November 13

Today your caseworker for Texas Department of Aging and Disabilty Services came to do your in home evaluation. Back in August I applied for MDCP—Medically Dependent Children Program through the DADS office. It is a Medicaid waiver program based on the child’s income alone (zero) with a very long wait list. If the child meets the necessity criteria for admission to a nursing home this program provides financial assistance for them to be able to live at home instead. The Money Follows the Patient (MFP or Rider 28) program is a way to bypass the long wait list. It works by putting the child in the nursing home for 30 days and when they are discharged the money (Medicaid) literally “follows the patient” home until 21. With a letter from the primary care physician stating a nursing home stay isn’t appropriate for the child (as in your case since you need constant supervision) the mandatory 30 day stay can be shortened to 48 hours.

So after three months we are still at the very beginning of this long process. Our caseworker estimates it will take at least two more months, probably three for everything to be finalized. But the very cool thing about all of this is that through this program we are required to have a predetermined amount of respite care each month paid for by Medicaid. Anybody of our choosing can be an “attendant”…even grandmothers! So when Grammy and Honey and Mema come over to help me by spending time with you, or ride with us to the hospital, they will now be paid to do it. Win-win for everyone!