Wait list could give seniors fewer options
Staff writer
Department on Aging director Lou Turk worries about Kansas’ new waiting list for a program that helps seniors remain in their homes.
“They say they don’t want people to fall through the cracks,” Turk said. “That’s already happening.”
Turk said she was blindsided when the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services announced it would begin placing new applicants for Frail Elderly Home and Community-Based Services waivers on a wait list because demand exceeded available money.
The waiver helps eligible Medicaid recipients remain in their homes by providing services such as personal care, housekeeping and health care.
New applicants have been placed on a wait list since July 6. Those already in the approval process will continue through the system and emergency cases may qualify for exceptions.
Helping seniors remain safely at home as long as possible has long been Turk’s goal because it often delays or prevents nursing home placement.
She has heard from one Marion County family concerned about the wait list but doesn’t expect a surge in local applicants because many eligible residents don’t know the program exists.
Another challenge, she said, is that seniors whose incomes exceed Medicaid limits by only a small amount often receive no assistance.
“There’s people, unfortunately, that might be just $50 over the limit, and that automatically disqualifies them,” she said.
Those waiting for services may have to rely on family members, churches, volunteers, and home health agencies, Turk said, but not everyone has that support.
According to KDADS, the waiver program typically has 250 to 275 openings each month through turnover. The 577 applicants already approved for eligibility when the waiting list took effect will continue through the approval process without delay.