This document summarizes a project between the Aging and Disabilities Services Administration and Columbia Legal Services to improve explanations provided to Medicaid recipients regarding changes to their personal care benefits. Around 15,000-16,000 clients annually experience a change in benefits. The new process will provide a side-by-side comparison of the previous and current care assessments, along with explanations for any changes in components. An online guide also provides more information about the care assessment process. The goal is to help clients better understand changes to their personal care benefits.

1. The Personal Care Results ComparisonProject A collaboration between the Aging and Disabilities Services Administration of the Department of Social and Health Services and Columbia Legal Services

2. Overview 40,000 Washingtonians receive Medicaid-funded personal care in their own homes, in Adult Family Homes, or in Assisted Living. What benefits do they receive? An award of personal care hours they can use to hire in-home care; or Payment to an Adult Family Home or Assisted Living facility based on the amount and type of care they need. 15,000 – 16,000 clients each year have a change in the number of personal care hours they receive or the rate paid to their Adult Family Home/Assisted Living facility. Where there’s been a change, clients will now get an explanation about what changed between their last assessment and their current assessment.

3. What’s the goal? Help clients understand their personal care benefits by providing: A side-by-side comparison of the client’s previous CARE assessment and their current CARE Assessment. Explanations of the components of the CARE assessment that changed.

4. What explanation about changes in benefits did clients receive before? Clients received a Planned Action Notice and CARE Results. Click here to be taken to a CARE Results example [link] for illustrative client, Jane Smith. This is the “before” example showing what Jane would have received after her most recent assessment.

5. What explanation will clients receive? Clients will receive a Planned Action Notice that will include a Summary Table telling them what changed. Clients will also receive information that tells them the specific CARE assessment components that changed. Click here [link] to be taken to the “after” example. This shows what Jane Smith will receive when her benefits change in the future.

6. Who won’t get the new information? The new information won’t be given to clients whose Classification Group or Level does not change. Clients whose benefits don’t change will continue to get the same information they get now – a Planned Action Notice and CARE Results.

7. Online Information Now, there is much more information about the CARE assessment in the Online Key – an explanatory guide to CARE assessments. The Online Key provides explanations, descriptions, and examples. The examples help explain, among other things: How the assessment takes into consideration the amountof unpaid help a client receives How a client’s behaviors factor into the amount of help the client receives To view the Online Key go to: http://www.adsa.dshs.wa.gov/ClientInfo/

8. What’s Next?Develop and provide a similar explanation to clients who are having their first CARE assessment.Develop and provide a similar explanation to clients whose benefits are being terminated.