control, and access to quality community services that support their independence, health, and quality of life. Without these services, many people with disabilities are unnecessarily confined to institutional long-term care settings often at a distance from their community, family, and friends. The US Supreme Court’s Olmstead decision requires states to provide these services “in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities.”

According to United Cerebral Palsy’s, “The Case for Inclusion 2014” report, “waiting lists for critical services continue to climb and show the unmet need of individuals living with ID/DD and their families. Almost 317,000 people are on a waiting list for Home and Community-Based Services. This requires a daunting 46 percent increase in states’ HCBS programs. However, 22 states report no waiting list or a small waiting list (requiring less than 10 percent program growth).

There are a few reasons why individuals stay on waiting lists for extended periods of time. It is important to consider that most states do not screen potential recipients of Medicaid and waiver eligibility before placing them on the list. Furthermore, the waiting list is not frequently updated enough to track when it is time to remove individuals who are receiving other services or when someone has died. In hopes to get services quicker, individuals will join waiting lists for multiple waivers. Therefore, states misquote how many individuals on their lists are eligible for services.

Sources:
. “The Case for Inclusion-2014.” United Cerebral Palsy, n.d. Web. <http://cfi2014.ucp.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Case-for-Inclusion-2014.pdf>.
. “Rebalancing Long-Term Services and Supports: Progress to Date and a Research Agenda for the Future.” The Hilltop Institute. UMBC, 06/14/2011. Web. <http://www.hilltopinstitute.org/publications/RebalancingLTSS-ProgressToDateAndResearchAgendaForFuture-June2011.pdf>.
. “Introducing the Administration for Community Living.” Administration for Community Living. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. <http://www.hhs.gov/acl/>.

290 Olmstead v. L.C. ex. Rel. Zimring, 527 U.S. 581, 598 (1999).

“National Disability Policy: A Progress Report – October 2013.” National Council on Disability, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. <http://www.ncd.gov/progress_reports/10312013>.