HLS 24RS-334 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 211
BY REPRESENTATIVE BUTLER
MEDICAID: Directs the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) to
extend its Family Flexible Fund waiver provision in cases of emergency
1 A RESOLUTION
2To direct the office for citizens with developmental disabilities to extend its Family Flexible
3 Fund waiver provision in cases of emergency via administrative rule.
4 WHEREAS, according to its website, the office for citizens with developmental
5disabilities serves as the single point of entry for developmental disabilities services; and
6 WHEREAS, it is the duty of the office for citizens with developmental disabilities
7to oversee public and private residential services and other services for people with
8developmental disabilities; and
9 WHEREAS, to fulfill its duties, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities
10performs assessments to determine the eligibility of persons who request services for
11developmental disabilities; and
12 WHEREAS, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities also provides
13monthly stipends to the families of people with severe or profound developmental
14disabilities from birth to age of majority who are deemed eligible; and
15 WHEREAS, such provisions from the office for citizens with developmental
16disabilities help families meet the extraordinary costs associated with the provision of care
17for a person with severe or profound developmental disabilities; and
18 WHEREAS, many people who utilize Medicaid home- and community-based waiver
19programs are afforded flexibility to choose where they want to live; and
20 WHEREAS, those persons are also able to determine which Medicaid services best
21accommodate their needs; and
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HR NO. 211
1 WHEREAS, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities offers specific
2service packages and eligibility requirements for each home- and community-based waiver;
3and
4 WHEREAS, waiver opportunities depend on funding and are offered based on the
5individual's need and priority level from the screening information in the request for services
6registry; and
7 WHEREAS, the services that families are able to access using the waiver program
8include but are not limited to respite care, personal assistance services, specialized clothing,
9dental and medical services, equipment and supplies, communication services, crisis
10intervention, specialized utility costs, specialized nutrition, and family education; and
11 WHEREAS, such services are provided through private provider agency contracts
12or through agreements with individuals and families who obtain their own service providers;
13and
14 WHEREAS, there have been instances when families have faced undue financial
15burdens as a result of the expiration of the waiver provisions offered by the office for
16citizens with developmental disabilities; and
17 WHEREAS, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities extend its waiver
18provision to ensure that such a burden is never placed on the family of a person with a severe
19or profound developmental disability.
20 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
21Legislature of Louisiana does hereby direct the office for citizens with developmental
22disabilities to extend the Family Flexible Fund waiver provision in cases of emergency via
23administrative rule by February 1, 2025.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
25assistant secretary of the office for citizens with developmental disabilities and the secretary
26of the Louisiana Department of Health.
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HR NO. 211
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 211 Original 2024 Regular Session Butler
Directs the office for citizens with developmental disabilities to extend the Family Flexible
Fund waiver provision in cases of emergency via administrative rule by Feb. 1, 2025.
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