News Release

HHS Approves North Carolina Plan to Allow Individuals with Disabilities to Direct Own Care

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a five-county North Carolina demonstration plan to make it easier for individuals with developmental disabilities or cognitive impairments to remain in their own homes by giving them greater control over a broad array of Medicaid services.

North Carolina was one of the first states to receive approval of a self-directed home- and community-based services program under the new Independence Plus initiative. Today's approval will be the second wavier granted under that initiative in North Carolina.

Independence Plus is an initiative to help states develop programs for family- and individually-directed community services using either a demonstration waiver or a home and community-based services waiver.

This waiver, which will be operated in Cabarrus, Davidson, Rowan, Stanley and Union counties, will provide personal care services, adult day services, respite services, and home delivered meals. It also helps coordinating a range of other services that people with developmental disabilities or cognitive impairments need in order to help them maintain independent lives. It will also provide funding to move people out of institutions and back into their communities.

"This North Carolina plan will allow people with disabilities to play an essential role in deciding how to plan, obtain and sustain community-based services for themselves," Secretary Thompson said. "We are committed to giving states greater flexibility in designing programs like this one to help persons with disabilities live fuller, more independent lives."

"Self-direction is a proven approach to higher beneficiary satisfaction for the same or lower costs," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency that oversees federal health insurance programs.

As former governors, President Bush and Secretary Thompson have made it a priority to make it simpler for states to submit Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program waiver requests and to initiate new programs such as Independence Plus. Since January 2001, HHS has approved waivers and plan amendments that have expanded eligibility to more than two million people and enhanced benefits for more than six million people.

Additional information regarding federal support of self-direction options can be obtained at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/independenceplus.

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Last Revised: October 8, 2004