On January 27, following months of workgroup meetings and discussion of this process, the Department of Health issued a draft transition plan for Traumatic Brain Injury and Nursing Home Transition and Diversion Waivers to go into the Managed Care. Download transition plan here. This transition plan is woefully inappropriate and does not reflect the many issues discussed throughout this process. Now is the time to speak out about the need to protect these programs.
We are very concerned that the plan does not provide the same level of protections currently provided to participants under the Waiver. It does not include all of the services currently provided under the Waiver, including Service Coordination, Community Integration Counseling, housing, and HCSS for oversight and supervision.
The brain injury community must now stand united and work actively to preserve and strengthen the groundbreaking Waiver services that have become a model of a quality community-based program. All members of the community must speak out against this transition plan to ensure that current and future eligible individuals with brain injury have access to quality brain injury services in the community.
Take Action!
1. Submit a letter to your NYS representatives requesting their support. A downloadable letter and instructions are on the Advocacy page of this website.
2. Attend the DOH workgroup meetings at One Commerce Plaza (99 Washington Ave, 16th Floor, Room 1613, Albany, NY 12210) every Wednesday in February from 10am-12pm (RSVP to waivertransition@health.ny.gov). These events are also provided as Web seminars using WebEx. Register by clicking this link.
3. Share this information with other members of the brain injury community, family members, friends, and advocates and encourage them to get involved.
4. Plan to attend the BIANYS Brain Injury Advocacy Day in Albany on March 23 and encourage others to attend.