Medicaid waivers and assisted living in Indiana
Indiana pairs two separate Medicaid programs for care inside a licensed Residential Care Facility: the PathWays Waiver, which pays for care services, and the Residential Care Assistance Program (RCAP), which pays for room and board. Neither one alone covers the full monthly bill.
PathWays Waiver
Launched July 1, 2024 as part of Indiana PathWays for Aging, the PathWays Waiver serves Hoosiers 60 and older through the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning, with CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions handling local case management. It covers personal/attendant care, structured family caregiving, respite, case management, home modifications and adult day services -- including care services inside a licensed community that holds a provider agreement. It does not cover room and board.
RCAP
The Residential Care Assistance Program is Indiana's Medicaid-funded room-and-board assistance for RCF residents, paid alongside PathWays waiver care services rather than instead of them. A facility can hold a PathWays agreement, an RCAP agreement, both, or neither -- ask specifically which apply before assuming a waiver covers the whole bill.
In-home-only services
Most Indianapolis-area seniors needing in-home-only care also use the PathWays Waiver rather than a separate program. Younger Hoosiers with disabilities (59 and under) instead use the Health and Wellness Waiver, administered by DDARS's Bureau of Disability Services -- generally not the program families searching this site will need.
