On April 17th, 2023, ADvancing States and the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities (NASDDDS) submitted joint comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on proposed revisions to the Medicaid 1915(c) waiver application and technical guide. This is the second public comment period submission for proposed revisions to these documents. 

The intent of the proposed changes is to bring the waiver application and technical guide into alignment with the final home and community-based services (HCBS) settings regulations and to make other changes to align with current policies and practices.  ADvancing States and NASDDDS express our thanks to CMS for making revisions in response to our comments submitted during the Fall 2023 public comment period. We suggest additional minor revisions, including related to payments to legally responsible individuals and eligibility determination processes for the 217 eligibility group. We also request CMS provide guidance to states regarding implementation of the updated versions of the waiver application and technical guide, and encourage CMS to continue efforts to make waiver application information, systems and processes accessible and efficient.

Click here to read the full comment letter.