Indiana’s Health & Wellness Waiver may help eligible people with disabilities receive approved services at home instead of in a nursing facility. Respite may be available when it addresses an assessed need, appears in the participant’s person-centered service plan, and is provided by an appropriately approved agency.
Health and Wellness Waiver respite care is temporary support intended to assist a waiver participant while providing relief to the person’s usual unpaid caregiver.
The Health & Wellness Waiver, often shortened to the H&W Waiver, serves eligible people age 59 and younger with disabilities who would require nursing-facility care without waiver services or other supports. It is designed to supplement informal support and help participants remain in their homes or other qualifying community settings.
Indiana’s public waiver materials list respite services among the supports that may be available. Families seeking a wider overview can begin with the Indiana Medicaid respite care guide.
Yes, the H&W Waiver may cover authorized respite care at home, but it is not automatically included for every participant.
The answer to “does H&W Waiver cover respite care?” depends on several separate decisions:
Indiana uses “respite services” in its current public program information. Some state educational materials also refer to “skilled respite.” These formal Medicaid terms should not be interpreted to mean that every respite provider supplies nursing. The provider’s qualifications and authorized scope must match the exact service in the participant’s plan.
The supporting guide about H&W respite coverage for adults under 60 can address this coverage question in more detail.
Health and Wellness Waiver respite eligibility generally begins with being age 59 or younger, having a disability, meeting Indiana Medicaid requirements, and meeting the applicable nursing-facility level-of-care standard.
Indiana describes the waiver as an alternative to nursing-facility admission for eligible people whose needs can be supported in the community. Age or a disability diagnosis alone does not establish eligibility. Financial requirements, functional support needs, assessment results, living setting, and program rules may also apply.
Even after waiver enrollment, respite must be individually authorized. The planning process may examine:
Indiana Medicaid and its authorized representatives make eligibility and service decisions. Nana Cares cannot determine whether a person qualifies.
To apply for the Health and Wellness Waiver in Indiana, families should contact the Area Agency on Aging serving the applicant’s county. Indiana lists the local Area Agency on Aging as the application entry point for the H&W and TBI Waivers.
The broad process may include:
Indiana uses trained assessors and age-appropriate interRAI assessment tools to review physical, functional, and cognitive needs for people seeking nursing-facility or HCBS eligibility.
Indiana also notes that the Health & Wellness Waiver has a waiting list. Meeting eligibility requirements therefore may not result in immediate waiver enrollment or a service start.
Families can review Indiana Medicaid waiver home care for more context about the application and authorization system.
H&W Waiver respite authorization occurs when respite is identified as an appropriate response to an assessed need and included in the participant’s approved person-centered service plan.
Federal HCBS rules require planning to reflect the participant’s preferences, goals, support needs, and chosen contributors. The participant should direct the process as much as possible, with help from a guardian or representative when appropriate.
During planning, families should accurately explain:
The care manager may help coordinate the assessment, service planning, provider choice, and authorization process. Asking for respite does not guarantee approval or a specific number of hours.
The supporting article on getting H&W respite authorized can help families prepare for this conversation.
H&W Waiver in-home respite services can include only the support identified in the participant’s authorization and delivered by a provider qualified for that specific service.
Families should review the approved plan for:
Nana Cares provides non-medical support. Depending on the authorization and agency scope, that may include companionship, supervision, familiar routines, meal support, medication reminders, homemaker assistance related to care, and appropriate help with activities of daily living.
Nana Cares does not provide skilled nursing, injections, wound care, therapy, medical treatment, clinical assessments, or medication administration. Its non-medical services should not be treated as interchangeable with every respite category found in waiver documents.
Families can explore home care for adults with disabilities and personal care services in Indianapolis to understand Nana Cares’ non-medical scope.
A Health and Wellness respite provider should be selected based on the approved service, state certification, Indiana Medicaid enrollment, service area, ability to perform authorized tasks, and staffing availability.
Indiana requires HCBS providers to complete three broad steps:
Families should ask a prospective agency:
The care manager can help identify eligible providers, but certification does not guarantee that an agency has an available caregiver or can accept every case.
The planned H&W respite provider in Indianapolis guide will offer a focused agency-selection checklist.
To start Health and Wellness Waiver respite care in Indianapolis, families should first confirm the authorization and then contact an approved provider for intake, assessment, scheduling, and caregiver matching.
Before expecting a start date, confirm:
Nana Cares offers a free non-medical needs assessment and a structured process that includes intake, care planning, caregiver matching, and confirmation of availability. Nana Cares states that it is a certified Health & Wellness Waiver provider, but services remain subject to authorization, agency scope, service area, safety, and staffing.
Nana Cares provides non-medical caregiver respite in Indianapolis for adults with disabilities age 18 and older.
Contact Nana Cares or book a free needs assessment to discuss the participant’s authorized needs, requested schedule, service location, care preferences, provider fit, and current availability.
Nana Cares can explain its intake process and determine whether its non-medical services may fit the approved plan. It cannot determine waiver eligibility, authorize respite, guarantee coverage, promise a specific number of hours, or guarantee staffing or a start date.
Compassionate, non-medical in-home care for seniors and adults with disabilities across Central Indiana.
Nana Cares provides personal care, homemaker services, companion care, respite care, and overnight support with a warm, professional approach.