Does North Carolina Pay for Home Health Care?

To qualify for this waiver, seniors in North Carolina must be enrolled in Medicaid, have a medical or age-related disability that would normally justify placement in a nursing home and be able to get all of their needs met with home visits from a home health aide or other paramedical professional. A needs assessment is part of the intake process, and beneficiaries may be required to periodically recertify to keep their benefits. There is no time limit to how long these services can be provided, though the enrolled senior must be continuously in need of home health care throughout the period the benefits last.

Seniors in North Carolina who are getting home health care, or other in-home care services, through CAP/DA can choose to manage their own benefits through the PCS option. This is not itself a waiver but an alternative way to receive necessary home health and caregiver benefits. Participants in PCS can act as their own case manager, with home health aides and caregivers acting as the beneficiary’s employees, rather than having funds go directly to an agency. Under PCS, seniors can designate their own caregivers, who may be family members, though a home health aide must be certified to receive payment under the plan.