Title 42 › CHAPTER 7 — SOCIAL SECURITY › SUBCHAPTER XIX — GRANTS TO STATES FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS › § 1396t
Requires States that choose to offer home and community care for older people with disabilities to set up a program of services, assessments, plans, and oversight. People must be at least 65, be found functionally disabled after a free assessment, and receive Supplemental Security Income (or meet a state option). “Functionally disabled” means someone who cannot do without major help at least two of these: toileting, moving from bed/chair, or eating; or someone with Alzheimer’s who similarly needs help with two of bathing, dressing, toileting, moving, and eating, or needs close supervision because of dangerous behavior. Services can include homemaker or home health aide help, chores, personal care, nursing under an RN, respite, family training, adult day care, day treatment or rehab for chronic mental illness, and other approved home and community services (but not room and board). A qualified case manager must meet face-to-face with the person or caregiver, write a written Individual Community Care Plan (ICCP) from the assessment, review it regularly (at least yearly), and visit the home at least once every 90 days. States must provide an appeals process for assessment results and for ICCP decisions. The program must protect rights and quality of care. Caregivers must be competent. People must be told in advance what care they will get and any changes. They may join planning, complain without punishment, keep records private, refuse care (after being told consequences), get training, and be free from abuse and improper restraints. Small and large community care settings must meet safety, building, licensing, and rights rules and must disclose owners. States must certify providers and settings at least once a year, do unannounced surveys, investigate complaints and abuse or theft, and make survey results public. States must set civil money penalties and may remove bad providers; the federal government can also remove providers and impose fines up to $10,000 per day. The Secretary had to set assessment tools by July 1, 1991, publish proposed interim rules by December 1, 1991, and final rules by October 1, 1992. Federal funding limits were $40,000,000 for FY1991, $70,000,000 for FY1992, $130,000,000 for FY1993, $160,000,000 for FY1994, and $180,000,000 for FY1995. States must report yearly how much they spend (starting with FY1990), and if they spend less than in FY1989 the Secretary may reduce federal payments by the difference. States may limit who is eligible in reasonable ways and may waive the rule that the program cover the whole State.
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The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 1396t
Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Sep 23, 2026
Release point: 119-110