SCOPE OF SERVICES

SCOPE OF SERVICES A. Target Population MAC Centers shall make their full range of supports available to people looking for information concerning long-term services and supports, regardless of financial means. This may include, but is not limited to: 1. Elderly (aged 60 and older) 2. People with intellectual disabilities 3. People with developmental disabilities 4. People with physical disabilities 5. People with mental illness 6. Representative parties for any of these groups B. Required Supports 1. Phase One Structural change mandated by CMS requires a Core Standardized Assessment instrument to be utilized across waivers and long-term care institutions. In order to smoothly facilitate this change, MAC Center supports will become available in two stages. Phase One will begin upon initial upstart of MAC Center sites. a) Information & Referral 1) MAC Centers shall provide Information & Referral (I&R) to people and their families, friends, caregivers, advocates, and others who ask for assistance on their behalf. Providing I&R includes listening to the inquirer, assessing his or her needs, and helping the inquirer to connect with service providers or gain information to meet the identified needs. I&R can be provided in person, including home visits and walk-ins, over the telephone, via email, or through written correspondence. This may include the need to: 2) Evaluate the call or request 3) Provide information regarding available services and supports 4) Provide referrals and/or assistance 5) Provide linkages to public and private resources 6) Provide follow-up 7) Advocate on the person’s behalf 8) Identify and update resources b) Screening The MAC Center staff shall be trained to administer a screening tool when a request or expression of interest in applying for publicly funded long-term care is received from a person, that person’s representative, or a qualified state agency in order to predict likelihood of eligibility. c) Person-Centered Counseling The MAC Center shall provide unbiased counseling about a person’s available options, as well as other factors to consider in making long-term care decisions. Person-centered counseling is an interactive decision-support process that typically includes face-to-face interaction, is more than providing a list of service providers or programs for people to choose among, and is time intensive. All possible functions of the MAC Center shall utilize a person-centered approach in assisting people and their representatives. 2. Phase Two Phase Two supports will become available upon release of the Core Standardized Assessment Instrument. At this time, MAC Centers must be equipped to provide assessments when deemed necessary and appropriate, in addition to their Phase One supports. MAC Specialists and Manager who complete assessments must meet minimum mandated requirements. d) Functional Assessment and Coordination of Assessments The MAC Center shall be capable of offering the long-term care functional assessment (InterRAI HC) when it receives an indication of need from the screening tool, or when there is an expression of interest from applicable parties in applying for publicly funded long-term care. MAC Centers will primarily administer an assessment for the Elderly & Disabled waiver. If a person’s screening deems that person likely to be more appropriate for another waiver, MAC Center staff will refer out to the appropriate agency. Similarly, any agency that does not provide the Elderly & Disabled waiver that receives request for assistance from a person who is likely to be most appropriate for that waiver will refer to the MAC Center. e) Financial Assessment Financial eligibility is determined only by DOM. A role of the MAC Center, however, is to coordinate and facilitate financial eligibility determination by assisting the person through the process. f) Identification and Assignment of Case Management Agency Once functional and financial eligibility have been verified, a case management service provider will be selected by the person. MAC Center sites will not provide case management as a service, but will connect people with appropriate case management agencies.