Medicaid Waiver Guide – Ohio

Understanding the Medicaid Waiver Program in Ohio

Ohio currently has five home and community based 1915(c) waivers that serve children. Four serve both children and adults, and the new OhioRISE waiver is only for children. Three waive parent income for eligibility, but the parental deeming is unknown for the other programs. See Ohio’s HCBS Waivers page for more information. Ohio also has additional information on waivers for people with developmental disabilities, including this page comparing programs.

Types of Programs

Home Care

• Description from medicaid.gov: Provides adult day health center services, personal care aide services, community integration, community transition, home care attendant, home delivered meal, home maintenance and chore, home modification, out-of-home respite, personal emergency response systems, supplemental adaptive and assistive device, supplemental transportation services, and waiver nursing services for individuals with physical disabilities, ages 0-59.
• Online State Information: Home Care Waiver
• Official Federal Information
• How to Apply: Contact your County Office.

Individual Options

• Description from medicaid.gov: Provides community respite, habilitation – adult day support, homemaker/personal care, specialized medical equipment and supplies, assistive technology, career planning, community transition service, environmental accessibility adaptations, group employment support, habilitation – vocational habilitation, home delivered meals, homemaker/personal care – daily billing unit, individual employment support, interpreter, money management, non-medical transportation, nutrition, participant-directed homemaker/personal care, remote supports, residential respite, shared living, social work, transportation, waiver nursing delegation, waiver nursing for individuals with ID/DD, ages 0 – no max age.
• Online State Information: Individual Options from the Department of Developmental Disabilities
• Official Federal Information
• How to Apply: Contact your County Board for Developmental Disabilities.

Self Empowered Life Funding (SELF)

• Description from medicaid.gov: Provides participant-directed homemaker/personal care, residential respite, participant-directed goods and services, participant/family stability assistance, support brokerage, assistive technology, career planning, clinical/therapeutic intervention, community respite, functional behavioral assessment, group employment support, habilitation – adult day support, habilitation – vocational habilitation, individual employment support, non-medical transportation, remote supports, transportation, waiver nursing delegation for individuals with IID/DD, ages 0 – no max age.
• Online State Information: SELF Waiver
• Official Federal Information
• How to Apply: Contact your County Board for Developmental Disabilities.

Level One

• Description from medicaid.gov: Provides community respite, habilitation- adult day support, habilitation- vocational habilitation, homemaker/personal care, specialized medical equipment and supplies, assistive technology, career planning, environmental accessibility adaptations, group employment support, home delivered meals, individual employment support, informal respite, money management, non-medical transportation, participant-directed homemaker/personal care, remote supports, residential respite, transportation, waiver nursing delegation for individuals with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities, ages 0 – no max age.
• Online State Information: Level One from DODD
• Official Federal Information
• How to Apply: Contact your County Board for Developmental Disabilities.

OhioRISE Waiver

• Description from medicaid.gov: Provides out-of-home respite, transitional services and supports, and secondary flex fund services for individuals with serious emotional disturbance ages 0 through 20 years.
• Online State Information: OhioRISE
• Official Federal Information
• How to Apply: Contact your managed care entity or call 833-711-0773. See this page for more information.

Other online resources for Ohio:

• Ohio Family and Children First helps coordinate services for families with special needs. Call your county’s office by clicking your county at the bottom of the page.
• CAP4Kids hsa a ton of resources for parents including social skills groups, education recommendations, and camps.
• Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) provides tons of great resources for how to navigate Ohio’s resources.
• You can contact Ohio Department of Disabilities here

Telephone Resources

• Ohio Family and Children First Phone numbers by county
• OCALI contact numbers by agency

Ordering Goally with a Medicaid Waiver

Talk with your case manager to see if the waiver program you have will cover Goally. If so, have your case manager email us at: [email protected] to place an order on your behalf.