Annual Room, Board, and Occupancy Subsidy
Certain costs associated with operating a waiver funded group
home are not Medicaid reimbursable. These include room, board,
heat, and utilities. The Department offers subsidies to such
programs in order to help offset these costs. The accompanying
applications must be completed and returned to the Department
in order to receive this subsidy.
Developmental Sservices Guidelines for Annual Room, Board,
and Occupancy Subsides
Certain costs associated with operating a waiver funded group
home are not Medicaid reimbursable. These include room, board,
heat, and utilities. The Department offers subsidies to such
programs in order to help offset these costs. The accompanying
applications must be completed and returned to the Department
in order to receive this subsidy.
- The subsidy is approved annually as part of the Department’s
fiscal year cycle. Applications must be submitted by March 1
each year in order for the home to be eligible for a subsidy
for the fiscal year commencing on July 1.
- The subsidy is determined by site, not by consumer.
- Shared Living and Family Centered Support models
are not eligible for a subsidy.
- All approved subsidies for a given fiscal year are included
in the provider’s contract for that year. For homes opened
after the disbursement of funds and completion of the contracts
for the fiscal year, the Provider must follow the process to
submit the application for a subsidy. If funds remain in the
Department’s account, the Provider’s contract will
be amended to add the additional subsidy. If no funds are available,
the Department will keep record of the application and will
provide a subsidy when funding becomes available. Allocation
of funds in these instances will be based on the date of the
application for the funds. This stipulation also applies to
existing homes whose circumstances have changes following the
application/contract deadline. Such circumstances include significant
and unavoidable changes in the costs associated with the home,
and change in the census of the home. Routine, short-term vacancies
are not addressed by the subsidy.
- Providers are responsible for notifying the Department
of any changes that significantly reduce the subsidy need in
a given home. Subsidies are not transferable; an application
must be submitted for each affected home.
- The subsidy applies both to homes rented and owned
by providers. In cases where the provider refinances a home
that it owns, the Department must be notified, so that it
can determine if the refinancing has a bearing upon the subsidy.
- The subsidy does not apply to homes owned by private
guardians, unless those guardians rent the home to the provider
and operate exclusively as landlords, with regard to the management
and maintenance of the home.
- The subsidy does not apply to homes owned and operated
by for-profit agencies. It does apply to homes rented by the
for profit agencies, except in cases where the landlord is a
subsidiary or partner of the agency.
- Providers must attempt to access food stamps, fuel
assistance, and Section 8 or other housing assistance for
every affected home, in order to defray the required subsidy
as much as possible.
- The Department cannot assure full subsidization of
every home in any fiscal year. The Department utilizes transparent,
equitable formula for distributing subsidies, and makes this
formula available on its web site.
- There is a cap on the subsidy available for any particular
home. It is based upon the market rents/costs for the County
in which the home is located, and the number of consumers living
in the home.
- In cases where consumers’ SSI or other contributions
are sufficient to cover all the relevant costs, no subsidy is
provided.
- All consumers are expected to contribute a monthly amount
commensurate with their SSI, less personal spending money. A
provider may require a small contribution from consumers if
it so chooses, but this difference may not be adjusted via the
Department’s subsidy. If providers wish to request a larger
contribution from consumers who have income higher than basic
SSI, they must negotiate this on an individual basis with the
consumer or guardian, and this adjustment must also be reflected
in the subsidy application.
- All approved subsidies for a given fiscal year are included
in the provider’s contract for that year.
