Paralyzed Hoosier Veterans
Do you need or do you know someone who needs the
following services?
Through the Indiana Community and Home Options to
Institutional Care for
the Elderly and Disabled (better known as CHOICE )
Program, an alternative
to institutionalization was created in 1987. This
program does exactly what its
name implies, provides individuals with a "choice"
regarding the way in which
they receive the care they need. The intent of the
CHOICE program is to
provide an array of in-home supportive services which
would allow the elderly
and disabled to remain in their own homes for as long
as possible, thus
providing maximum independence by assisting the
individual in avoiding
institutionalization.
ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES : To be eligible for
assistance under the CHOICE
program, you must be an Indiana resident, 60 years of
age or older, or
disabled because of a severe physical and/or mental
condition which is
expected to last indefinitely and be at imminent risk
of losing one's
independence. In addition, it must be medically
feasible to provide home
care to the individual. There are no income
restrictions.
Persons who are at risk of losing their independence
are those who are
unable to perform the activities of daily living
(such as bathing, dressing,
eating, toileting, grooming, etc.), in need of
in-home medical services or in
need of support services for their caregivers.
Without these services,
institutionalization may become a reality.
Individuals who are currently
residing in an institutional setting who could be
maintained in their original
residence but have been unable to return home due to
the lack of funding
sources to pay for the in-home services, may also
benefit.
APPLICATION FOR CHOICE SERVICES: The Council
on Aging is
responsible for administering the program at the
local level. When services
are requested, a case manager will make a home visit
to complete a
detailed assessment of the individual's situation.
Through the assessment,
the case manager will determine the services needed.
They will develop a
care plan to address the ongoing needs of the
individual and monitor the
individual and the services they are receiving.
Individuals will be reassessed
at regular intervals to make sure that services
continue to meet the person's
needs.
PAYMENT FOR SERVICES: The case manager reviews
all possible options
of payment for services through private insurance,
Medicaid, Medicare and
other social service programs. Only when all of these
options have been
exhausted are the CHOICE funds used. The CHOICE
program also contains
a cost share formula which may require a client to
pay for all or a portion of
the cost of the services; therefore, the cost share
is discussed with the client
and determined at the time of assessment. In
determining the amount of the
cost share, the client's financial resources and
expenses, the availability of
informal support, and the cost of services purchased
through CHOICE are
considered. Effective July 1, 1994, the client cost
share formula (1) imposes
no charges for an eligible individual whose income
does not exceed 150% of
the federal income poverty level; and (2) does not
impose charges for the
total cost of services provided to an individual
through the CHOICE program
unless the eligible individual's income exceeds 350%
of the federal income
poverty level. The calculation of income of an
eligible individual under the
CHOICE program must include the deduction of the
person's medical
expenses and the medical expenses of the individual's
spouse and
dependent children who reside in the eligible
client's household.
CHOICE is a state administered program funded with
our tax-dollars. The
Paralyzed Hoosier Veterans advocate for and support
legislation that will
provide sufficient funding to operate the program.
Even though additional
funding was approved for the 1999-2001 FY budget,
there is a waiting list of
6,000 people caused partly by Medicare cuts. You can
help with a letter to
your State Senator and Representative in
Indianapolis. Tell them how
important the CHOICE program is to you or someone you
know and ask
them to support adequate funding for the Program.
For information about CHOICE services in Central
Indiana (Marion and
surrounding counties), contact the Central Indiana
Council on Aging, Inc. at
4755 Kingsway Drive, Suite 200, Indianapolis, IN
46205-1560. Phone
1-800-432-2422 or 317-254-3660.
HOOSIER UPLANDS Area 15 Agency on Aging -
800-333-2451 or
812-849-4457
(Covering Crawford, Lawrence, Orange and Washington
Counties)
AREA 10 Council on Aging 800-844-1010 or 812-334-3383
(Covering Owen and Monroe Counties)
AREA 11 Board on Aging 812-372-6918 or 812-445-3885
(direct dial for Jackson County)
LIFESTREAM SERVICES (formerly known as Area 6)
800-589-1121 or 765-759-1121
(Madison, Henry and Delaware)
NORTHEASTERN AREA (Ft. Wayne): Phone 1-800-552-3662
or 260-745-1200
All other Areas call 800-986-3505
CHOICE SERVICES: The services
available through CHOICE , in addition to
Case Management, are: Home Health Services, Home
Delivered Meals,
Homemaker Services, Respite Care, Transportation,
Attendant Care, Adult
Day Care, Medical Supplies and other services as
required to maintain
independence.