Name of Grantee
Arkansas
Department of Human Services
Title of Grant
Type of Grant
Respite
for Children
Amount of Grant
$75,000
Year Original Funding
Received
2003
Expected Completion Date
September
2007
Nancy Holder, Project Supervisor
501-682-1464
Nancy.Holder@arkansas.gov
David Deere, Primary Contact
501-682-9917
DeereGlenD@uams.edu
Caregivers of children with special health care
needs.
The goal of this study is to expand the number of
participants in
Children's Medical Services (ChMS),
the Arkansas Title V program for children with special health care needs, is
located in the Arkansas Department of Human Services. ChMS
will conduct a feasibility study to determine how to increase participation in
a State Medicaid respite project targeted to caregivers of children with
special health care needs.
The goal of this project is to expand
participation in the respite care program for children and adolescents with
special health care needs. Another goal is to increase self-reported consumer
satisfaction with the program and to reduce caregivers' stress.
ChMS operates two 1915(c) waivers that have combined funding to
allow caregivers of 275 children not receiving waiver services to receive
respite services. Eligible children must be under age 19 and eligible for
either SSI or TEFRA. Out of 315 applications for the 275 slots, only 228 met
eligibility requirements. Of the 228, only 132 caregivers have met Medicaid
billing requirements. The remainder failed to send in required
information-particularly a Plan of Care naming a registered nurse who will
certify that the caregiver is qualified to take care of the child and can
appropriately carry out nurse delegated duties.
Through a subgrant,
Partners for Inclusive Communities will undertake the following major
activities: (1) assess the existing needs for respite and barriers to program
participation, (2) develop one or more proposals for additional funding for
respite services, (3) implement a revised plan for the respite program, (4)
evaluate the revised plan, and (5) recommend further modifications to the
revised plan.
The Steering Committee, comprising consumers and
family members and key stakeholders, will be involved in all aspects of the
project, including analyzing the problem, planning changes to the current
program, overseeing implementation of the revised program, and evaluating the
program's activities and impact.