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Residents of Adult Care Homes in North Carolina Could Be Forced Out

March 22, 2012

As many as 4,000 people in North Carolina could be forced from their adult care homes when the state finally begins to comply with federal Medicaid eligibility requirements for personal care services at the end of April.

Under the new state rules, residents who need assistance to perform at least two activities of daily living (ADLs) will qualify for Medicaid. Previously, residents had to need assistance with just one ADL.

About one-third of funding for adult care home residents comes from Medicaid. These public dollars are used to hire direct-care workers who provide care for the residents.

Tara Larson, the chief clinical operating officer at the state Division of Medical Assistance — the agency that manages Medicaid — told a state legislative committee last week that the state “[does] not have a place identified for every individual living in an adult care home for an alternative placement.”

Al Delia, acting secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, told the Associated Press that some of the 4,000 people who stand to lose their services in adult care homes may qualify for the Community Alternatives Program for Persons with Mental Retardation or Developmental Disabilities (CAP-MR/DD), a different Medicaid program for people with developmental disabilities.

— by Matthew Ozga

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