Innovations in Home- and Community-Based Services: Highlights from a Review of Services Available to Money Follows the Person Participants

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration supports state efforts to help Medicaid beneficiaries living in long-term care facilities transition back to the community and to make community-based long-term care services and supports more accessible. To enable successful transitions, MFP participants are typically offered expanded home- and community-based services (HCBS) beyond those normally available to Medicaid enrollees in similar circumstances. The MFP grant program allows states to test and implement innovative services without the restrictions of a waiver, and states are taking advantage of this flexibility particularly in the areas of pre-transition and short-term services where some states have focused on expanding transition coordination and invested in services available after discharge.

This report highlights how some grantee states have taken advantage of the flexibility offered by the MFP demonstration to develop and test innovative services for individuals transitioning to community living. Even though this review highlights only a handful of states and services, it provides a broad-based picture of how the MFP demonstration is affecting the HCBS landscape in many states. An array of short- and long-term services are being tested, allowing states to identify the most valuable services before seeking approval for inclusion in state plans or waiver programs.