MI Choice Waiver Program

Michigan Center for Independent Living Directory

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MI Choice Waiver Documents and Provider Information

Nursing homes used to be the only choice for older or disabled persons who needed help caring for themselves. Today there are many choices that allow individuals to live independently while receiving nursing facility level of care in their home or in a community setting.

One program run by Michigan Medicaid is the MI Choice Waiver Program. It began in 1992 as the Home and Community Based Services for the Elderly and Disabled (HCBS/ED) waiver program. We now know it as the MI Choice Waiver Program, or simply, "the waiver."

Through MI Choice, eligible adults who meet income and asset criteria can receive Medicaid-covered services like those provided by nursing homes but can stay in their own home or another residential setting. The waiver became available in all Michigan counties October 1, 1998. Each participant can receive the basic services Michigan Medicaid covers, supports coordination, and one or more of the following services in the waiver:

• Adult day health (adult day care)
• Chore services
• Community health worker
• Community living supports
• Community transportation
• Counseling
• Environmental accessibility adaptations
• Fiscal intermediary
• Goods and services
• Home delivered meals
• Nursing services
• Personal emergency response systems (PERS)
• Private duty nursing/respiratory care
• Respite services
• Specialized medical equipment and supplies
• Training in a variety of independent living skills

MI CHOICE AGENCY INFORMATION

MI CHOICE ACCREDITATION

The Waiver Agency Region Map and list of Waiver Agents below will make it easier to contact the MI Choice Waiver Agency in your community who can provide you with more information.  To identify the waiver agency in your community, see the Waiver Agency Region Map.   After finding your region on the map, refer to the List of Waiver Agents by Region. 

Region 1A 
Service Area: Cities - Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Harper Woods

Detroit Area Agency on Aging 
Ronald Taylor, President & CEO
Josephine Messelmani, Vice President, Long Term Care Services
1333 Brewery Park Blvd., Suite 200
Detroit, Michigan 48207
Tele: 313-446-4444
Fax: 313-446-4446

 

Region 1B 
Service Area: Counties - Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw

Area Agency on Aging 1-B/AgeWays Non-Profit Senior Services

Michael Karson, CEO and President
Aimee Page, Chief Clinical Officer
Margaret Oullette, Director Clinical Operations
29100 Northwestern Highway, Suite 400
Southfield, Michigan 48034
Tele: 248-357-2255
Fax: 248-948-9691

Easterseals/MORC
Brent Wirth, Chief Executive Officer
Kimm Buckley, Program Director
16200 Nineteen Mile Road
PO Box 380710
Clinton Township, Michigan 48038-0070
Tele: 586-263-8700
Fax: 586-228-7029

Region 1C 
Service Area: Counties - Wayne County except the cities served by 1A

The Senior Alliance 
Jason Maciejewski, CEO
Kelly Faber, Chief Operating Officer
Andrew Debrowski, Waiver Director
5454 Venoy Road
Wayne, Michigan 48184-1755

Tele: 734-722-2830
Fax: 734-722-2836

Region 2 
Service Area: Counties - Jackson, Hillsdale, Lenawee

WellWise Services/Region 2 Area Agency on Aging 
Julie Wetherby, Executive Director
Lori Janiga, Waiver Manager
Kara Lorenz, Assistant Director
102 North Main Street
PO Box 189 
Brooklyn, Michigan 49230
Tele: 800-335-7881
         517-592-1974
Fax: 517-592-1975

 

Region 3 
Service Area: Counties - Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph

Region 3B Area Agency on Aging/CareWell Services Southwest
Stacy Wines, Chief Executive Officer
Jodi DeJonge, Waiver Director
200 West Michigan Avenue, Suite 102
Battle Creek, Michigan 49017
Tele: 269-966-2450
Fax: 269-966-2493

Milestone Senior Services 
Richard Kline, Chief Executive Officer
Martha Huckabee, Clinical Director
918 Jasper Street
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49001
Tele: 269-382-0515
Fax: 269-382-3189

Region 4 
Service Area: Counties - Berrien, Cass, Van Buren

Region IV Area Agency on Aging 
Christine Vanlandingham, Chief Executive Officer
Theresa Uhrich, Chief Operating Officer
Stefanie Murphy, Care Management Director
2900 Lakeview Avenue
St. Joseph, Michigan 49085
Tele: 269-983-0177
Fax: 269-983-5218

Region 3B Area Agency on Aging/CareWell Services Southwest
Stacy Wines, CEO
Jodi DeJonge, Waiver Director
200 West Michigan Avenue, Suite 102
Battle Creek, Michigan 49017
Tele: 269-966-2450
Fax: 269-966-2493

Region 5 
Service Area: Counties - Genesee, Lapeer, Shiawassee

Valley Area Agency on Aging 
Yaushica Aubert, Chief Executive Officer
Hollie Woodrum Director, LTC Programs
225 East Fifth Street
Flint, Michigan 48502
Tele: 810-239-7671
Fax: 810-239-8869

Region 6 
Service Area: Counties - Clinton, Eaton, Ingham

Tri-County Office on Aging 
Andrea Radel, Executive Director
Kirsten Laing, Project Choices Director
5303 South Cedar Street
Lansing, Michigan 48911-3800
Tele: 517-887-1440
Fax: 517-887-8071

Region 7 
Service Area: Counties - Bay, Clare, Gladwin, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Saginaw, Sanilac, Tuscola

A&D Home Health Care, Inc. 
Roselyn Argyle, Executive Director
Mike Tysick, Co-Program Director
Karen Harrison, Co-Program Director
3150 Enterprise Drive, Suite 200
Saginaw, Michigan 48603
Tele: 1-800-884-3335
        989-249-0929
Fax: 989-249-1147 / 989-249-1153 - Roselyn Argyle

Region VII Area Agency on Aging 
Bob Brown, Executive Director
Peggy Goodroe, Waiver Manager
1615 S. Euclid Avenue
Bay City, Michigan 48706
Tele: 989-893-4506
Fax: 989-893-2651

Region 8 
Service Area: Counties - Allegan, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Newaygo, Osceola

Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan, Inc. 
Kendrick Heinlein Executive Director
Suzanne Filby-Clark, Deputy Director
3215 Eaglecrest Drive NE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525
Tele: 616-456-5664
Fax:  616-456-5692

Reliance Community Care Partners
Steven Velzen-Haner, Executive Director
Leigha Nichols, MI Choice Waiver Director
2100 Raybrook SE, STE 203
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Tele: 800-447-3007
        616-956-9440
Fax: 616-954-1520

Region 9 
Service Area: Counties - Alcona, Arenac, Alpena, Cheboygan, Crawford, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego, Presque Isle, Roscommon

Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMCSA) 
Lisa Bolen, Executive Director
Laurie Sauer, Program Director
2375 Gordon Road
Alpena, Michigan 49707
Tele: 989-356-3474
Fax: 989-354-6913

Region 10 
Service Area: Counties - Antrim, Benzie, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, Manistee, Missaukee, Wexford 

Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan
Heidi Gustine, Executive Director
Audrey Tezak, Director of Care Management
1609 Park Drive
P. O. Box 5946
Traverse City, Michigan 49696-5946
Tele: 231-947-8920
Fax: 231-947-6401

Reliance Community Care Partners
Steven Velzen-Haner, Executive Director
Shannon Dodds, MI Choice Waiver Director
2100 Raybrook SE, STE 203
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Tele: 810-447-3007
         616-956-9440
Fax: 616-954-1520

Region 11 
Service Area: Counties - Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon, Schoolcraft 

UPCAP
Jonathan Mead, Executive Director
Terry LaFave, Director of Long Term Care Programs
P.O. Box 606
2501 14th Avenue South
Escanaba, Michigan 49829
Tele: 906-786-4701
Fax: 906-786-5853

Region 14 
Service Area: Counties - Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa

Senior Resources 
Pam Curtis, Executive Director
Sheyenne Cole, Waiver Director
560 Seminole Road
Muskegon, Michigan 49444
Tele: 231-739-5858
Fax: 231-739-4452

Reliance Community Care Partners 
Steven Velzen-Haner, Executive Director
Leigha Nichols, Waiver Director
2100 Raybrook SE, STE  203
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Tele: 800-447-3007
        616-956-9440
Fax: 616-954-1520

Heightened Scrutiny for Home and Community Based Settings

On March 17, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) published final regulations in the Federal Register, implementing new requirements for Medicaid's home and community-based services (HCBS) programs.  The purpose of the HCBS settings regulations is to ensure that individuals receive Medicaid HCBS in settings that are integrated in and support full access to the greater community. This includes opportunities to seek employment and work in competitive and integrated settings, engage in community life, control personal resources, and receive services in the community, to the same degree as individuals who do not receive HCBS.

The federal rule presumes the following types of setting to have institutional/ isolating qualities.

• Settings in a publicly or privately owned facility providing inpatient treatment (Including Skilled Nursing Facilities).
• Settings on the grounds of, or adjacent to, a public institution.
• Settings with the effect of isolating individuals from the broader community of individuals not receiving Medicaid HCBS waiver services.

For those settings presumed to be institutional, the state may submit evidence to CMS demonstrating the setting does not have the qualities of an institution. CMS will determine if the HCBS settings comply with the new regulations utilizing Heightened Scrutiny. Heightened Scrutiny is the process where CMS reviews the evidence submitted by the state that a setting meets HCBS regulations and decides whether the evidence is sufficient to overcome the presumption that the setting has the qualities of an institution. CMS will randomly select settings from a list provided by the State of HCBS settings presumed to be institutional to go through heightened scrutiny review. Before CMS reviews the selected sample of settings, all settings need to go through 30 days of public comment.

For more information about the heightened-scrutiny process, see the CMS guidance document, Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Heightened Scrutiny Review Process and Other Home and Community-Based Settings Information (PDF).

Heightened Scrutiny-Related Documents

Residential Survey

Non-Residential Survey

On-site review tool

Visit Agenda

Participant Interview Tool

Staff Interview Tool

Review Flowchart

Adult Day Settings

Residential Settings