Louisiana Medicaid Long Term-Personal Care Services (LT-PCS)

Program Description

Louisiana Medicaid helps seniors by providing personal / custodial care services to assist them with their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), such as bathing, grooming, transferring, and mobility, through the Long Term Personal Care Services (LT-PCS) program. Unlike the Louisiana Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Waivers, which is called the Community Choices Waiver, this program does not have a waiting list, as it is part of the state Medicaid plan. (The state Medicaid program is an entitlement, meaning anyone who is eligible is able to receive services. On the other hand, Medicaid Waivers are not entitlement programs, which means there may be waitlists to receive services).

In addition to assistance with ADLs, services included are assistance with what are referred to as the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), such as food preparation, medication reminders, and transportation. This program is designed to allow seniors to remain living in their homes or to “age in place,” even though they are qualified to receive nursing home care. Medical / skilled care services are not included in this program, nor is around the clock care.

Eligibility Guidelines

To be eligible for the LT-PCS program, an individual must be a resident of Louisiana. This program is intended for disabled individuals 21 years of age and older that are qualified for nursing home care. Make note, applicants 65 years old and older need not be disabled. In some cases, qualified applicants must have a doctor’s prescription and the services must be medically necessary. That being said, all applicants must need assistance with a minimum of one daily living activity, such as bathing, grooming, dressing, or eating.

Additionally, applicants must currently be residing in a nursing home and could be discharged with appropriate assistance, be expected to require nursing home admission sometime in the next 4 months, or have a primary caregiver who is either disabled or is a minimum of 70 years old. Eligible applicants must be willing to live at home, instead of in a nursing home, as well as have the capacity to direct their care. A family representative may be assigned to assist the senior with care management.

In addition to the functional requirements, candidates must meet the financial eligibility criteria for Louisiana Medicaid. In 2022, the monthly income limit for seniors is equivalent to the current SSI limit. This means an individual cannot receive an excess of $841 per month. For married applicants (with both spouses applying), the income limit is $1,261. There is also an asset limit, which as of 2022, is $2,000 for a single applicant and $3,000 for married applicants.

Becoming Financially Eligible

Louisiana has a Medically Needy Program (MNP), commonly called a spend-down program, which can be thought of as similar to a deductible. In basic terms, persons who have income in excess of the limit can “spend down” their income to meet the limit. Excess income can only be spent on specific expenses, such as medical and care costs.

Louisiana residents who cannot afford their cost of care, but still cannot qualify for financial reasons, might consider working with a Medicaid planner. These professionals help families to qualify by re-allocating their resources so they become exempt income streams, such as a Medicaid compliant annuity. (An annuity, in simple terms, is the investment of a large amount of money that produces monthly income for either one’s estimated life expectancy or a set period of time.) Similarly, assets can be converted from countable to exempt (non-countable). Examples include modifying a home to allow aging in place and paying off debt, such as one’s mortgage. In addition, LA Medicaid allows certain exemptions for things like the individual’s primary home (valued up to $636,000 in equity in 2022), burial plots, and final expense insurance.

Benefits and Services

The following benefits are available via the Long Term-Personal Care Services program:

• Bathing and Toileting
• Coordination (Accompanying) of Medical Appointments
• Dressing and Grooming
• Food Preparation, Meal Storage, and Assistance Eating
• Grocery Shopping
• Laundry
• Light Housekeeping
• Prescription Supervision
• Mobility and Transferring
• Non-Medical Transportation – not a required program service, but care providers may provide this service.

Three points worth making about these services are that they are only available for the benefit of the program participant.  If that person resides with another non-Medicaid house mate, services such as housekeeping and meal preparation are only for the program participant. Second, while medical services are not provided under this waiver, participants can receive those services under other Medicaid programs concurrently. Lastly, a limit of 32 hours per week can be provided regardless of need.

How to Apply / Learn More

This program is available in all Louisiana counties and is administered by the Office of Aging and Adult Services (OAAS). One can learn more from their local Louisiana Area Agency on Aging or by calling Louisiana Options in Long Term Care at 1-877-456-1146. Minimal information about this program is available here. But one can call (866) 758-5035 to reach a live person with the Louisiana Department of Health. Additional information can be found here.