PA DPW Posts "Long-Term Care Handbook"
The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare recently updated online a portion of its Handbook for the "Long-Term Care" Program in Pennsylvania, as of August 1, 2007.
The updates to the online LTC Handbook were brought to the attention of practitioners on August 3, 2007, in a message posted on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's "Elder Law Section" listserv by Linda M. Anderson, Esq., who practices through Anderson Elder Law, in Media, PA.
The LTC Handbook is one of various operations manuals or handbooks previously made available online by PA DPW, as summarized here.
The handbooks are what the County Assistance worker uses to determine an individual’s benefit.
The handbooks give the caseworker direction on how to use the individual’s income, resources, and non financial information.
To view the Cash Assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid and Supplemental handbooks, just click on the links below.
Each handbook provides a statement on legal requirements or proper procedures according to the PA DPW, with a companion citation to a legal source, such as the Pennsylvania Code or the Code of Federal Regulations. Many of the handbooks' provisions are founded in Chapter 55 ("Public Welfare") of the PA Code, or Title 42 ("Public Health") of the CFR.
This is the "Table of Contents" of PA DPW's Long-Term Care Handbook:
The sections of the LTC Handbook are highly technical. Interim changes or clarifications in policies & procedures are updated by way of periodic Operations Memoranda, which then become part of the manual online. For example, see: LTC Handbook Updates.
However, these handbooks are not easily understood by consumers. So PA DPW provides on its expansive website other, more general & readable, explanations as to its many programs.
For example, as to the PA Medicaid Program & its criteria for benefits, you can read PA DPW explanations available online:
- Bridge Program to Help Older Pennsylvanians Remain in the Community -- Information about the Bridge Program, which assists older people who are not eligibile for Department of Aging services, to remain in the community as an alternative to entering a long term care facility. No new applications are being accepted.
- Documentation of Citizenship Frequently Asked Questions -- Provides questions and answers to the most asked questions concerning the documentation of citizenship for Medicaid applicants and recipients.
- Estate Recovery Program -- The estate recovery program enables the Commonwealth to recover from the estate of individuals who were fifty-five (55) years of age or older at the time nursing facility services or home and community-based services were received.
- Home and Community Based Services -- Information about special programs that provide services beyond those provided by Medicaid that enable individuals to remain in a community setting instead of a long term care facility.
- Long Term Care Facility Services -- Provides information about benefits and basic eligibility requirements to receive care in a long term care facility under Medicaid.
- Medicaid -- General Eligibility Requirements -- Basic eligibility requirements for the Medicaid program.
- Medicaid -- Using the ACCESS Card to Obtain Medical Services -- Information on how to use the ACCESS Card to obtain medical needed medical services.
- Medicaid Benefits -- Overview -- What it is, how it works, and how to apply.
- Medicaid Benefits for Adults Age 21 through 64 -- Provides information about Mediciad benefits and general eligibility requirements for Medicaid for adults age 21 through 64 in General Assistance-Related categories.
- Medicaid Benefits for Families, Pregnant Women, and Children -- Description of Medicaid benefits and eligibility requirements for families, pregnant women, and children.
- Medicaid for Older People and People with Disabilities -- Provides information on Medicaid benefits and general eligiblity requirements for Medicaid for older people and people with disabilities.
- Medical Assistance Benefits for Workers with Disabilities -- Provides information on Medicaid benefits and general eligibility requirements for workers with disabilities.
- Questions About Medicaid Eligibility -- Where to address questions about Medicaid Eligibility.
- Spend-down -- Information on how medical expenses you have incurred can be deducted from your income for purposes of becoming eligible for Medicaid.
