Money Follows the Person

Money Follows the Person

Overview
The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Project began as a five-year grant award to shift Medicaid Long-Term Care (LTC) from its emphasis on institutional care to Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS). In 2005, prior to receiving the MFP grant, Georgia's long-term care expenditures were $1.5 billion, with 70 percent expended on institutional long-term care and 30 percent expended on HCBS. The goal of Georgia's MFP Project is to increase the percentage for HCBS to more than 50 percent by the endof the grant period, which is March 1, 2023.

Through MFP, Georgia has achieved growth in annual spending on HCBS. The MFP grant opportunity was made available as part of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and reauthorized under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. Through the ACA, federal funds will allow MFP to operate through March 1, 2023.

Georgia's MFP Project
MFP is a joint initiative between the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Aging Services (DAS). The project's goal is to transition more than 2,600 Georgians from institutional settings to the community primarily through use of Georgia's Medicaid waiver programs the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), the Service Options Using Resources in the Community Environment (SOURCE) Program, the Community Care Service Program (CCSP), and the New Options Waiver (NOW), the Comprehensive Support (COMP) Waiver and the Community-Based Alternatives for Youth (CBAY)Program.

Eligible participants include those who have been inpatients in a long-term care facility for at least 60 consecutive days and whose care has been covered by Medicaid preceding their transition to HCBS. Participants must also meet the institutional level of care.

Participants must continue to meet institutional levels of care criteria after transitioning to the community.
G Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507

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Target populations include older adults (OA), adults and children with physical disabilities (PD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth with mental illness, added at the beginning of SFY 2014.
MFP includes a variety of transition services that enable participants to move into communities of their choice.
Participants work with field personnel to review MFP transition services and options for long term services and support.
Field personnel assist participants in creating a transition plan, arranging for services for discharge and making the move to the community.
After transitioning to the community, participants meet monthly with field personnel during the 365 MFP period of participation (usually 365 days).
Through MFP, the state has established a seamless information and referral process with the collaboration of various contracted agencies and field personnel to have coordinate transitions.
MFP Transitions
Eligible participants began transitioning into the community on September 1, 2008. By the end of CY 2018, more than 2,600 participants had transitioned to the community.
For More Information
To learn more about MFP, contact: DHS Aging and Disability Resources Connection at 866-55-AGING (866-552-4464) The Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 888-454-5826 DCH Money Follows the Person Project at 404-651-9961 or email at gamfp@dch.ga.gov.

Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507

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