Arizona family caregivers can get paid to take care of their loved ones under the state’s Medicaid program for long term care – the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS). This article presented by Crystal Home Care AZ outlines program coverage and eligibility, caregiver training, and more. Let’s get started!
ALTCS and AHCCS
The Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) covers the cost of long term care services for disabled and elderly residents that require help with activities of daily living (ADLs). ALTCS is the long-term care program operated by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) – Arizona’s Medicaid agency that offers health care programs to serve Arizona residents.
Home Care Services
The range of services covered by ALTCS are vast and include nursing home care, assisted living, and home care. In-home care services are provided by certified caregivers that meet state requirements.
Family Caregivers
The state allows family members to become certified caregivers and get paid to provide ALTCS covered home care. Similar to traditional non-family caregivers, family caregivers are required to complete training including First Aid, CPR, and Level 1 DCW training. Interestingly, in contrast to non-family caregivers, family caregivers are not required to complete Level 2 DCW training. Meaning, less training is required for family caregivers than non-family caregivers.
Which Family Members Can Become Paid Caregivers?
Most family members can become paid caregivers for their loved ones including children caring for their elderly parents, spouses, and siblings. In many cases parents can get paid to care for their children.
Who is Eligible?
Home care consumers must meet both financial and medical eligibility criteria to qualify for ALTCS coverage for home care.
Financial Eligibility
Financial eligibility looks at both income (e.g. monthly Social Security payments) and assets (e.g. money in the bank). Consumers are allowed up to $2,982 in monthly income and $2,000 in assets. Not all income and assets are included in the evaluation and married consumers are allowed higher financial limits. Often, consumers who do not meet the above criteria can still qualify for ALTCS.
Medical Eligibility
ALTCS medical assessors conduct what is called a Pre-Admission Screening (PAS) to determine if a consumer meets the required medical criteria. Though they are applying for coverage for home care services, consumers must be determined to need a nursing facility level of care.
Crystal Home Care AZ
Crystal Home Care AZ has made assisting family caregivers to become paid caregivers a priority by helping with scheduling training for certification, offering competitive pay, and providing a seamless onboarding process.
Crystal Home Care AZ would be happy to help you with becoming a certified paid caregiver for a family member under ALTCS. Please call 602-848-2460 or visit https://crystalhomecareaz.com/ to learn more.
