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Indiana's In-Home Medicaid Waiver, Explained

Most Indianapolis-area seniors needing in-home-only services use the same PathWays Waiver, locally case-managed by CICOA.

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Home›State Rules›Indiana's In-Home Medicaid Waiver, Explained

In-home services under the PathWays Waiver

Short answer

Seniors (60+) needing in-home-only Medicaid HCBS services in the Indianapolis metro generally use the same PathWays Waiver that pays for care inside a licensed community -- it is not a separate program for home-only care. CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions provides local case management.

What it covers at home

Personal/attendant care, respite for family caregivers, home modifications, case management, and adult day services -- delivered in a private home rather than a licensed facility. It does not cover room and board, which is not applicable to an in-home arrangement in the first place.

The separate program for younger Hoosiers

Hoosiers under 60 with disabilities use a different program, the Health and Wellness (H&W) Waiver, administered by DDARS's Bureau of Disability Services -- most families using this site's guidance will use PathWays instead.

Who to call

CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions (317-254-5465, or the Resource Center at 317-803-6131) is the Area Agency on Aging serving every county this site covers, and handles PathWays case management locally.

Questions families ask

My parent is being discharged from an Indianapolis hospital in 72 hours. What now?

Ask the case manager for the discharge plan in writing, confirm whether your parent was admitted as an inpatient or held under observation status (only inpatient stays count toward Medicare's skilled-nursing benefit), and ask which facilities have actually accepted the referral -- not just which ones were contacted.

Does Medicare pay for a nursing home stay after a hospitalization?

Medicare covers a limited skilled-nursing-facility stay only after a qualifying inpatient hospital admission, for rehabilitation, not long-term placement. Time spent under observation status does not count, even after multiple nights in a hospital bed -- ask the hospital directly which status applies.

Which Indianapolis-area hospital systems most often discharge patients to senior care?

IU Health, Ascension St. Vincent, Community Health Network, Franciscan Health and Eskenazi Health handle the bulk of Indianapolis-area discharge planning, alongside Hendricks Regional Health, Riverview Health, and Hancock Regional Health in the collar counties.

Can I push back on a hospital discharge date?

Yes, and it is usually less fixed than it sounds, particularly if no safe plan exists yet. Ask the case manager directly what happens if no placement is confirmed by the target date, and involve the hospital's patient advocate if the timeline feels unsafe.

How do I know when it's no longer safe for a parent to live alone?

Look for specific, dated incidents rather than a general impression: a missed medication week, an unreported fall, the stove left on, or a house that has become unsafe rather than merely untidy. Rule out reversible causes first -- a urinary tract infection, medication interaction, or untreated hearing loss can all mimic decline.

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