Indiana Resumes Disability Waiver Reviews After interRAI Pause
Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration paused level-of-care determinations for disability Medicaid waivers on Aug. 31 to review inconsistent case manager implementation of its new interRAI assessment tool, resuming determinations this week. The tool, adopted in January after officials questioned near-universal approval rates under the prior system, triggered a surge in denials that alarmed advocates and lawmakers. FSSA is now ordering new assessments for Hoosiers with pending or appealed denials, conducted jointly by case managers and specially trained assessors or mentors, effectively giving affected individuals a fresh determination. Advocates, including The Arc of Indiana, still want details on how interRAI data is mapped onto Indiana's level-of-care eligibility criteria and how the methodology was validated, warning the stakes are high for intellectually and developmentally disabled residents relying on home-based waivers instead of institutional care.