An overview of Money Follows the Person [Jan. 2012]

An Overview of Money Follows the Person
Overview
The Money Follows the Person Program (MFP) began as a five-year grant award to shift Medicaid Long-Term Care from its emphasis on institutional care to Home- and Community-Based Services. In 2005, before Georgia received the MFP grant, the state's long-term care expenditures were $1.5 billion, with 70% expended on institutional long-term care, and 30% expended on Home- and Community-Based services. The goal of MFP is to increase the percentage for Home- and Community-Based Services to just over 50% by the end of the grant in December 2016. Through MFP, Georgia has achieved 2% growth in annual spending on Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS). The MFP grant opportunity was made available as part of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act of Fiscal Year 2006. Through recent health care reform, Georgia's grant of over $93 million in federal funds will allow MFP to operate through December 31, 2016.
Georgia's MFP Program
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 program's goal is to transition 2,293 Georgians over nine years from institutional settings to the community through Georgia's waiver programs, which include: the Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), the Service Options Using Resources in a Community Environment Program (SOURCE), the Community Care Service Program (CCSP), and the New Options (NOW) and Comprehensive (COMP) Waiver Programs.
Eligible persons include those who have lived in a nursing facility or institution for at least three months and whose care has been covered by Medicaid in the month preceding their transition to Home- and Community-Based Services.
Members must continue to meet institutional level of care criteria after transitioning to the community.
Target populations include older adults, adults and children with physical disabilities and/or brain injuries and adults and children with developmental disabilities.
MFP includes 15 new transition services to assist institutional members in resettling in the community. These services include one-time purchases of basic household items and furnishings, utility deposits, security deposits, transportation to assist in housing searches and limited funding for home environmental modifications. Most of these new transition services will be eligible for an enhanced federal match.
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Georgia Department of Community Health | 2 Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303 | www.dch.georgia.gov | 404-656-4507
January 2012

An Overview of MFP
Through MFP, the state has established a seamless information and referral process, transition coordinators, support services to ease transition, transition peer counselors and increased availability of affordable housing (through each of the 12 Aging and Disability Resource Connections [ADRCs]) and transportation.
MFP Transitions
Beginning September 1, 2008, eligible persons started transitioning into the community. As of November 30, 2011, 737 individuals had successfully transitioned back to their homes and communities through MFP. If you are interested in learning more about MFP, you can contact:
The Georgia Department of Community Health, Money Follows the Person Program at 404-656-6862 T he Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 888-454-5826