NC Medicaid beneficiaries on the NC Innovations Waiver who are attending school virtually due to the COVID-19 public health emergency can now receive waiver support during remote learning.
The NC Department of Health and Human Services requested a waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow individuals to access Innovations Waiver respite during remote learning hours. Other services are still accessible outside of school or remote learning hours.
“The pandemic is challenging enough. We need to ensure that children with intellectual and developmental disabilities have the assistance to successfully participate in remote learning,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D.
The CMS waiver approval is through an Appendix K, which allows states to submit requests to ease certain waiver requirements during federally declared emergencies. The modification was approved effective Aug. 17, 2020, to March 13, 2021.
Previous Appendix K flexibilities added home delivered meals as a service, allowed for retainer payments for direct care providers, allowed for family members of children and adults to provide services with some provider requirements waived. and allowed for service maximums and the waiver limit to be exceeded in addition to other flexibilities.