I Am a Case Manager
Posted November 21, 2011 by Mandy Smith in Advocacy
I am a Case Manager, yet I do not manage cases, I work with people. My job is to visit people in their homes who have physical disabilities and complete an assessment to determine if they are eligible for a Medicaid program that provides long term care services to them in their own homes.
People used to be relieved when I would complete my assessment and tell them, “Yes, we can help you.” The Home and Community Based Services that they had qualified for would allow them to have assistance as they needed it allowing them to remain independent in their homes and communities and keep the dreaded nursing facility entrance at bay.
Things have certainly changed. Now when I complete an assessment I am forced to say, “Yes we can help you, but there’s a 2 and ½ year waiting list (at least). I look into the eyes of the loved one that is no longer able to stay with them and provide care and see the fear, frustration, and tiredness. I hear the cries of the woman who is terrified that without services she will be committed to an institution, when she is perfectly capable of staying in her own home with some supports.
There is no good explanation for this, Home and Community Based Services are much less expensive than Nursing Facility care, a fact that we as advocates have been stressing for years and years. This year, the savings opportunity was even greater, if Kansas had opted in to the Community First Choice Option that was effective in October, we would have received greater Federal assistance to pay for the services as well as ensure that individuals would not have to wait.
The long term effect of providing Home and Community Based Services to all who qualify instead of institutional care is not only a greater integration of individuals with disabilities into their communities, but also a huge financial savings to the state.
It is time for us to start asking our Legislators and our Governor, why; in a time of budget surplus, we are not talking about restoring the funds to HCBS to eliminate the waiting list and give Kansans the dignity and care that they deserve.
