News Release

HHS Approves Maryland Plan To Allow Individuals With Disabilities To Direct Own Care

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a Maryland demonstration plan to make it easier for individuals with disabilities to remain in their own homes by giving them greater control over a broad array of Medicaid services.

The Maryland waiver, to be called "New Directions," is the seventh program to be approved under HHS' new Independence Plus initiative, which makes it easier for consumers to retain more control of home and community-based services.

"This Maryland plan will allow people to play an essential role in making decisions about how to receive the services they want and need to stay at home," Secretary Thompson said. "We are committed to giving states greater flexibility in designing programs to help persons with disabilities live fuller, more independent lives."

The Maryland "New Directions" waiver will provide services that include respite, supported employment, personal support, transportation, environmental accessibility adaptations, family and individual support services, and assistive technology and adaptive equipment. Participating individuals will be able to select and direct their personal assistants and use a portion of their individual budget for non-traditional goods and services.

"Allowing persons with disabilities to engage in 'self-direction' is a high priority for the Bush Administration," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency that oversees federal health insurance programs. "Self-direction is a proven approach to higher beneficiary satisfaction for the same or lower costs."

As former governors, President Bush and Secretary Thompson have made it a priority to make it simpler for the 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 www.cms.hhs.gov/independenceplus/.

###

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: November 8, 2004