My Place Louisiana - Aging and Adult Services

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration, also known as the My Place program, is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid rebalancing of long term care services initiative. It provides funding incentives to states to develop infrastructure that promote the transition of Medicaid recipients from institutional care to home and community based care. Since its implementation in 2008, the state has made modifications to current Medicaid home and community based supports and services that help promote transitions from Medicaid funded institutional care settings to community living settings with Medicaid home and community support and services.

Louisiana is participating in the Demonstration with 44 other states and the District of Columbia. All states are working toward the same goal -- finding ways to support people to live where they want to live while receiving their Medicaid long-term care services.  

In Louisiana, the Demonstration is known by the name My Place Louisiana or My Place. The Louisiana Demonstration was recently extended through Congress’s passing of the EMPOWER ACT, extending the program’s funding for transitions through calendar year 2019. The demonstration was originally funded as a ten-year (2008-2018) initiative which focuses on Medicaid long term care funding following participants in transition from nursing facilities, hospitals, and ICFs/DD to home and community–based living services within a person home setting.

The purpose of My Place Louisiana is to give people community living options. A person, participating in My Place Louisiana, has a choice of where they live and what services they receive. A person can live in his or her own home, in an apartment, at home with family, or with roommates also receiving waiver services.  To better understand the process of transitioning and how the My Place Louisiana program works, read  Sara’s Story or  Chuck's Story.

 What services may participants receive through My Place Louisiana?

• My Place Louisiana supports a participant’s move to the community from qualified Medicaid funded institutions and once back in the community, supports maintenance of staying in the home with supports and services in place.
• My Place Louisiana participants’ use waivers and/or state plan service(s) to transition into a home or community setting.

Waivers and state plan service(s) used to transition back to the community include:

• Community Choices Waiver
• Adult Day Health Care waiver,
• Program of All–Inclusive Care for Elderly (PACE),
• Long Term — Personal Care Services (LT-PCS OCDD population only)
• Children’s Choice waiver,
• Residential Options Waiver,
• Extended Home Health-Children
• Support Coordination

.

Eligible participants will receive additional Medicaid State Plan services. Services selected through My Place will continue as long as participants are eligible and want the services.

The Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration is a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Demonstration designed to help states try new ways of delivering Medicaid services. The Demonstration is designed to help people move, also called “transition”, from an institution into home- and community-based living settings, such as a home or an apartment. In Louisiana, the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration is known as My Place Louisiana.

Anyone currently residing in a nursing facility for 90 days or longer; or has a combined stay of 90 days or more between a hospital and nursing facility, who continues to meet NF LOC; and who is financially eligible for a Medicaid waiver, can participate in the demonstration.

People who may be eligible for My Place Louisiana must have been institutionalized for at least 90 consecutive days and/or have a combined stay of 90 days between a hospital and nursing facility, and meet the following criteria:

   1. Elders (age 65 and older) currently living in a nursing facility

   2. Adults with physical disabilities (at nursing facility level of care and currently living in a nursing facility)

   3. People (of any age) with developmental disabilities and living in an ICF/DD

   4. Children (age birth to 18 years residing in a nursing facility) who meet the following criteria:

• Have resided in a nursing facility, ICF/DD, or hospital with a combined stay of 90 consecutive days or longer;
• Meet Medicaid financial eligibility for long term-care services; and
• Meet level of care eligibility for community-based services.

Medicaid requested additional funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement the My Place Louisiana demonstration after identifying barriers to transitioning nursing facility residents back to the community. Participants in the demonstration have access to limited  funds for the following if they are essential to transition:

1. Additional home/environmental modifications or DME not covered by waiver/Medicaid
2. Community healthcare provider(s) consultation
3. Legal services needed to transition
4. Documents needed to apply for housing (birth certificates, identification)
5. Short-term emergency security deposit  assistance

In order for an individual to participate in the demonstration, they or a legally authorized representative must agree to participate by signing an informed consent to participate in the program.  Participation in My Place Louisiana means transitioning from an institution to a home or community-based living setting, such as a home or apartment.

Enrollment occurs in one of two ways. The participant can enroll in My Place at the time they accept a hand-delivered waiver offer by OAAS staff or by a waiver support coordinator , if their waiver offer was received in the mail. There is a My Place Louisiana Participant Handbook containing an informed consent which must be signed by the participant and returned to the My Place Louisiana staff. Enrollment form(s) are to be faxed within one business day of signature to (225) 219-0202 & the original(s) then mailed as follows:

My Place Louisiana Program Manager

LDH – OAAS

P.O. Box 2031

Baton Rouge, LA 70821-2031

No. My Place Louisiana is for anyone transitioning from a qualified Medicaid funded institution, such as a nursing facility, to the community with Medicaid home and community supports and services such as, waiver services. CMS & LDH are very interested in capturing quality of life data and giving Medicaid recipients a voice in how they receive services.

No, there is no cost or obligation to participate.

My Place Louisiana has Transition Coordinators in all nine public health regions of the state. These coordinators deliver waiver offers to eligible participants and maintain contact with them throughout the duration of their transition. Transition Coordinators also act as technical support for support coordinators and providers, who may experience barriers to transition or other difficulties in the field. My Place staff at the OAAS state office supervise the transition coordinators, manages participant data, and compiles & submits reports to CMS as required by the demonstration.

Contact us:

Call the statewide toll-free number 1-888-342-6207
This toll-free number is staffed by Medicaid and is open from 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. (Monday— Friday). You call will be transferred to the appropriate staff. After regular business hours and on the weekend you may leave a voice message for My Place Louisiana staff, who will return your call as soon as possible.

Or, e-mail MyPlaceLouisiana@la.gov.  Staff will return your email promptly.

My Place Louisiana Program Staff:

Kristy Donaldson, Transition Manager (Regions 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9) 225.999.8944

Scott Garrett, Transition Manager (Regions 4, 5, 7, and 8) 225.999.8948

Andrea Cressionnie, Housing Coordinator 504.352.1739